What’s Important: Value

There are many factors that can influence your college decision. In our What’s Important series, we are unpacking seven common factors parents and students tell us are influential when they are choosing a university. This series will also provide resources for your college search based on the factors that are most important to you. Today’s factor is Value and Cost.

When value and cost are your priorities for your college experience, you want to see the numbers. You want to know: What is the investment — of time, of finances, and of energy — that you will need to make to complete your education? You want to hear the stories of what alumni have done before you. Did they go on to be successful, meaningful contributors to society? Can the college or university you are considering help you become similarly successful? No one can guarantee the exact outcome of your education, but alumni stories are a great way to see what might be possible for you.

There is no doubt that college is a significant investment. On the other hand, colleges and universities have data that can help demonstrate the returns on that investment. They collect information from their alumni and from national research databases so that they can talk about the value of a college education with you. Just ask them!

As you research the value and cost of your college experience, keep these two things in mind:

• The published “sticker price” for a college or university is often not what students actually pay. Financial aid (like scholarships and grants) will reduce the actual cost to you. Outside scholarships from your local community foundation or elsewhere can be excellent resources in addition to the aid the school will provide.
• The value of a college education is more than dollars and cents. College is a formative time that will grow you and shape you in countless intangible ways. In addition to considering the cost of a college or university, consider the quality of experience you will have while you are a student there.

What to look for on a college website

• An outline of the costs associated with an education at that school
• A list of available scholarships and grants and the criteria for applying for and/or receiving these funds
• Ways to connect with the Office of Financial Aid (they often have their own page of the website with contact info and links to resources)
• Alumni profiles or quotes that discuss what alumni have done with their education

Example questions to ask your admissions counselor

• What kind of financial aid or scholarships are available to students?
• What do students typically pay?
• What career services are available to help students find internships or jobs after graduation?

Your admissions counselor may refer you to someone in the Office of Financial Aid for details about scholarships or to someone in the Office of Business and Finance (sometimes called the Office of the Bursar) for info about billing. However, talking with your admissions counselor is a great place to start, as they are there to be a resource guide for you.

What to look for on your college visit

• Meet with a variety of people (students, professors, and staff) and ask them about their experience at the college or university to get first-person perspectives — ask as many people as you can to get as complete of a picture as possible of the value this school can offer you
  • If you can, meet with representatives from the Office of Financial Aid to discuss any financial questions or concerns you have one-on-one
• Take a look at the buildings and grounds around you — a college or university that cares about the value of the college experience will likely do a good job of keeping campus neat and tidy

Links to HU resources related to value and cost

• The Office of Financial Aid (grants, scholarships, etc.)
• The Office of Business and Finance (costs, billing, etc.)

“I truly do not feel like I would have had as great of an experience anywhere else and I would not be the nurse or the person that I am today.”

Kristen (2017)