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The value of a good education
In a recent ratings guide U.S. News & World Report included such universities as Princeton, Harvard and Stanford among the "best values" in the country. This seems perplexing at first glance, because schools like these are noted not only for the measure of their reputations but also for the magnitude of their tuition and fees. How is it that a university with a $35,000 sticker price would be considered a "best buy?"
One answer is financial aid. Even schools at the Ivy League level must compete for top students against a host of high profile, state-assisted colleges and universities. They do this successfully by devoting an extraordinary amount of endowment resources and scholarship funds to assist deserving students in meeting the costs of education.
William Jewell is no exception. While its tuition is far below that of comparable East or West coast colleges which have a similar level of prestige, Jewell nevertheless has a fee schedule which differs from those of its state-assisted competitors. Like its counterparts on the "best values" list, Jewell equalizes this difference by providing over $8.5 million in institutional scholarships. This is in addition to other sources of direct assistance, such as government grants or hometown academic achievement awards.
As a matter of fact, The 2005 edition of The Princeton Review ranked Jewell as the nation's #1 Best Bargain among all private colleges and universities in America.
The average incoming student at Jewell receives over $9,200 in grant assistance annually. This means that the average out-of-pocket cost to attend Jewell varies little from the published in-state tuition rate at most public universities.
The other major component of "value" - whether at Princeton or William Jewell - is the overall quality of the educational experience. When it comes to such features as class size, program choices, faculty interaction, personal relationships, leadership opportunities, spiritual emphasis and options for campus involvement, William Jewell stands head and shoulders above its competitors. The college's goal is to ensure that its array of life-changing experiences is available and affordable to the broadest possible spectrum of students.
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