Naperville-area colleges offering new tuition assistance programs

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Naperville-area colleges and universities are offering new tuition assistance programs to make higher education more affordable for some students.

“70% of the college-going population is considering affordability as the top factor when deciding whether to go to college and where to go to college,” said Aggie Henni, vice president for enrollment management and marketing at North Central College.

Additional financial aid

To mitigate some of the financial strain on students and families, both Benedictine University and North Central College have introduced similar programs, the Eagle Promise and Cardinal Pledge respectively.  In each program, the institution commits to covering remaining tuition costs after federal and state grants have been applied so that eligible students essentially have 100% of tuition paid for. They do not cover other expenses such as room and board, transportation, or textbooks.

Eligibility requirements for Cardinal Pledge include:

  • Illinois resident who attended and graduated from an Illinois high school
  • Admitted first-year student at North Central College
  • Enrolled in a baccalaureate degree program for at least 12 credit hours during fall or spring semesters
  • Completed of the FAFSA
  • Qualify for the Federal Pell Grant and State of Illinois MAP Grant
  • Meet the Standards of Academic Progress (SAP) and other Title IV eligibility requirements

Qualifying requirements for Eagle Promise:

  • Illinois resident
  • Admitted as new first-year student or new transfer student
  • Undergraduate student seeking first baccalaureate degree
  • Enrolled in at least 15 credit hours per semester
  • Completion of the FAFSA
  • Qualify for the Federal Pell Grant and State of Illinois MAP Grant

“It’s an affordable option for them so that they can find the institution that’s a best fit for them and that finances are not a barrier,” said Benedictine University President Joseph Foy.

“We don’t want students self-selecting out of the process just because they think a private education is outside of their means,” said Henni.

Both schools offer scholarships and grants of varying amounts.  North Central College guarantees 100% of new students some sort of financial aid.  Meanwhile Benedictine locks in a student’s tuition rate so upon enrolling, the cost never rises, even if the cost were to increase for future students.

“When a student chooses us, they know what to expect for four years and can plan for that,” said Foy.

Comparing college tuition rates

The national average cost of a private four-year college or university now exceeds $43,000 a year, according to US News and World Report. Over four years, that’s $172,000.  North Central College’s tuition is slightly above that, at just over $45,000 per year, a 2.6% increase over last year ($180,000 for all four years).  Benedictine University’s tuition – below the nationwide median –went up 3% to $34,350 per year ($137,400 for all four years) after several years of freezing rates.

“The higher cost of goods, services and even just being able to invest in our own people, it creates a need for our university to think about tuition and think about responding to those external market forces and pressures,” said Foy.

Nationally, the average cost of community college is $7,560 for two years. Locally, College of DuPage currently costs $4,560 for in-district students, $10,650 for out-of-district but in-state students, and $12,750 for out-of-state students, a slight increase from last year. Cost per credit hour comes to $152 for in-district, $355 for out–of-district, and $425 for out-of-state.

 

Community college sees significant enrollment growth

Because of the lower costs, many are turning to community colleges as an alternative. College of DuPage saw an enrollment increase of 13% for a total of 26,000 new students at the start of this past school year, which it attributes to a number of factors.

“So we are a community college and community colleges are known to be lower costs than a four-year school,” said Nicole LaCognata, executive director of student financial assistance, veteran affairs, and scholarships at College of DuPage. “We offer career and technical courses so students sometimes need to take only three of four classes to be gainfully employed. But we also have a good majority of our students who are returning from the workforce, to go back to school and we’re a really good option for that.”

College of DuPage also provides about $1 million in scholarships every year and has more than 1,000 courses that have gone textbook-free, saving students $7 million collectively over the past five years.

Trying to make tuition affordable

While all differ in size, cost, and what they offer, all three of these schools are making efforts to attract new students without causing them debt, even as tuition rates nationwide are expected to continue to rise.

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