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We reached directly out to both school administrators to find statistical information about the school, how they are aggressively offsetting tuition, but then reaching out to students who really consider college experts and asking them about the value for their education and what sort of financial value they are getting for that, for that education...
---So, so some of this is objective and some of it is subjective (Yes) as well and it'd be for students.
Exactly, exactly. It's both --- that (is) qualitative as well as quantitative information. We reached out to a little over 160,000 students this year through our website princetonreview.com. And we asked some questions basically in three different pockets: overall academics, cost and then financial aid. Er, so we pair those, those things with that qualitative and quantitative information. So, overall statistics on what it takes to get into some of those 150 schools in, in the book, but then exactly what they thought the academic experience was in the classroom. Were their professors good teachers? Were they accessible inside and outside of the classroom? So, not only are the sticker prices for lots of these schools low, but students are saying it's a great academic values as well...
---What's this criteria that you have you call it Tuition GPA?
Yes. Tuition GPA is, is just that we are looking for overall financial aid. So what does that school do again to bring down that sticker price to a manageable number? Er, how much aid are they giving out? What is the average indebtedness for each of those students once they graduate? But then asking that student, do they think that it's a great financial aid value, what they are actually getting when the sticker price comes down.
---Yeah, you suggest that sticker shock is one of the biggest misconceptions when people are searching for colleges.
It's without question one of the biggest misconceptions and really the downfall for lots of kids and parents. What we've found that is, is most people will, will cross a school off of their list because it has high sticker price, which is totally the wrong thing to do when we start thinking about it. Schools that charge a lot of money can be very aggressive about giving out large financial aid packages to their students. And again it's financial aid packages that are not forcing students to take out loans. So again the university giving out grant money, free money, scholarship.
---So always look a little bit deeper into the hole.
It, without question. That, that, that's what you owe it to yourself as a student and certainly to a parent to do.
---Alright, let's get to the list. Top five of the best private colleges across the country, best value colleges. How did they come down?
Yeah, well there's, there's a lot of them and some great stories here. Brigham Young University, wonderful school. It's a Mormon university over 30,000 students but when we start thinking about average sticker price for a kid for the Mormon faith, because it's subsidized by the Mormon religion --- $10, 000 for a non-Mormon student by $12,000. So, a, a great value. About $13,000 overall, their students will graduate with overall indebtedness.
---The other in the top five, Berea College in Kentucky, Roberts Wesleyan College in Rochester, New York, Westminster College Fulton Missouri, and Rice University in Houston, Texas. What about public colleges?
Yeah, number one on our public colleges list is New College of Florida, which is a wonderful school, 692 students, certainly a small school but it's part of the Florida system. So, so again it caters to, to students in that state but invites other students to apply overall.
---And the other ones in the top five: North Carolina State University, California State University and Long Beach Truman State University in Missouri, and the University of North Florida in Jacksonville. Any carryovers from last year?
Yeah, we have two. Actually Brigham Young University and New College of Florida are both carryovers. Not in the number one spot , (but they weren't number one though right?). That's right, and certainly these schools as well as the 148 schools that we have in the book, wonderful schools academically and great financial aid value.
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