Brown University tuition will rise by 4% next year.
What goes up but doesn’t ever come down? College tuition of course. Brown University will have their biggest tuition hike in three years. Next year, Brown University tuition will go up by 4%. Why the significant rise? The university is anticipating $902 million in expenses for the next fiscal year and $897.6 in revenue. That means that they’ve got to make up the money somewhere. According to “The Brown Daily Herald,” last year, the university had to dip into the school’s reserves — a $9 million dip.
According to “The Brown Daily Herald,” “The increase in the University’s operation budget reflects higher expenditures on graduate student stipends, staff and faculty salaries, the School of Engineering, campus safety efforts and information technology, as well as a slightly larger number of faculty positions, according to [Brown president Christina] Paxson’s email. The tuition increase was ‘one of the toughest decisions’ the URC had to make, [Beppie] Huidekoper said, adding that the total of Brown’s tuition and fees is lower than those of most other Ivies. Poor endowment returns in recent years provided part of the need to raise tuition, she said. As federal funding streams for research dry up over the next few years, the University will continue to seek new sources of revenue, Huidekoper said.”
What do you think about Brown’s decision to raise tuition by 4% for next year? Do you think this is too steep of a tuition hike? Let us know your thoughts on the matter by posting below!
Categories: Ivy League, University Tuition Tags: Brown Tuition, Brown University Cost, Brown University Costs, Brown University Tuition, Cost of Brown University Tuition
The cost of college tuition seems to only go up.
Physics teaches us that what goes up must come down, but college tuition has for years defied the principles of our universe. For the 2012-2013 academic year, Sarah Lawrence College ranks as the single most expensive university in the United States at $61,236. Coming in as the second most expensive university in the nation is New York University at $59,837. In third is Harvey Mudd College at $58,913. In fourth comes the most expensive Ivy League college — Columbia University. With a tuition of $58,742, going to school in the most expensive city in America raises that sticker price.
In fifth is Wesleyan University with a tuition of $58,202. In sixth comes Claremont McKenna College with an annual tuition of $58,065. With the seventh highest tuition in the nation, Dartmouth College ranks as the second most expensive Ivy League college at $57,996 per year. Drexel University comes next with a tuition price of $57,975. The University of Chicago comes in at $57,711, while Bard College comes in at $57,580 a year.
Do you think it’s odd that some universities in big cities rank as some of America’s most expensive schools while so too do some universities in rural or suburban areas? As an example, Columbia is in New York, New York. Dartmouth is in small-town Hanover, New Hampshire. And yet their tuition prices are not very far apart. Why do you think that is? Let us know your thoughts on the matter by posting below! And do you think college tuitions will ever drop?
Categories: University Tuition Tags: College Tuition, College Tuitions, Ivy League Tuition, Ivy League Tuitions, University Tuitions
Students who need five years to graduate because they can’t get into certain classes should only have to pay for four years.
With the cost of college tuition only rising over the years, more and more students are graduating in serious debt. So what does a school like, say, the University of California, Los Angeles have to say for itself when its students need five years to graduate. And why do they need five years? They need five years because they can’t get into all of the courses they need to take to graduate on time each year. So because they can’t get into all of the courses they need, it can take an extra year (sometimes even more) to graduate.
We find this completely absurd. Just because the college can’t accommodate all of the students it admits, that doesn’t mean the cost of an extra year of tuition should be added onto the bills of matriculating students and their parents. It’s just not right. If it’s really that impossible to accommodate all of these students, the schools shouldn’t admit all of these students. It’s that simple. And they absolutely shouldn’t get more money for making it more difficult for students to get what they’re paying for in four years. The absurdity of the situation!
We encourage schools like UCLA to charge tuition for four years even if it takes five years for students to graduate. It’s not their fault — it’s the university’s fault. The university should have to cover this additional cost rather than the student. It’s the only right thing to do. Have a comment about this controversial subject? Share it with our readers below!
