CCCU Institutions Better Value Than Other Private Colleges
WASHINGTON, D.C.— Christian universities like Southern Wesleyan University are a better-than-average value, according to a recent national report.
According to the 2005-2006 CCCU Tuition Survey Report, the average tuition for the 101 U.S. member institutions of the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities is $4,603 below the national average of all private institutions. The CCCU mean is about 78.4 percent of the national average for private institutions.
“We continue to be an excellent value in comparison to other private four-year U.S. colleges,” says Stanley Clark, provost at Simpson University in California and author of the tuition survey report. Clark’s report is based on data collected by the College Board; their findings appeared in the Oct. 28, 2005 edition of “The Chronicle of Higher Education.”
Southern Wesleyan University’s admissions director Chad Peters said students and parents should consider the true value of a Christian education as well as the affordability.
“In many cases, students can attend Southern Wesleyan University for about the same cost that they would pay to attend a state college or university,” Peters said. “Southern Wesleyan University offers a wide variety of scholarships and grants that can be used by students to help offset the cost of attendance.
“Prospective students and parents should consider that they will be spending four or five years at the college of their choice and that the atmosphere for learning and living is drastically different at a Christian institution,” he said.
CCCU institutions offer 350 majors collectively, ranging from aerospace engineering to zoology. Nearly every member institution was listed in “U.S. News & World Report’s” 2006 college guide, many of them ranked in the top tier of their respective categories. Several CCCU colleges were also singled out for excelling in certain areas, including: racial diversity; undergraduate research/creative projects; service learning; study abroad; least student debt; and best values.
“Southern Wesleyan University continues to explore new potential programs that will equip our students for the ever-changing job market,” Peters said. “This past year, the university added the following new majors; forensic science, computer forensic science, communication, management of information technology and human services. Southern Wesleyan University also added teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL) and criminal justice as minor programs.”
Five major findings of the CCCU Tuition Survey are highlighted in the February 2006 edition of “Consider the Facts,” a publication of the CCCU. Each issue offers at-a-glance survey findings from the CCCU’s Comprehensive Assessment Project, other CCCU comparative surveys and the Independent Post-Secondary Education Data System (IPEDS). Issues include survey data as well as a brief summary and analysis by the author(s) or key researchers of the information.
The Council for Christian Colleges & Universities is a higher education association of more than 170 intentionally Christ-centered institutions around the world. There are now 105 member campuses in North America and all are fully-accredited, comprehensive colleges and universities with curricula rooted in the arts and sciences. In addition, 71 affiliate campuses from 24 countries are part of the CCCU. The Council’s mission is to advance the cause of Christ-centered higher education and to help its institutions transform lives by faithfully relating scholarship and service to biblical truth.