E-town’s NPC gave me an estimated net cost of over $18,000 - better than LVC but still high for a lower income family. However, neither one was higher than our state-related schools - Temple, Pitt, and Penn State, none of which are even remotely affordable for low income students (unless they have very high stats and qualify for one of Temple or Pitt’s best merit scholarships). Really, the only remotely affordable PA schools for low income students are community colleges, the PASSHE schools, or privates with good need-based aid (and yes, there are some privates that can be less expensive than the PASSHE schools, even for kids who aren’t academic superstars).
My daughter got into ETown and with merit and no need aid, the actual offered NPC was around 33K.
I agree with much of this assessment. Just no tangible solutions. For $400K, they should provide something!
http://www.philly.com/philly/education/school-report-draws-criticism-praise-20170714.html
EDITORIAL Report offers a way forward for State System schools…
http://www.observer-reporter.com/20170717/editorial_report_offers_a_way_forward_for_state_system_schools
You can now major in social media at this Pa. college…
http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/education/index.ssf/2017/07/you_can_now_major_in_social_media_at_this_pa_college.html#incart_river_index
Tuition-free California University program helps seniors get ahead…
http://triblive.com/news/education/12447830-74/tuition-free-california-university-program-helps-seniors-get-ahead
Money/Time Magaizine Newest College ratings…Enjoy
http://time.com/money/best-colleges/rankings/best-colleges/
Those PA residents looking at schools in or near Cleveland…here you go…changing for the better everyday! We were able to get Cleveland State for $3-$4,000 less than any PASSHE school.
Cleveland, once called the mistake on the lake, is on the cusp of cool…LA Times
http://www.latimes.com/travel/la-tr-cleveland-20170716-story.html
@bester1 Thanks that list cheered me up! I keep feeling sad for leaving schools off the list. But it looks like the ones that made the cut are higher on the list than the ones that didn’t.
Interesting that LVC is higher than Etown.
Frank Brogan, PASSHE chancellor, retires on heels of critical report…
http://www.mcall.com/news/nationworld/pennsylvania/mc-nws-chancellor-retires-20170717-story.html
http://www.exploreclarion.com/2017/07/17/passhe-chancellor-frank-brogan-to-retire-sept-1/
Pa. state university system chief to retire
http://www.philly.com/philly/education/pa-state-university-system-chief-to-retire-20170717.html?mobi=true
State System of Higher Education chancellor to retire on Sept. 1
http://www.pennlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2017/07/state_system_of_higher_educati_1.html#incart_river_home
WCU to offer biomedical engineering:
https://www.wcupa.edu/communications/2017/07.17biomedical.aspx
Act to save universities…
http://thetimes-tribune.com/opinion/act-to-save-universities-1.2219994
@bester1 That report should have provided very specific recommendations. Nebulous statements like “identify the strengths of each institution and rebuild the system around them” has no built in accountability for anything, really.
So, basically nothing is going to change and these schools are going to spiral further downward,
@portercat…another way to look at it is to see that they are all pretty solid academically. Many of the problems identified were because of lack of funding and poor top end leadership that was influenced by political factors(recommend fewer board members without political affiliation…yea!). Still some good educational opportunities to be had. Brogan was brought in to crush the system and was unable to do it.
An aquaintance is sending all of their kids to IUP for pre-professional studies and speech/pathology. They are getting their bachelor’s in 3 years. One D is now doing her SP master’s there as well.
I see nothing wrong with them if they have an accredited program for the major.
If my D had not gotten conditional pharmacy acceptance, and a merit scholarship from Pitt, she would have taken her prerequisites at a PASSHE school most likely.
Raising tuition not the way to stem decline
Yeah, paying administrators less never seems to be an option.
This is a step in the right direction, nationally. 3.5% tuition increase (from PASSHE) is higher than the 1.9% cited in this article however.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/in-reversal-colleges-rein-in-tuition-1500822001
The thing I found interesting in that article was the 1.9% tuition increase “after” scholarships and grants are factored in. What would the increases have been before these reductions?
I do think so many have such high COA’s that many people are just balking at paying those costs anymore. Although you will always have the wealthier families willing to pay for top schools, and parents willing to co-sign for way more that they should; loans for well over $100K for undergrad is just crazy.
Bloom visit, the speaker did say that BU is still the cheapest to attend out of all 14. Quite a few kids from OOS looking at the Nursing program.
@laralei, That is true. PASSHE gives very little in merit but I guess if a student is eligible for need aid or other grants, the 3.5% is maybe not as significant.
At Bloom, the gentleman giving the info session remarked that as a state school they don’t offer a lot of merit, but there was some available.
A parent asked what would a student need to get anything. I’m not sure exactly what he said, maybe around SAT score of 1180. ??? I did look at DD when he stated the score, as her 1280, would definitely put her in contention. It really will help.
She actually preferred West Chester, and I will say the campus seemed more dynamic, but that could have been from all the traffic when trying to cross the street! 
Also, she wasn’t happy at all when told the dorms at BU didn’t have air conditioning. ( No, darling, that does not remove BU from your list! )
@Portercat PASSHE schools also give very little in institutional need-based aid. We have a FAFSA EFC of $0. My daughter received no aid from West Chester University itself, though she did receive Pell, SEOG, and PHEAA grants. There was a significant gap between total grants and COA.