Categories: University Tuition Tags: College Tuition Cost, College Tuition Costs, Cost of College Tuition, Cost of University Tuition, University Tuition CostsEver wonder which university in the United States enrolls the most foreign students? Wonder no longer. That university is the University of Southern California and this has been the case for years. According to “The LA Times” article on foreign enrollment at American universities, “For the 11th year in a row, USC enrolled the most foreigners of any U.S. college or university in the 2011-12 school year as rising numbers of Chinese students pursued American education, according to a new study.” In fact, USC enrolled 9.269 students during the 2011-2012 academic cycle, which marked a 7% increase from the previous year, as reported by “The LA Times,” citing “The Institute of International Education’s” findings.
Foreign enrollment at USC tops the charts among American universities.
New York University, Purdue University, University of Michigan, Northeastern University, Columbia University, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Michigan State University, and Ohio State University also all boast high foreign enrollment as compared to other American universities. The number of foreign students enrolling at American universities continues to rise (up 5.7% last year alone) and a good chunk of this contingency hails from China. After China, India, South Korea, Canada, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Turkey, Vietnam, and Mexico are all among the nations sending a ton of students to the United States for their undergraduate and graduate studies.
These universities recruit quite a bit in Asian nations and don’t expect this trend to be changing anytime soon. Students hailing from China, India, South Korea, Japan, etc. pay the full cost of tuition. Schools needs those students. If they only admitted students who need financial aid, they’d be in serious financial trouble. That’s why the notion that schools are need-blind is a fallacious one. It’s pure myth. These foreign enrollment statistics at American universities attest to that very fact.
While you’re here, check out this post on the SAT and International Students.
Categories: International Students, University Tuition Tags: Foreign Enrollment at American Universities, Foreign Enrollment at US Schools, Foreign Enrollment at US Universities, Foreign Enrollment at USC, Foreign Students at US Colleges
Sarah Lawrence College is the most expensive college in the nation this year (photo credit: Jim Lowtide).
“Campus Grotto” has released its annual list of the most expensive colleges. So which university tops the list? That distinction belongs to…Sarah Lawrence College in Yonkers, New York. With a total cost of $61,236 (total tuition includes tuition, fees, as well as room and board), the alma mater of journalist Barbara Walters and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel is rather pricey! Placing second is also a university located within the state of New York — New York University, with a total annual cost of $59,837. Third place? Harvey Mudd College, with a total cost of $58,913.
The university that places fourth is the most expensive Ivy League college. It makes sense that this Ivy League school would be the one located in Manhattan. Columbia University, with a total cost of $58,742, ranks next. Columbia is followed by Wesleyan University with a total cost of $58,202 annually, Claremont McKenna College with a total annual cost of $58,065, Dartmouth College at $57,996, Drexel University at $57,975, University of Chicago at $57,711, and Bard College at $57,580.
Do you find it interesting that the many expensive colleges are either located in major urban centers or totally off the beaten path? Why do you think that is? Does it surprise you that Columbia and Dartmouth are the most expensive Ivy League colleges? Let us know your thoughts on the tuition costs at these universities by posting below! And let us know what universities you predict to break into the top ten of most expensive universities next year.
Categories: University Tuition Tags: Expensive College Tuition, Most Expensive Colleges, Most Expensive Ivy League Colleges, Most Expensive Ivy League Universities, Most Expensive Universities
Only 2% of college admissions counselors think graduating with no debt is a reasonable debt level? Does this even make sense? We think not (photo credit: Jacob Rus).
Tonight is the presidential debate. Romney vs. Obama. The big showdown. One issue that could potentially come up is rising student debt as these students graduate from four-year universities and enter the working world (or mommy and daddy’s basement in many cases). While we never thought we’d discuss a “Gawker” article with you, there is an article out today about how college admissions directors are “very comfortable with your huge student debt.” An interesting title for an article for sure!
According to the always reputable “Gawker” (cough), “A new Inside Higher Ed survey of college admissions counselors of all sorts asked: What do you consider a ‘reasonable debt level’ for a student to have, for four years in school? Forty two percent said $20k-$30k, and 17% said $30K-$40K, meaning that a vast majority of college admissions directors are perfectly comfortable with you coming out of their school with between $20k and $40K worth of debt. Whether you believe that is problematic or not probably correlates with both your income and your faith in our economy to provide stable, well-paying jobs to new college graduates. As a statement of The New Normal, yes, it is problematic.”
