Overall Rating Silver
Overall Score 61.51
Liaison Karen Eckert, Ph.D.
Submission Date March 5, 2021
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Principia College
PA-7: Affordability and Access

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 3.34 / 4.00 Tami Gavaletz
Director
Admissions and Financial Aid
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution have policies and programs to make it accessible and affordable to low-income students?:
Yes

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 debt load at graduation of no more than $24,000. Financial aid is not tied to a work program, but students can opt to work on campus and/or receive a financial aid package comprised of grants and/or loans. 75% of applicants apply for financial aid, 95% of them receive it. See http://www.principiacollege.edu/affordability


A brief description of any programs to equip the institution’s faculty and staff to better serve students from low-income backgrounds:

The Center for Teaching and Learning provides individualized academic support to students (including low-income) and faculty alike. 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
See http://content.principia.edu/teaching-excellence/


A brief description of the institution’s programs to guide and prepare students and families from low-income backgrounds for higher education:

As needs arise during the recruiting and admissions process, students receive individual attention (one of the many blessings of a small college) - these may include ESL, skills training, and college readiness issues. Resources are attached, progress is monitored.


A brief description of the institution's scholarships for low-income students:

Income status is never a barrier to admission. Principia College offers a broad portfolio of financial aid, including grants, low-interest loans, scholarships for academic achievement, and scholarships for "students who have demonstrated … outstanding service, citizenship and character”. The percentage of student financial need met, on average, is 92%. See http://www.principiacollege.edu/affordability


A brief description of the institution’s 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 members of this community, regardless of financial situation. With a retention rate of 88% (as of August 31, 2019), Principia College is one of the best in the country. Nationwide, the average first year to second year retention rate is 69.0%. Sources: https://www.collegetuitioncompare.com/edu/148016/principia-college/graduation/ ; https://www.collegefactual.com/colleges/principia-college/academic-life/graduation-and-retention/


A brief description of the institution’s other policies or programs to make the institution accessible and affordable to low-income students:
Does the institution have policies and programs to support non-traditional students?:
Yes

A brief description of the institution’s scholarships provided specifically for part-time students:

Principia College students are 100% full-time and 99% on campus resident (the residual are students living nearby with parents who work at the college).


A brief description of the institution’s on-site child care facility, partnership with a local facility, and/or subsidies or financial support to help meet the child care needs of students:

Principia also operates a Pre-K - 12 School in St. Louis and transport is provided between campuses to facilitate the care of children as young as six weeks; see http://www.principiaschool.org/ec


A brief description of the institution’s other policies and programs to support non-traditional students:

Principia provides independent on-campus housing for "non-traditional" (generally older) students. Non-trads 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.


Does the institution wish to pursue Part 2 of this credit (tracking accessibility and affordability)? (If data is not available, select 'No'):
Yes

The percentage of entering students that are low-income (0-100):
29

The graduation/success rate for low-income students (0-100):
67

On average, the percentage of need that was met for students who were awarded any need-based aid (e.g. as reported to the U.S. Common Data Set initiative, item H2) (0-100):
89

The percentage of students graduating with no interest-bearing student loan debt or for whom no out-of-pocket tuition is required (i.e. the percentage of graduates who have not taken out interest-bearing loans) (0-100):
49

Estimated percentage of students that participate in or directly benefit from the institution’s policies and programs to support low-income and non-traditional students (0-100):
29

The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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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.