Private colleges offer diversity and value

Few decisions are more exciting for families than choosing a college. All the homework, lessons and practice of the preceding 17 years suddenly seem worthwhile.

Virginia families are fortunate to have a broader array of choices than citizens of almost any other state. While their system of public universities is excellent, they also have an abundant array of independent colleges and universities within easy reach — economically as well as educationally.

Despite the conventional wisdom that public colleges are always cheaper, Virginia's independent colleges often can be a family's best choice, welcoming students of all backgrounds and means. College-bound students and their parents would be well-advised to visit them this week, Virginia Private College Week, not only to earn vouchers for three free admission applications but also to learn how affordable and advantageous attending one of them might be. Many Virginians understand the educational advantages independent colleges offer — classes tend to be small, taught by professors, not teaching assistants — but might not be aware of other opportunities they present.

From the Tidewater to the mountains, Virginia's independent colleges and universities educate a quarter of all the full-time undergraduates in the commonwealth. Most have between only 1,000 and 3,000 students. Some are highly selective, while others serve students who struggled in high school but are now ready for college. Some have active religious missions; others are secular. Some are as old as the American Revolution, and others are relatively new.

Despite their differences, all Virginia independent colleges have one thing in common: They welcome students of all family backgrounds and financial situations. Virginia's independent colleges and universities are as racially and ethnically diverse as the state's four-year public counterparts. Whatever a student's background, he or she will find a supportive campus community.

At the same time, most people will be surprised to learn there is a greater proportion of students with the highest financial need at Virginia independent colleges and universities than at the publics. College students receiving federal Pell Grants come from families with the greatest need — nationally, 57 percent of them have incomes less than $20,000 a year. While 19 percent of students at Virginia public colleges and universities received Pell Grants in 2009-10, 33 percent at independent schools did. And the difference is growing — the percentage of the neediest students at Virginia independent colleges has increased more than 7 percent over the last decade, while decreasing 3.5 percent at the publics.

Despite enrolling the neediest and most underrepresented students, the average debt of Virginia's independent college graduates ($20,852) is only about a thousand dollars more than those graduating from our public universities ($19,675) as of 2009. And that debt, about the cost of a 3-year-old used Toyota Camry with 30,000 miles, reflects the best investment a family can make. Studies consistently show that a bachelor's degree is worth hundreds of thousands of dollars in increased earnings over the course of a lifetime.

Virginia's independent colleges and universities invest their own resources in their students, awarding more than $450 million in scholarships and grants in 2009 alone. About 72 percent of full-time freshmen at independent colleges received such support, compared to 31 percent attending publics. The average size of scholarships was $11,000 from independents, while the publics gave out an average of $5,000. Tuition Assistance Grants from the Commonwealth also aid all Virginia students who attend the state's private institutions.

Independent colleges invest in their students in other ways, too. My own institution, the University of Richmond, might at first glance seem out of reach to first-generation, minority or needy students. It is highly selective, receiving more than 9,400 applications from U.S. and international students for 770 seats in this fall's freshman class. And the "sticker price" of a year at Richmond is not cheap.

Yet, Richmond is among the 1 percent of American colleges committed to need-blind admission — it does not consider ability to pay in admission decisions, and it promises to meet 100 percent of each admitted student's demonstrated financial need. Two-thirds of its students receive scholarships and grants. Last year, Richmond gave out $64 million of financial aid to a student body of only 3,000.

Richmond also has seen large increases in students of color during the last three years. One in five students entering this fall will be Americans of minority background. One in six will be the first of his or her family to go to college. One in 10 will have grown up speaking a language other than English. More than 500 of our undergraduates will receive Pell Grants, and $2 million of federal support will be matched with $20 million of grants by the university.

For Virginia families who make less than $40,000 and qualify for financial aid, Richmond is free, with no loans and no Work-Study obligations of any kind. For a typical family making $75,000, attending Richmond costs about $10,000 a year. The average grant from the university is about $32,000, which means that many families will find us less expensive than public universities.

Virginia students have many more college opportunities than they might realize. Each independent college in Virginia has its own compelling story, its own way of helping students of all kinds succeed. Smart, hard-working young people who want a great education will find welcoming and diverse campuses at all independent colleges and universities in Virginia. We encourage them, and their families, to visit anytime.