<p>Selected from a pool of more than 1,000 private institutions, schools in the Kiplinger 100 were ranked according to academic quality and affordability -- with quality accounting for two-thirds of the total.</p>
<p>well then that really says something about quality :D</p>
<p>My first thought when I read this title was that it is a little early for April Fools! How can one of the most expensive schools in the country be rated a best value? I don't argue with the quality part, but are they taking financial aid into the equation as well? OK, I went back and re-read, it said among private schools, but still...</p>
<p>Because GW gives so much financial aid. For instance, the second twin goes free if both attend GW. One of the most financially challenged kids in D's group was accepted and got basically a full-ride on strictly need based aid. The sticker price and discounted price of a school are often very different.</p>
<p>Ok, I did go and look at the rankings. They are the highest in total cost of the 50, and 4th highest in the average debt at graduation also ($29,304). I am first hoping D gets accepted and then hoping for a merit scholarship! </p>
<p>I wonder how many sets of twins they have attending? That sounds like a great deal!</p>
<p>Kiplinger's is taking merit and need-based aid into account when it performs its analysis. GW is quite generous with aid. I know that my D has a terrific deal there with her merit scholarship and the fixed tuition plan. We are extremely happy with her package. Every year when we hear the announcements from other colleges about tuition increases, her steady, discounted tuition looks better and better.</p>
<p>let's get real - average need based loan around $6,000
Average debt over $30,000. Only about 60% of students
have their full need met. Their aid packaging is somewhat
unique, may work for a select bunch, but overall, GWU is
a financial loser.</p>
<p>yeah, but probably half of the students here do not qualify for aid because they are loaded. that is a somewhat misleading factor. i think the official stat is 40% do not qualify and of that i think i read that 10% or so do not even apply for aid. it all really depends on the case but they are one of the leaders for aid and price, so it evens out and is a typical, pricey, private university. but it is important to realize that many people here do not need or even qualify for any aid.</p>
<p>speedo-You misinterpreted the information in the Kiplinger chart. The average need based aid was $20,000. The 60% figure isn't the percent that had full need met. It's the % of need based aid that was in the form of grants. You also left out the merit based portion of aid. 34% of students received merit aid. GW gives many half-tuition merit awards. This can be combined with need based aid. Also, as I stated originally, the Kiplinger analysis was based on a combination of academic quality and affordability.</p>
<p>researchmaven - Where did you hear that 34 per cent of students get merit aid? GW has cut back on it's merit aid in the last few years, increasing financial aid. Merit aid only goes to students who are practically Ivy League qualified as far as I know. Please correct me if i am wrong.</p>
<p>yeah, gw is slowly shifting towards need-based aid and away from merit aid, but aid is aid. not sure about just how much it has shifted though...i think the top 5-10% of the incoming class gets the presidential scholarship (15k) but other than that i have no idea.</p>
<p>PEEJAY-I got the 34% from the Kiplinger's article. That's where all those figures came from. Google "Kiplinger's Best Values in Private Colleges" and you'll find the article. You can get a chart of the top 50 schools and all their statistics. But, yes, I know that going forward, GW has decided to gear more money toward need based aid.</p>
<p>One other point--merit aid does not just apply to top academic performance. It can also apply to artistic merit and the like. There are Presidential Scholarships for highly talented actors, vocalists, dancers, and studio artists (determined by audition and/or portfolio submission). There are also scholarships for top tennis players, etc. Anyway, to reiterate, the stats came from the Kiplingers's article referenced above.</p>
<p>It also appears that GW uses merit aid to boost certain programs. For instance, they are seeking to enhance the quality of their SEAS students and seem to give a lot of merit aid to them. My son was one such recipient. He was a good, strong candidate who in this ultra competitive era was not Ivy material, did not qualify for financial aid and received an annual SEAS Scholarship of $15K a year. That certainly helped to sway him (and his parents!) towards GW.</p>
<p>Kiplingers is full of it. I checked the finaid numbers at
several sites - GWU is an extemely expensive school
over 40% of the kids don't apply for aid. Need is met in only
60% of students. The current loan rate is now over
$7,000 a year. It's ridiculously expensive.</p>
<p>Just a minor note: the 50% discount is not just for twins, but rather given to any one of two siblings attending during the same school year. So in other words, if you have two kids, one a freshman and one a sophomore, one of the students would be discounted 50% for the years they're both in school.</p>
<p>FYI, according to Collegeboard.com, the average % of need met is 91% (so even if it is not full need, it is a lot more than other schools)</p>