A private college education doesn’t have to be beyond the reach of most students, even if they are in need of significant financial aid. Read more to learn why students in need of aid should consider both public and private institutions.
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The Chronicle of Higher Education reports this morning on a new study that finds that the overwhelming majority of students heading off to college this fall will be attending the sort of college they prefer.
Of the nearly 40,000 respondents, 86% of those who said they preferred a public college will be attending a public college this fall. Among those who said they preferred a private college, 76% will be enrolling in a private college.
Interestingly, the economics of admission cut both ways for students. Students who preferred private schools but enrolled in a public one cited costs of enrollment as the major factor. However, students who switched to attend a private school despite their preference for a public one, also reported economics as a factor: they received good financial aid packages with both need-based and merit-based awards.
So, clearly, the economic downturn has had an impact, but not always the one we might assume. That impact is differerent for different students, depending on their preferences and depending on how well they play the college admission and financial aid game.
The game will be no different in the coming year. Students who take the time to ask themselves what they really want, who find schools who match their criteria very closely, and who are willing to develop a winning strategy for admissions and financial aid, the global economy may not affect their educational future one iota.
Mark Montgomery
Educational Consultant
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The New York Times has an article today about the surge in applications from bargain hunting applicants.
Also today, Inside Higher Ed has posted an article about private colleges freezing, lowering, or at least drastically reducing tuition increases in a bid to hang on to current students and attract new ones.
The down economy is making it tough for colleges and universities to plan. Their enrollment models are based on past averages and historical data. But all that past experience has to be thrown out the window.
It’s an interesting year, that’s for sure.
