Top Colleges That Won’t Break the Bank
Prestige is indeed built-in when you earn your degree at Princeton, Harvard or Yale, but hopefully the student body’s main desire is to get a quality education that will serve them well in their careers for years to come. If that is your criteria, rest assured that there several top-notch colleges that come highly recommended by high school counselors. They vary in student population and setting. What’s more, the price tag is considerably lower.
1. State Schools/Small: Students who go to these colleges often benefit from what feels more like a private college experience in terms of student-to-professor ratio. The leaders in this group are College of Charleston (S.C.), The College of New Jersey (Ewing, N.J.) and New College of Florida (Sarasota). The tuition average for in-state students is about $10,000 per year and $24,000 for out-of-staters.
2. State Schools/Large: For students who want to benefit from a quality educational program as well as an array of social options, a large campus with noteworthy sports teams is a great fit. The top three colleges listed this year are Miami University of Ohio (Oxford, OH), SUNY Stony Brook (Stony Brook, N.Y.) and the University of Georgia (Athens, GA). In-state students can expect to pay an average of just $7,000 per year (Miami of Ohio locals will pay just over $12,000). For those coming from other states, the annual tuition averages out to around $20,000.
3. Private Colleges: The biggest perk of a private college is how closely students work with their professors and the impact such relationships can have once the student graduates and looks for job placement. As such, enrollment is kept low. Center College (Danville, KY), College of Wooster (Wooster, OH) and Elon University (Elon, N.C.) make the top three private colleges outside of the Ivy League, according to high school counselors. The tuition costs listed in this case include room and board and average out at $35,000.
4. Business/Accounting Schools: Students who attend a good business college program learn in real-world situations as well as in the classroom. Babson College (Babson Park, MD), Bentley University (Waltham, MA), and Ohio State University (Columbus, OH) occupy currently the top three spots. The annual out-of-state tuition averages out to be $32,000.
This is just a small sampling of what your high school guidance counselor can provide you in terms of finding a college which suits your educational standards as well as your budget. Thoroughly explore all of your options and then start preparing your admissions packet.
lan Greene is a prolific writer who has authored more than 100 articles on traditional colleges, online degree programs, and online certificates.