The Most Expensive College In The Country Has A So-So Return On Investment

Parents Forum
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<p>“. . . be prepared to dish out nearly a quarter million dollars . . . with the most expensive institution crossing the $60,000/year mark . . . Barring regulation, the only way tuitions will drop is through the force of the market recognizing that an expensive school does not guarantee either a good job or even a fun college experience.”</p>

<p>[The</a> Most Expensive College In The Country Will Now Cost You $60K/Year But Has A So-So Return On Investment ? The Consumerist](<a href=“http://consumerist.com/2012/10/04/the-most-expensive-college-in-the-country-will-now-cost-you-60kyear-but-has-a-so-so-return-on-investment/]The”>The Most Expensive College In The Country Will Now Cost You $60K/Year But Has A So-So Return On Investment – Consumerist)</p>

<p>More: [CampusGrotto</a> - A New Era: $60K per year Colleges](<a href=“http://www.campusgrotto.com/a-new-era-60k-per-year-colleges.html]CampusGrotto”>A New Era: $60K per year Colleges - CampusGrotto)</p>

<p>Even more: [Study:</a> Some State Universities Offer A Better Return On Investment Than Ivy Leagues ? The Consumerist](<a href=“http://consumerist.com/2012/09/26/study-state-universities-offer-a-better-return-on-investment-than-ivy-leagues/]Study:”>Study: Some State Universities Offer A Better Return On Investment Than Ivy Leagues – Consumerist)</p>

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<p>No surprise.</p>

<p>Sarah Lawrence specializes in visual and performing arts, writing, history, literature, and psychology, based on the number of offerings in each subject listed in its course catalog.</p>

<p>High price + studying subjects with relatively low paid job and career prospects => does not look good purely on economic and financial return on investment.</p>

<p>Of course, what students actually pay at each school depends on financial aid and scholarships, which makes comparisons much less transparent, since discounts from financial aid and scholarships reorder the list based on price, and reorder it differently for each student.</p>

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<p>Why would anyone expect the output of SLC to be greatly different (read improved) from its input? </p>

<p>But does it really matter to the ones who are attracted to a distinctly different academic proposal? Not every school can be Caltech or MIT. Not every parent or student has to worry about learning skills that translate into dollars. </p>

<p>As someone said, if you have to worry about the cost (and the ROI) it means you cannot afford it.</p>

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<p>What percentage of students pay that full tab? Also how many commute to SLC? The listed price is just one variable in what a college can cost. A lot of playing with numbers occurs. Also, what matters is what the college costs YOU.</p>

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<p>If one is looking for ROI, you probably can get the best from a two-year RN degree at a community college, completing the pre-reqs. while in high school (so it will take only a year or a year-and-a-half.) While folks are paying $60k in COA, you’d be collecting $60k a year for three years. So you start out, $50k ahead in the first year, and then $120k a year ahead for the following, for a total of $370k. That’s quite an ROI handicap.</p>

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<p>According to the CDS, 90% of the students receive aid with an average package of just under $32,000/year, making that school about the same as every other private school in the nation. Is the return on $28,000 still a bad deal?</p>

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<p>But I would bet that aid for most students includes loans. So the investment for most students who receive aid will be far more than $28,000.</p>

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<p>And they will lose working years.</p>

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<p>Amesie—how do you figure that? Federal loans are capped at $5500 for the first year so the other $23,000 would come from grants, scholarships and work study. Private loans would not show up in the school aid package results. The max federal loans over the 4 years is $27,000, it’s a car payment, and not difficult to pay off at all.</p>

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<p>Just what I said, in another thread, what my preliminary belief is.</p>

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<p>[Frequently</a> Asked Questions](<a href=“http://www.slc.edu/admission/financialaid/new-students/UG_Financial_Aid_FAQ.html]Frequently”>http://www.slc.edu/admission/financialaid/new-students/UG_Financial_Aid_FAQ.html)</p>

<p>Yes. Approximately 65 percent of students at Sarah Lawrence receive some form of financial aid. The amount of aid received is determined by a student’s demonstrated need.</p>

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<p>That does not appear to be correct. I am afraid you divided the number of students who obtained aid by the number who applied. The correct number for the last year is 838/1387. </p>

<p><a href=“http://www.slc.edu/about/media/pdf/SLC_Common_Data_Set_2011-12.pdf[/url]”>http://www.slc.edu/about/media/pdf/SLC_Common_Data_Set_2011-12.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;