The results of this survey certainly paint a coldhearted picture of college admissions counselors. While it doesn’t say it in the “Gawker” article, 2% of college admissions counselors stated that they considered “no debt” a reasonable debt level for four years. Does that even make sense? Why would no debt be unreasonable? And 1% of college admissions counselors stated that less than $5,000 is a reasonable debt load. 8% thought between $5,000 to $10,000 was reasonable. You get the idea. Perhaps the survey isn’t composed very well. We highly doubt only 1% of college admissions counselors think no debt for college grads is reasonable. It hardly makes any sense whatsoever. Survey design matters and we think this data — while it grabs headlines — is flawed.
While you’re here, check out this post on Ivy League Debts.
Categories: College Admissions, University Tuition Tags: College Admissions and Student Debt, College Student Debt, Ivy League Student Debt, Student Debt and University Admissions, University Student Debt
Folks are willing to pay a whole lot of money — whether or not they can afford it — to attend highly selective colleges (photo credit: Jawed Karim).
Do you think that universities risk losing the interest of potential students by raising tuition? If you think this to be true, you’d be incorrect. If you think the principles of economics hold true for American higher education at the most prestigious universities in America, you’d be incorrect. At these highly selective universities, the opposite of the principles of economics seem to hold true. According to an article on college rankings and tuition by Frederick M. Hess of “American Enterprise Institute,” “Instead of being punished by consumers for high prices, schools frequently attract more students when they raise their tuition.” Imagine that!
In fact, according to Hess’ article, 67% of American college applicants are willing to pay more than they can afford for the chance to attend an American university with a “prestigious reputation.” When it comes to gaining admission to highly selective universities, what you can afford seems to have no relevance. In what other sector of the American economy does this hold true? In what other area does what one can afford not really factor into the equation when making a purchase for hundreds of thousands of dollars?
We can’t think of a single sector where this holds true other than highly selective college admissions. Writes Hess, “This state of affairs rests on the conviction that elite institutions are a scarce commodity and worth the price of admission.” We agree with Hess’ argument but wonder what you think about folks not worrying about costs when it comes to attending a highly selective college. Do you think this should change? Do you think this trend makes sense? Let us know your thoughts on college rankings and tuition by posting below!
While you’re here, check out this newsletter on College Rankings.
Categories: The Rankings, University Tuition Tags: College Ranking and Tuition, College Rankings and Tuition, Ivy League Rankings and Tuition, University Ranking and Tuition, University Rankings and Tuition
Students at Harvard University, on average, graduated in 2010 in $10,102 of debt (with 34% of graduates carrying debt). Photo credit: Jacob Rus.
It’s difficult not to hear about rising student debts during these tough economic times. But what’s the data like for Ivy League graduates, you ask? According to The Institute for College Access & Success, among the Ivy League colleges (excluding Columbia since they did not participate in this survey), the average debt for 2010 graduates was highest at Brown University. At Brown University, the average loan debt was $22,468. Graduates of Cornell University graduated with an average of $20,648. Dartmouth College? $18,712. How about the University of Pennsylvania? $17,013. Harvard University? $10,102. Yale University graduates? $9,254. And how about Princeton University? $5,225.
But that’s just the average loan debt for graduates of these Ivy League colleges. That’s only part of the story. What percentage of 2010 graduates were in debt, you ask? The highest percentage of students who graduated in debt in 2010 in the Ivy League was at Cornell University with 52%. Next up? Dartmouth College close behind at 51%. After Dartmouth comes the University of Pennsylvania at 43%, Brown University at 41%, Harvard University at 34%, Yale University at 28%, and Princeton University at 23%.
For college graduates in general, the average grad carried $25,250 in debt — a figure higher than the average debt at each of the seven Ivy League colleges reporting data. Does that surprise you — given that Ivy League colleges tend to be among the pricier universities in the nation? Does it not surprise you? Let us know your thoughts on Ivy League debts by posting below!
