Article on declining enrollment in PA
http://triblive.com/local/allegheny/11676316-74/enrollment-students-university
Article on free tuition in NY for those earning under $125,000
http://triblive.com/business/headlines/11727500-74/state-cuomo-tuition
@bester1 D had a similar discussion as your D did earlier with a friend today about York. Scared her off, it may now be off the table. What she didn’t like hearing was that fact that kids did not seem to get involved. Another anecdotal story, who knows if it is true. Apparently school spirit, inclusion and involvement are now very.important. I didn’t realize this before!
@Portercat …Lol…Sorry to laugh but that is the exact discussion I had with my kid!!! Things that have never been important have now come tongue surface because of a lunch table philosopher!!!
Very true! She said she wasn’t as worried about the surrounding “tough town”. The school spirit thing is strong, I guess that why there is so much focus on football. My D wouldn’t watch an NFL game with me if I paid her, lol.
@Portercat… Oh my!!! So funny! I have tried for years to get my D to go to a football game at Pitt, WVU or a Steeler game. She would look at me like I was crazy. She just said last week it would be great to go to a big time football school. I about passed out. So 5 home games a year is worth an extra $40,000 in debt at graduation??? This is too fun!
@Portercat …oh, and if there is concern that York is gritty…she better visit Temple for an over night visit…maybe the grittiest place I have ever visited!
If surroundings matter, any SUNY she’d be willing to apply to, considering that New Paltz is a great town not far from NYC, and she’d get a huge scholarship at Old Westbury or CSI ?
@MYOS1634 …Please excuse my ignorance but what is CSI?
College of Staten Island?
yes, CUNY Staten Island. Nice campus with dorms to encourage students to stay on-campus, relatively easy access to the city via the ferry, she’d get into the honors college, price isn’t too bad (check). No idea about swimming though. May not be her cup of tea (commuter/suitcase but so is Cleveland State).
@bester1 @Portercat Lol The more you two write about your daughters, particularly about the importance of big college football, the more it seems they and my daughter are identical triplets separated at birth. My daughter didn’t even go to all of the high school games, even though her brother was the star running back.
It is very funny how school spirit is such a factor. I think some of it is peer pressure from HS friends. The PSU brand is so strong in PA (less so for Pitt and Temple, but still there), so they see that also. It is hard to rank or research these factors when looking at schools. Niche.com has some of this but you need to read student comments, and read between the lines to a degree. Not easy!
@MYOS1634 SUNY gives OOS scholarships? It maybe a little late for my senior D (and she doesn’t want to go north), but something to consider for my younger kids.
@Kidzncatz…So funny! I think my daughter went to 5 football games in 4 years and two of them she was required to be there!!! I could send her to Bloomsburg and just buy her a PSU season pass and still come out much further ahead!!! LOL. She could then sell the tickets outside the games as she would soon get bored and I would come out way ahead!
@Portercat…I think the SUNY Schools are really a nice option. She discussed swimming at Binghamton but the coach said she needed a better 500 time. She is still improving but running out of time. Suny Cortland called her and told her they could give her some kind of wavier and get very close to In state tuition.
It looks like York College if PA is doing a road tour in NY, NJ, PA and other if anyone wants to hear more. Maybe they are ramping up their marketing efforts. Here was a segment on the Today Show with some students. Not really about the college itself, but still.
New year and I really have to buckle down w/ Jr daughter. She will be having the SAT’s in March, so time to have her start studying for that.
Also, need to start finding schools she could move away to attend. She would like that, and I think it would benefit her immensely. Otherwise, living home and going local. Ugh.
Read through this entire thread, and it seems the “best” PASSHE schools are West Chester, Bloomsburg, Slippery Rock, Millersville, and Shippensburg. ??
After two kids already, and a third between the two, stat wise, and $$ even more limited now with her, I am at information overload. No more researching or my brain will explode! 
I am going to look at the other schools mentioned here besides PASSHE. That’s it! I am just going to make a list, go through NPC’s, and start eliminating them.
@laralei it is difficult to say which PASSHE school is “best”. It may be about what they have to offer, fit or location. The freshman profile based on SAT/ACT is certainly higher for West Chester than all of the others, indicating that acceptance standards are higher. Bloomsburg seems to rank high for best bang for the buck/money (although cost doesn’t seem all that different than the others, really). There are some with concerning graduation rates like Kutztown, although it has a beautiful campus.
If you are into rankings, most are ranked within “regional college north” (except IUP). Some don’t rank at all (Lock Haven). If your kid wants the college experience for 4 years, then PASSHE may be the most cost effective option. If they are willing to spend a couple of years at CC, they may be able to balance the cost and attend a “better” school for years 3 and 4.
@MYOS1634 …How would you rate Wright State/Cleveland State with Bloomsburg or West Chester? I know the Ohio schools have many more commuters/non traditional and part-timers, but as far as resources and college experience?
@laralei …Hang in there!!! Your kid will still have an amazing opportunity!!! Bloomsburg seems to be a few thousand less than the other PASSHE schools when you take in account additional living expenses(@ West Chester…More expensive location and affiliated housing). Some of the PASSHE schools charge per credit so you spend more to graduate in 4 years(a poor attempt to raise revenue at the expense of the students).
@Bester1: I would consider West Chester the best of the bunch for college experience and, probably, resources. Bloomsburg is the weakest academically. Wright State and Cleveland State are similar academically, with Wright State having more small classes especially for freshmen and fewer commuters.
Because she’s on the high end academically for these colleges, I checked out the honors program. There, Wright State is the clear winner:
She’s not eligible for Cleveland State Honors Program; she’s eligible for Bloomsburg (benefits include trips to DC and NYC, some special sections for gen eds, possibly a small scholarship, honors community housing on one floor of a residence hall, research/personal project opportunities); Wright State’s Honors Program seems the most well-developed, with a good number of special seminars (capped at 20 students), good scholarships, priority registration, personal advising, special “greek” groups, honors residence hall with suites (no community bathroom!) and various honors living-learning communities - and while strictly speaking she doesn’t meet all criteria, she’s close enough that she is allowed to apply and make her case, especially discussing her high school curriculum rigor and motivation for applying.