I’ve posted on this forum multiple times with questions regarding my interest in Hillsdale. Most of the time, I have been able to find answers in other places, but the question of Hillsdale’s value isn’t the case. Hillsdale all over the internet is quick to brag about it’s denial of federal aid in regards to value in financial support, but will never seem to say stats for after graduation. This makes me think Hillsdale is trying to hide something. I would just like to know if Hillsdale offers an education where you get your money’s worth or if it’s just a waist.
I know a current Hillsdale student who reports he is getting a phenomenal education and is surrounded by thoughtful, interesting, intellectual students. If Hillsdale is a fit for you, I don’t think you can go wrong.
Hi, GoCubs. I graduated from Hillsdale over a decade ago, and attending was one of the best decisions I ever made. Fellow alums have pursued everything from politics to business to graduate degrees. In my experience, we mostly endeavor to lead good lives. I believe Hillsdale’s tuition and costs remain very competitive and well worth it. The school’s messaging and fundraising is very conservative, campus culture is more a mix of conservative / libertarian (at least when I was there), and its courses rigorous. An NYT article about a year ago, "In Hillsdale College, a ‘Shining City on a Hill’ for Conservatives” was well reported (and far more nuanced than the headline).
I suggest, if you can, visit the school. The admissions staff is excellent and you may tour the campus with a current student, attend classes, and get a feel for the place. For me, that made the decision very easy.
I know a couple of kids who graduated from there in the past few years. Honestly, one didn’t get into the type of grad school they wanted, and the other is not working in the area of their major. But that might have been true if they had attended other schools as well. What kind of info can you get from the campus career office?
The US Dept of Education normally tracks relevant info like 4-year and 6-year graduation rates, net cost per income range, average salary after graduation, and student loan repayment rates. For the vast majority of schools, you can easily look up the numbers at the College Scorecard site (collegescorecard.ed.gov). And such data are obviously helpful if you want to evaluate the potential return on your education investment.
However, since Hillsdale has a conservative ideology and doesn’t participate in federal financial aid programs, they are apparently exempt from reporting this kind of info. They aren’t listed at College Scorecard.
So it may be more difficult to get relevant stats for a school like Hillsdale. Hillsdale would probably tell you that the USDOE has a lot of annoying bureaucratic requirements that are costly for colleges to comply with, and this may well be true. On the other hand, those requirements do ensure that a lot of useful information gets released to the the general public. If there is less government oversight, then there may be fewer available data points for prospective students to work with.
Hello, I’m a current Hillsdale student! Hillsdale does have great after graduation stats. Very high CPA exam pass rate & a good amount of people attend professional school following graduation. I’m a science major, and I know we send probably 10-12 people to medical school every year; given that the students applying to med school pool is about 30, this is outstanding. Two of my friends that are seniors have been accepted into highly-acclaimed schools (med and vet) and I can think of quite a few people off to law school in the fall. Personally, I feel that Hillsdale is a great value. You get a top notch education for a very reasonable price.