News & Events
College Boasts Some Impressive Numbers
From the Tribune Chronicle in Warren, OH
Frank Longaker, President
National College
DEAR EDITOR:
The editorial on July 6 on college tuition costs raised a number of interesting points. I would like to offer another perspective on some of the issues presented.
Actual cost of a college education is something that is difficult to accurately describe and a source of misleading information to the public taxpayer. Comparing apparent tuition costs alone is not enough. State colleges and universities including community colleges receive huge, taxpayer-funded subsidies from the state of Ohio.
A truer measure of the cost of the education state colleges provide can be found in their non-resident tuition rates, which give a more accurate measure of direct, unsubsidized costs as much as $555 per credit hour (Kent State Trumbull, which offers programs similar to that of a community college) or $218 per credit hour (Cuyahoga Community College). Contrast this to the $202 per credit hour cost of a private education at National College, and its clear which is the better bargain for Ohio taxpayers.
The editorial correctly makes the point that two years at National College is far more economical than four (or five) years at a liberal arts college. For many students, this is a wise choice. Increasingly, good-paying jobs in high-growth career fields require detailed technical knowledge that is not available in a liberal arts curriculum.
The editorial failed to recognize that community college students often also need four or more years to graduate. According to data from the Ohio Board of Regents, more than half of the graduates receiving associate degrees from Ohio community colleges in 2005 needed more than four years to complete their degree programs.
At National College, most of our students are able to attend full-time, thanks to our convenient class scheduling and attention to the individual students scheduling needs. And when a student completes his or her degree on time, which is generally the norm at National College, it can mean as much as a two-year head start in increased earnings.
Compare the true cost of attendance at a public college or community college to the results obtained. At National College, we know that 87 percent of our graduates found jobs in their field of study within 90 days of graduation. We are not aware of any public or community college in Ohio that can claim that level of specific success.
Other statistics further accentuate the differences between public colleges and private colleges like National. Our graduation rates are twice as high as those of the typical community college. And while many of our students obtain student loans to help pay for their education, the default rate on those loans of just 3.2 percent is almost half the national average of nearly 6 percent.
National College students get in, get out, and get jobs quickly and at a lesser cost of education than at tax-supported colleges.
We at National College are proud to have fulfilled our mission of training and educating students for rewarding careers for more than 120 years.
We look forward to being able to serve the residents of Mahoning Valley in the same way when our new campus opens in Liberty in September.
National College
DEAR EDITOR:
The editorial on July 6 on college tuition costs raised a number of interesting points. I would like to offer another perspective on some of the issues presented.
Actual cost of a college education is something that is difficult to accurately describe and a source of misleading information to the public taxpayer. Comparing apparent tuition costs alone is not enough. State colleges and universities including community colleges receive huge, taxpayer-funded subsidies from the state of Ohio.
A truer measure of the cost of the education state colleges provide can be found in their non-resident tuition rates, which give a more accurate measure of direct, unsubsidized costs as much as $555 per credit hour (Kent State Trumbull, which offers programs similar to that of a community college) or $218 per credit hour (Cuyahoga Community College). Contrast this to the $202 per credit hour cost of a private education at National College, and its clear which is the better bargain for Ohio taxpayers.
The editorial correctly makes the point that two years at National College is far more economical than four (or five) years at a liberal arts college. For many students, this is a wise choice. Increasingly, good-paying jobs in high-growth career fields require detailed technical knowledge that is not available in a liberal arts curriculum.
The editorial failed to recognize that community college students often also need four or more years to graduate. According to data from the Ohio Board of Regents, more than half of the graduates receiving associate degrees from Ohio community colleges in 2005 needed more than four years to complete their degree programs.
At National College, most of our students are able to attend full-time, thanks to our convenient class scheduling and attention to the individual students scheduling needs. And when a student completes his or her degree on time, which is generally the norm at National College, it can mean as much as a two-year head start in increased earnings.
Compare the true cost of attendance at a public college or community college to the results obtained. At National College, we know that 87 percent of our graduates found jobs in their field of study within 90 days of graduation. We are not aware of any public or community college in Ohio that can claim that level of specific success.
Other statistics further accentuate the differences between public colleges and private colleges like National. Our graduation rates are twice as high as those of the typical community college. And while many of our students obtain student loans to help pay for their education, the default rate on those loans of just 3.2 percent is almost half the national average of nearly 6 percent.
National College students get in, get out, and get jobs quickly and at a lesser cost of education than at tax-supported colleges.
We at National College are proud to have fulfilled our mission of training and educating students for rewarding careers for more than 120 years.
We look forward to being able to serve the residents of Mahoning Valley in the same way when our new campus opens in Liberty in September.
