San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
Private schools feature intimate campuses, financial assistance, top notch programs
The big news for college students this August came in the form of dollar signs, as the Biden-Harris Administration once again extended the pause on student loan repayments and announced plans to provide up to $20,000 in debt cancellation to Department of Education Pell Grant recipients and up to $10,000 in forgiveness to nonPell Grant recipients.
It’s a welcome development, but just one step in addressing the increasingly high cost of college. As the College Board reports, the average 2022 cost of a California private college is $55,800 before financial aid.
Certainly community college is an option — California boasts the least expensive community college system in the nation, with tuition costing less than half of the national average, according to the Education Data Initiative. Averaging $1,430 for instate tuition as noted by the College Board (the creator of the SAT), it’s understandable that opting for a public community college education can be highly appealing.
According to the experts, however, there are other practical advantages to a private education.
“One of the reasons we hear students have been considering private schools compared to state schools has been the length of time it takes to receive a degree,” said Kaitlyn Goslinga, assistant director of financial aid, wellness and outreach for University of the Pacific in Stockton. “Pacific works hard for our students to get the courses needed in four years, compared to what we hear can be quite a bit longer at the state system depending on the major.
“The longer it takes to complete a degree, the more expensive that degree becomes. You also need to consider the cost of lost opportunity to pursue employment, graduate studies or other interests.”
Established in 1851, the University of the Pacific claims to admitted undergraduate students to attend,” Rapport said.
At University of Pacific, undergraduate tuition is $52,918 for the 2022-23 school year.
“This certainly can cause quite a bit of sticker shock,” Goslinga said. “However, we have generous merit scholarships that all our admitted students are automatically considered for, such as our Regent’s Scholarship of $25,000. Our Powell Scholars program invests in high achieving students who demonstrate leadership potential, and our Community Involvement Program invests in firstgeneration Stockton students. And that is before other needbased state, federal and institutional grants and loans are offered.”
Students should also be aware that much of the financial aid can be applied to all things listed in a school’s yearly cost of attendance.
“Students can use financial aid to cover all expenses related to being a student, both those that the school charges like tuition, housing, fees and dining, and those that they will need to cover like books, travel between home and school and basic personal expenses,” Rapport said.
Thanks to modern computers and the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) online form, applying for financial aid is relatively easy. The IRS Data Retrieval Tool is also available to link family tax data directly into the form, and Goslinga has found the FAFSA usually takes less than an hour to complete.
Students should also look into taking a campus job.
“One of the best things about our campus positions is that they do not conflict with a student’s course schedule,” Goslinga said. “Working offcampus part-time can cause complications when a boss or manager schedules a student without regard to their classes.
“Pacific also offers an abundance of positions designed to give students the real-life skills needed to succeed in their professional careers,” she noted. “And our staff are often the first ones asked to provide references when our work-study students are applying for their first professional position or internship.”