“often a lot of work for not enough.” Unless a school has automatic awards for certain stats, it does seem to require a lot of work to look for the most money. I did ask my older son if he had interest in Pitt , as they were giving generous merit awards , but he was not really interested so we did not pursue it. Alabama would have been an even harder sell. And when you have schools that are $50 or 60 or 70,000 plus, even if you get merit, you may still be looking at costs above your instate schools. It is good that some posting here have found merit to reduce the costs and are sharing the info. And some may still end up instate even after casting a wider net.
DS did apply to Pitt. He was accepted into engineering but only got about $5K in merit. From my research, several years back, his scores would probably have resulted in a generous award.
He’s at University of Alabama, guaranteed merit. With financial aid, it’s a great deal. Wish our youngest had his high stats. She has decent grades, but not top grades and has to work hard for them. Decent grades and decent SAT/ACT score won’t get her very far w/ the scholarships, unfortunately.
Most kids just don’t have the kinds of stats like your son to get the guaranteed merit. You seem to be in the same boat as lots of the posters here with your daughter- decent grades but just not going to get the big money. That is the case for the great majority of kids applying to college. So, lots of kids going to community colleges, branch campuses, state schools. If a family is wealthy, there are always more options.
I get slightly annoyed when they start articles with the “to overcome dwindling enrollment that has caused intense financial strain” when in fact the largest cause is the lack of funding that has taken place over the past 30 years. Anyway…here are a few articles on the PASSHE study…
Lock Haven Athletics…
http://www.lockhaven.com/news/local-news/2017/03/the-lhu-athletics-squeeze-by-the-numbers/
Lock Haven Vision…
http://www.lockhaven.com/news/local-news/2017/03/lhu-striving-for-2020-vision/
Well, to be fair, PA also has an abundance of LACs and catholic schools. Some kids get merit/need based aid there that might make it close to the price of PASSHE.
Would be interesting to see where the HS graduates have enrolled in recent years, if not at PASSHE.
In NW PA where there are not that many schools clustered, I would expect kids to commute to wherever is closest, Pitt branch, PSU branch, PASSHE. Unless the family has money to send them away to school, then those kids probably don’t want to stay in their rural area.
Around here, Allegheny, Gannon, Duquesne, St Francis, Seton Hill are popular. Some get good merit from Kent State and I think their OOS COA is about $28,000 without merit.
Yes, @mommdc That’s one of the things that has been good about this thread- also identifying the schools that are giving at least some merit or need based aid to kids that do not necessarily have “top” stats.
Take a look at John Carroll University in Cleveland. Generally comes in at the $27 - 32,000 range.
Maybe I missed it, will they publish the results of the study to the general public, and when do they expect it to be completed?
I am confident that they will make the results public. It may take many “unofficial Executive Summaries” and clean ups before the information is released.
Study/review Information…
http://www.passhe.edu/inside/ne/press/pages/press.aspx?q=17-3-9StrategicReview
Shippensburg adapts…
according to Sen. John Eichelberger, chairman of the Senate Education Committee.
“More expensive schools are doing better than PASSHE,” Eichelberger said. “Tuition may not be as big a factor as you and I might think. It could be the brand name or the curricula.”
Penn State’s student population continues to grow at the main campus in State College, and the university successfully halted declining enrollment at its 24 satellite campuses, he said.
This is exactly the problem and my point. They would prefer to fund PSU/Pitt’s Community College branch campuses than the PASSHE schools. That quote is from the Chairman of the Senate Education Committee. Many of these people in political positions are graduates of PSU/Pitt or receive donations…this is serious trouble for the PASSHE system
“Tuition may not be as big a factor as you and I might think.” whaaaat? What world is he living in? PSU/Pitt tuition is a HUGE problem and factor. And certainly tuition hikes at PASSHE schools HAVE decreased their attractivity!
This sounds either like propaganda (skewed message to get to the point you want) or ideological blinders (really believe what you’re saying because your ideology keeps you from hearing and seeing anything else).
@MYOS1634 …exactly!!! I for the life of me can not understand how residents of PA have yet to smell this one out!!! That quote makes no sense and is obviously a set up to prepare those for the outcome of the study or reasons not to increase PASSHE funding. Tuition in most situations is the largest factor without question!!! This is coming from the Chairman of the Senate Education Committee…say what???
This study may allow some schools to leave the system and then increase funding to others…I don’t know for sure but I have a hunch West Chester and Slippery Rock would prefer to get out…This article is from a few years ago.
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2014/03/21/universities-want-out-pennsylvanias-higher-ed-system
If they get out, where would they go?
Would they become PSu branch campuses?
What I’m hearing is that PA officials have officially decided not to have public higher education in the State. The only state of the Union where public colleges will be a thing of the past, with most funding coming from other sources,and the state washing its hands from budgeting, tuition hikes, financial aid, state grants, etc.
(I shudder thinking of community college funding in PA, something I never investigated).
Even Illinois and Kansas, which are in bankruptcy, are doing better. :s
John Eichelberger, chairman of the Senate Education Committee…
His location(Blair County/Altoona - just 20 minutes from PSU Main and home of PSU Altoona) explains his PSU devotion…http://senatoreichelberger.com/meet/
His stance on lower income education…http://www.philly.com/philly/opinion/20170224_DN_editorial__Eichelberger_needs_some_schooling_on_state_s_education_issues.html
http://www.pennlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2017/02/senator_bad_schools_not_skin_c.html
The bill from 2014 would have allowed certain PASSHE schools to exit the state-owned system and become state-related.
Not under the legislation. They would still be the same school (West Chester, IUP, whatever), they would just be in the state-related system.
It’s worth noting, and understanding, that this bill was introduced two legislative sessions ago and went exactly nowhere. It didn’t get a floor vote or even a committee vote. In other words, it was nothing more than a proposal that never came to fruition.
This is rather hyperbolic, don’t you think?
I think he meant the popularity of Penn State maybe. For many it is PSU or bust. If they don’t get into main with their grades and test scores, they either apply to DUS with summer session and pay another couple thousand more, to take 6 credits and live there for the summer, or go the 2+2 route.
Lower income students don’t have that luxury, they go to the closest school and commute.
Tuition is $10,000 to $13,000 at PASSHE, PSU branch, Pitt branch
That can be covered with Pell grant, state grant and student loan, or parent contribution.
It’s the room and board that costs another $10k, if there is no school in commutable distance that has the program (education, nursing, etc) you want, then you need to be able to pay.
@guidebywire…I am thinking because the legislative action went nowhere a few years ago that the study will provide a loophole for those schools that are able to leave. Being state related allows them to receive public funding yet act as a private as does PSU/Pitt/Temple. This would potentially allow the other PASSHE schools the opportunity to die a slow death without the state government looking like the bad guy. As noted on here and with many that have attended, the state related branches for the most part(yes, I believe there are exceptions) are very expensive community colleges. I do not believe that any political entity decides to do a study without foreseeing the outcome or impacting the outcome. I have worked in this environment for more than 25 years at various levels…a path at some level has already been determined.
The study may provide justification for a reintroduction of the bill. But I don’t believe a state-owned institution of higher education can just decide to leave PASSHE on its own, without action by the General Assembly. The study by itself isn’t going to create a “loophole,” but rather will inform what the legislature does in the future to address the problem of a state system in decline.