Anyone who reads my blog for a while will realize that I have a thing about college graduation rates. One of the “50’s” in my 50-50 schools is graduation rates. And I can’t say it’s just something I started paying attention to as my son got closer to college. My master’s report was on high school graduation rates. Yeah, I was playing with graduation rates before most people ever heard of them. So no one should be surprised that I want to be clear about the difference between graduation rates and freshman retention rates and why it matters.
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50-50 Highlights: Colleges for Transfer Students 2018
As the cost of attending state flagship universities passes $30,000, many families are considering the financial benefits of starting at a community college and then transfer to a 4-year university. Combining living at home with paying only a third to half of the tuition of a 4 year public institution represents significant savings. However, those savings will exist only if students actual path in real life follows the plan–and that is far from being certain.
Most Expensive Public Universities for Out-of-State Students
Most people understand that private colleges have a much higher price tag than public universities which is why many never consider private schools. This is a shame since there are some private colleges that offer great opportunities along with generous financial aid. What a lot of people don’t realize is that out-of-state public institutions generally have the worst characteristics of both public and private colleges. They have the high price of private colleges with the limited financial aid of public universities.
50-50 Highlights: Colleges for Asian Students
Asians and Pacific Islanders represent 5.7% of the general population but make-up 6.6% of all undergraduates. There are two to four times more Asians at the most competitive schools than in the general population. Asian students make up 21% of undergraduates at Stanford and 19% at Harvard. Because of this “over-representation” and general “model minority” myth, Asian students are often perceived as doing well no matter where they attend school.
50-50 Highlights: 89 Best Bets for Affordable Public Universities
Let me start by saying you never know how much a college is actually going to cost until you get the college’s financial aid award. That’s when you really know if a college is affordable. But there are indicators that some colleges are more likely to be affordable than others. Knowing these indicators mean that you can make sure you apply to colleges more likely to meet your financial needs. That doesn’t guarantee they will because we are talking averages here. But it does improve your chances.
Why Your College List Should Start with Your Flagship University
Long time readers of my blog know that I think that the start of any college search should begin with estimating your Expected Family Contribution (EFC). This simply sets the baseline for how much you should expect to pay. The next step should be looking up your state flagship university. Why? Because while your EFC sets your financial expectations, your state flagship serves as the ideal reference point for adding and comparing the schools you add to your final college list.
How to Find Colleges that Give Tuition Coupons
What, you say you’ve never seen a tuition coupon? Just because nobody has ever actually held one in her hands doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. You know how you start getting coupons for movers and home stores when you change your address? Or after you visit a website online, you start getting discount offers from them in your Facebook feed? Well, it’s possible to get a coupon for $10,000 or $15,000 off your college tuition if you pick the right college.
What if it didn’t matter what college you went to?
It’s the new year and I’m in a sort of philosophical mood. I just finished reviewing the most popular posts on my Facebook page and it got me thinking–what if it didn’t matter what college you went to? Because it seems to me that the posts that get the most traction have to do with making sure your kid is successful but it doesn’t necessarily mean going to the most prestigious college. So try it as a thought experiment, how would your student’s (and your family’s) life be different if it didn’t matter which college your student went to?
Looking for a list of colleges that…?
If you’re planning to create a college list, take a look at some existing lists before starting. It’s possible that you’ll find a couple that can save you a lot of time. If nothing else, a quick perusal might generate some new ideas or bring up some issues you hadn’t considered. Best of all-most of the lists are free.
This is will be an on-going project so be sure to check back for updates.
Free Lists for Newsletter Subscribers
- Colleges that Meet 100% of Need
- Colleges Sponsoring National Merit Scholarships
- State Flagship Listing
- Colleges with Free Application Fees
- Listing of Public Ivies
- 50-50 Colleges Cheatsheet
- Colleges with a 20% Acceptance Rate or Lower
DIY College Rankings College Lists for Sale
- Colleges by ACT Scores
- Colleges by SAT Scores
- Colleges with Baseball Programs
- Colleges with Softball Program
- Colleges with Soccer Programs
- All 4 year colleges with detailed financial aid information
