As a college administrator, your challenge will be to keep things moving efficiently. Part of your job will be to implement new reduced tuition programs that many colleges and universities are starting to adopt. Rising tuitions and the poor economy have forced many college bound students to either put off college or seek less expensive alternatives.
While some public universities are offering tuition discounts, most discounting will occur at private colleges. These private institutions have to compete with community colleges and four-year public universities. To attract middle income and upper middle-income families who typically don’t qualify for need-based aid, private institutions are adopting more flexible merit-based aid. The goal is to accept high achievers who would otherwise be denied any sort of aid.
Discounts can be quite substantial. For example, most students at Seton Hall University pay around $32,000 annually, but early applicants who graduate in the top 10 percent of their high school class and score at least 1,100 on their SATs or 27 on the ACT will qualify for a $21,000 discount. Pittsburgh’s Duquesne University is giving a 50-percent tuition and fees discount to education majors--about $14,000 less than other majors pay. Virginia’s Bluefield College offers working adults returning to school a 25-percent discount.
The discounts seem to be working. Applications are up 40 percent at Duquesne over last year. Discounts are becoming a growing national trend with increasing numbers of “traditional” universities offering merit-based financial aid. As a college adminisrator, you'll need to be well versed in these programs and how to apply them.
For an added perspective, check out this video:
Got any thoughts on the challenges faced by college administrators in this down economy? Include your comments in the section below.
Alex A. Kecskes has written hundreds of published articles on health/fitness, "green" issues, TV/film entertainment, restaurant reviews and many other topics. As a former Andy/Belding/One Show ad agency copywriter, he also writes web content, ads, brochures, sales letters, mailers and scripts for national B2B and B2C clients. Please see more of his blogs and view additional job postings on Nexxt.
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