2008-2009 Indiana College Guidebook - (Page 3) Why Choose an Indiana Independent College or University? High-Quality Education Many of Indiana’s independent colleges and universities consistently place at or near the top of higher-education rankings, such as those found in U.S. News & World Report, Barron’s, Peterson’s, and The Templeton Guide. The reasons are simple: • Teaching is the top priority of faculty at Indiana’s independent colleges. While faculty at many private institutions conduct significant amounts of research, the emphasis is on helping students meet their educational objectives. • The average student/faculty ratio at Indiana’s independent colleges is 12:1. • Graduates of Indiana’s independent colleges and universities have a high rate of acceptance into graduate and professional programs. For example, in Fall 2007, graduates of Indiana’s independent colleges and universities made up more than 20 percent of the Indiana University School of Medicine’s incoming class. Affordability • While the overall tuition, or “sticker price,” of an independent college or university is higher than that of a state college or university, independent colleges and universities are prepared to meet the financial needs of their admitted students through generous financial aid offerings, often resulting in lower “out of pocket” expenses for many families. • Most full-time students receive scholarships or other grants that significantly reduce the cost of attendance. Combining state and federal scholarship programs, lowinterest loans, private scholarships, and on-campus employment gives most needy students the resources they need to enroll at their top choice institution. Attending an Indiana independent college or university is therefore possible for students from even the most needy circumstances. Indeed, 90 percent of full-time students at independent colleges or universities receive one or more types of financial aid to make their enrollment possible. Accessibility Indiana’s independent colleges and universities are the choice of more than 83,000 students each year. • More then 230 majors are offered on 31 campuses located in every region of the state; independent colleges and universities are found in large urban areas, quiet suburban locations, and bucolic rural settings. • Independent colleges in Indiana enroll 23 percent of all students, yet award 31 percent of all baccalaureate degrees in the state, including about 40 percent of the degrees in such high-demand areas as physics, nursing, the biosciences, and chemistry. • Indiana’s independent colleges enroll onefourth of all minority college students in the state. HIGHeR MInoRIty GRaduatIon Rates. Minority students are more than twice as likely to graduate in four years from an ICI member institution than from a state institution. Minority Graduation Rates at ICI Institutions 80 70 60 Graduates of Baccalaureate Programs (%) 50 40 30 20 10 0 4 Years 5 Years 6 Years 60 51 41 24 62 47 ICI Institutions State Institutions Source: Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, Graduation Rate Survey 2006. For more information: www.indianacollegechoices.org 3 http://www.indianacollegechoices.org
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