This issue at a glance:
PA Private Colleges More Affordable Today Than Five Years Ago
Students who received financial aid at Pennsylvania’s private colleges and universities in 2013 on average paid lower net tuition and fees than students in 2008, according to new analysis released by AICUP. Nearly 90 percent of full-time, first year students attending Pennsylvania’s private colleges and universities received financial aid.
While published tuition prices at Pennsylvania’s independent colleges and universities have risen over the years, colleges have developed grant aid packages that k eep costs affordable and make higher education accessible to students. According to the AICUP analysis of federal data, full-time, first-year students receiving financial aid at an independent college or university in Pennsylvania paid, on average, $13,391 in inflation-adjusted dollars in net tuition and fees in 2008. In 2013, that number dropped by $341 to $13,050. Net tuition reflects federal, state and institutional grant aid received; many students secure student loans to pay net tuition. This continues a trend that began several years ago.
“Over the past few years, the average net tuition and fees at independent colleges and universities have actually fallen for many students, and that is why students and parents should not rule out private colleges based on sticker price,” said AICUP President Don Francis. “Pennsylvania’s independent colleges and universities have upped the ante in their contributions to full-time students with need, and provide aid packages that keep costs affordable and make higher education accessible to students.”
Additionally, researchers found that in 2013, students who received aid paid an average of only 40 percent of the $32,629 in published tuition and fees. For more information, including an infographic with the results of the report, visit www.aicup.org/Affordability.
The tuition report was gathered by AICUP researchers using the most recent data collected by the National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) Financial Aid survey.
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Senate to Consider Bill That Opens Path to Participation in SARA
Pennsylvania may soon be among the nearly 30 states that have joined the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA). Passed unanimously by the House, HB 1552 authorizes and requires the Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Education to join a regional higher education compact for the purposes of allowing Pennsylvania's colleges and universities to participate in SARA. This allows Pennsylvania’s institutions to be part of an interstate reciprocity agreement if they choose. Participation in SARA will significantly reduce staff time and cost for Pennsylvania’s colleges and universities that want to offer distance education courses to out-of-state students. Without SARA, every time a Pennsylvania college enrolls a student from another state, the institution must meet that state’s authorization procedure.
The bill, sponsored by Rep. Brad Roae (R-Mercer), would provide that no Pennsylvania college or university would be compelled to participate in the agreement once established. Participants would have to meet additional requirements established by the National Council of SARA.
If passed by the Senate, as expected, the bill would then go to Governor Wolf for his signature. The bill, passed the Assembly before as HB 762, was vetoed by the Governor because it became the vehicle for the school code changes connected to the budget. However, the Pennsylvania Department of Education supports this legislation and has already set up a working group and is laying the groundwork for implementation.
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Spotlight on Independent Colleges as Employers
The independent college sector is one of Pennsylvania's top employers, paying more than $5 billion in wages and salaries to nearly 72,000 state residents in 2013-2014, according to early figures from AICUP's economic impact study that will be released later this year.
In several counties, private colleges and universities are among the top three employers. Gettysburg College is the second largest employer in Adams County, and Lehigh University is the second largest employer in Northampton County. The second largest employer in Huntingdon County is Juniata College, while Bucknell University holds that rank in Union County. Susquehanna University is the third largest employer in Snyder County.
State and local governments also benefit from the employment generated by independent higher education. Each year individuals employed at independent colleges and universities contribute more than $163 million to the state budget through payroll taxes and in excess of $135 million to municipalities in Pennsylvania in local taxes (wage and local services taxes).
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AICUP Offers Webinar on Long-Term Care Insurance Program
An AICUP-endorsed long-term care insurance program is available to member institutions through AffinityLTC and Genworth Life Insurance Company. This program offers the advantage of group pricing that is not gender based and cannot be obtained elsewhere.
The addition of group long-term care insurance to an existing benefits package is a high impact benefit that employees value, but few independent colleges are able to negotiate it alone. Now, AICUP members can offer the advantage of simplified underwriting to their employees and extended family members.
AICUP encourages member chief financial officers, human resources directors, benefit administrators, and staff to participate in a one-hour webinar to learn more about the value of long-term care insurance, how simple it is to implement a program and who is eligible to participate.
Learn more about the program and register online.
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Student Financial Literacy Focus Group Set for November 20
AICUP is exploring the services of American Student Assistance (ASA), a nonprofit with 50+ years of experience helping millions of students make better decisions about paying for and paying back the cost of their education. The core of the ASA program is SALT®, a student-based educational program that helps every student who wants a college degree to do so in a  financially responsible way. SALT’s neutral advice, practical information and interactive lessons help students gain money knowledge for college and beyond, keeping them on the path to success. ASA/SALT works with close to 270 colleges and just reached 1 million active SALT users.
AICUP is pleased to announce a focus group/workshop for interested financial aid and student service administrators on Friday, November 20, from 9:30 a.m. to noon at IMC Construction, located at 3 Great Valley Parkway in Malvern. IMC Construction is an AICUP corporate affiliate that has graciously offered meeting space for this focus group.
AICUP held a similar focus group at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) this past summer. CMU has partnered with ASA to provide their students with clear and personalized information so they can easily manage their money and student loans. This is a free service being offered to CMU undergraduate and graduate students. For more information about SALT, visit the ASA website.
Any interested AICUP member is invited to this morning-long focus group/workshop, the results of which will inform AICUP’s review of this program for further consideration. Interested members can register for this meeting by contacting Kelly Carli at carli@aicup.org.
Questions concerning this workshop/focus group meeting can be directed to Tim Alexander at tim.alexander@aicup.org or 717-232-8649, ext.222. To speak directly to ASA, contact Tanya Tanaro at 617-535-2133 or ttanaro@asa.org.
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Changing Times
New AICUP Member Presidents for Academic Year 2015-16
- Brian Blair, Bryn Athyn College
- William J. Edgar, Interim President, Geneva College
- Kimberly Benston, Haverford College
- Colleen M. Hanycz, La Salle University
- John D. Simon, Lehigh University
- Jonathan Peri, Manor College (11/16/15)
- Michael T. Victor, Mercyhurst University
- John I. Williams, Muhlenberg College
- Christopher Howard, Robert Morris University (2/1/16)
- Mark C. Reed, Saint Joseph's University
- James R. Lytle, Summit Umniversity
- Valerie Smith, Swarthmore College
- David Yager, University of the Arts (1/15/16)
- Kathleen Mayes, Interim President, University of the Sciences
- S. Brock Blomberg, Ursinus College
- Stephen C. Wilhite, Interim President, Widener University
- Dario C. Altieri, MD, The Wistar Institute
Name Changes
- Baptist Bible College & Seminary is now Summit University.
- Delaware Valley College is now Delaware Valley University.
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