| Overall Rating | Silver - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 51.85 |
| Liaison | Karen Eckert, Ph.D. |
| Submission Date | Nov. 30, 2015 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Principia College
PA-8: Affordability and Access
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.85 / 4.00 |
Tami
Gavaletz Director Admissions and Financial Aid |
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Does the institution have policies and programs in place to make it accessible and affordable to low-income students?:
Yes
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A brief description of any policies and programs to minimize the cost of attendance for low-income students:
Principia College strives to meet each family’s demonstrated need 100%. Student loans are capped at $6,000 annually with a planned debt load at graduation of no more than $24,000 ($6,000 x 4 yr). Financial aid is not tied to a work program, but students can opt to work on campus and/or have their full financial aid package filled with grants and minimal loans. Ninety-five percent of new Principia students receive scholarships and/or grants.
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A brief description of any programs to equip the institution’s faculty and staff to better serve students from low-income backgrounds:
(See below)
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A brief description of any programs to prepare students from low-income backgrounds for higher education:
The Center for Teaching and Learning provides individualized academic support to all students (traditional and low-income alike), as needed. Specifically, the Center seeks to "promote and support academic excellence at Principia College" by:
-Offering opportunities for teacher development
-Assisting students in developing skills and strategies that will allow them to succeed and excel in their academics
-Expanding opportunities for learning beyond the classroom
-Creating resource networks of people and ideas
-Increasing awareness that we all are teachers, students, and healers
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A brief description of the institution's scholarships for low-income students:
Principia College offers a variety of low-interest (5%) loans and scholarships for academic achievement, as well as for "students who have demonstrated … outstanding service, citizenship and character…”. The percentage of student financial need met, on average, is 99%.
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A brief description of any programs to guide parents of low-income students through the higher education experience:
Principia offers personalized and student/family-centric services. From recruiting, to admissions, financial aid, scholarship, billing, advising, and more, Principia staff are easily accessible and willing to help parents through the college experience, including students from 31 different countries. As a result, in part, of this attention to detail, 85% of freshmen stay at Principia after their first year (the national average is 70%).
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A brief description of any targeted outreach to recruit students from low-income backgrounds:
Principia College is a community of faith serving students of Christian Science. Admissions reaches out to all Christian Scientists, regardless of financial situation.
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A brief description of other admissions policies or programs to make the institution accessible and affordable to low-income students:
Principia subscribes to a free admissions application to lower enrollment barriers, and generous financial aid packages (see above).
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A brief description of other financial aid policies or programs to make the institution accessible and affordable to low-income students:
Principia College offers a variety of low-interest (5%) loans and scholarships for academic achievement, as well as for "students who have demonstrated … outstanding service, citizenship and character…”. The percentage of student financial need met, on average, is 99%. As a result of our policies and programs, low-income students enrolled at Principia College graduate at a rate of 67%. In contrast, the Council of Independent Colleges reports a 4-yr graduation rate for low-income ("Pell eligible") students from Independent 4-yr Colleges nation-wide as 44%.
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A brief description of other policies and programs to make the institution accessible and affordable to low-income students not covered above:
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Does the institution have policies and programs in place to support non-traditional students?:
Yes
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A brief description of any scholarships provided specifically for part-time students:
Principia College does not have a scholarship program for part-time students because 100% of our students are full-time (and resident).
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A brief description of any onsite child care facilities, partnerships with local facilities, and/or subsidies or financial support to help meet the child care needs of students:
Principia College provides accredited on-site child care (The LoveBug Room) for all faculty and staff families.
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A brief description of other policies and programs to support non-traditional students:
Principia provides independent on-campus housing for "non-traditional" (generally older) students since often times the needs of our non-trads are different from our traditional students. This housing has an in-house Residence Counselor and students participate equally in all campus activities, athletics and events. The Office of Student Life is continually working to identify and fill gaps in our offerings to non-trad students.
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Does the institution wish to pursue Part 2 of this credit (accessibility and affordability indicators)?:
Yes
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Indicators that the institution is accessible and affordable to low-income students::
| Percentage (0-100) | |
| The percentage of entering students that are low-income | 16 |
| The graduation/success rate for low-income students | 67 |
| The percentage of student financial need met, on average | 99 |
| The percentage of students graduating with no interest-bearing student loan debt | 3 |
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The percentage of students that participate in or directly benefit from the institution’s policies and programs to support low-income and non-traditional students:
18
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The website URL where information about the institution's affordability and access programs is available:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.