Categories: Ivy League, University Tuition Tags: Ivy League Costs, Ivy League Debts, Ivy League Graduate Debt, Ivy League Tuition, Ivy League Tuition CostsWe found an interesting post on college endowments that reveals some tidbits that may well surprise you. Did you know that total college endowments in the United States reach the hundreds of billions of dollars? That’s a whole lot of money! In fact, as of 2009, the total of college endowments across the United States stood at $326 billion. And that was down from $413 billion the year before! College endowments have struggled to return to their 2008 totals — before the collapse on Wall Street. Of universities across the United States, which school do you think has the largest endowment. If you didn’t already know, it shouldn’t be too big of a surprise. Harvard University has the largest endowment by quite a lot (at $32 billion). Which college is next in the food chain? Yale. They’ve got a $19 billion endowment. Indeed, 75 colleges across the U.S. have endowments that number in the billions of dollars.
We've got some information for you on the secrets of college endowments (infographic from "OnlineUniversities.com").
And how about this tidbit?: According to “OnlineUniversities.com,” “Ivy League endowment fund managers get access to the best opportunities: In a 2008 study, researchers from Harvard and MIT sought to explain why wealthier schools, like those in the Ivy League, receive endowments that far outpace other schools. The obvious answer was that high-quality alumni get good jobs for good money, then they donate. But a surprising find was that the excellent investment returns these endowment funds get are the result of managers’ connections and special access to the top strata of alternative funds. In other words, endowment funds at wealthy schools secure the best management talent because they’re wealthy, and the best managers make them wealthier, and around and around it goes.”
What else? The vast majority of the endowment is invested (about 95%). The other 5% is used to fund scholarships, endowed chairs for professors, etc. And why don’t colleges use their endowments to lower tuition, you ask? In order to lower tuition, colleges need to experience more growth years like 2011 (to make up for all of the losses stemming from 2008). They’re even required by law not to force their endowments “underwater” — an excuse many colleges use not to tap into their endowments too heavily. But a paper in the “Stanford Law Review” states that this is not in fact the case under the new law (the Uniform Prudent Management of Institutional Funds Act). But does that mean colleges will begin tapping more and more into their endowments to lower tuition? We think not.
Check out this post on Ivy League Endowments.
Categories: College Admissions, University Tuition Tags: College Endowment, College Endowments, Ivy League Endowments, University Endowment, University Endowments
Of the top ten colleges where you get the best return on investment, four are Ivy League schools. Stanford, Duke, and Caltech are also in the top ten for ROI.
The Ivy League return on investment is big. Don’t believe us? We’ll give you the data so it’s not a matter of opinion. Every year, PayScale comes out with a ranking of return on investment for colleges around the nation. The 2012 rankings are out and who tops the list? That would be Harvey Mudd College where the 2011 cost for four years of education was $212,900 and the 30-year net ROI was $1,467,000. And what college is the ROI runner-up? That would be the California Institute of Technology where it cost $207,400 over four years as of 2011 and it led to a 30-year net ROI of $1,417,000. A pretty good return on investment, huh?
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology placed 3rd with a 30-year net ROI of $1,238,000 at a cost of $208,100. Stanford University was close behind with a 30-year net ROI of $1,194,000 at a cost of $220,200. Right behind Stanford on the list are Princeton University, Harvard, University, Dartmouth College, Duke University, and the University of Pennsylvania. The University of Notre Dame rounds out the Top 10.
Notice a trend here? Four of the top ten colleges with the best return on investment are Ivy League colleges. And Caltech, MIT, and Stanford are three of the most highly selective colleges in the nation. So if you don’t think going to a highly selective college like an Ivy League college is worth it in the long run, you just might want to think again. The data presented by PayScale indicates where you go to college matters a whole lot in terms of your career earnings.
What do you think about the Ivy League ROI? See the full data on PayScale and let us know your thoughts by posting below!
Categories: Ivy League, The Rankings, University Tuition Tags: Ivy League Return on Investment, Ivy League ROI, Return on Ivy League Investment, ROI on Ivy League Colleges, ROI on Ivy League Schools
