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re: Informative read about Auburn from the Wall Street Journal $$$
Posted on 12/29/23 at 7:29 am to TailbackU
Posted on 12/29/23 at 7:29 am to TailbackU
I know a couple who are both AU grads living in GA with 2 in college.
They said AU was slow in correspondence re: scholarships and the like and OOS costs were pretty damn high.
In the end, and not strictly for cost reasons, 1 child is at UGA and the other at GT.
.. and it pains the parents esp the UGA lol.
They said AU was slow in correspondence re: scholarships and the like and OOS costs were pretty damn high.
In the end, and not strictly for cost reasons, 1 child is at UGA and the other at GT.
.. and it pains the parents esp the UGA lol.
1
Posted on 12/29/23 at 8:01 am to TigersnJeeps
That was basically the only rule I had for my kids. No out of state schools.
Posted on 12/29/23 at 8:18 am to CorchJay
I wish the article had broken down the spending by divisions. Student Services has gotten out of control. that's the one that makes sure everyone gets A's, graduates Summa Cum Laude, makes sure their feelings don't get hurt by a mean professor, makes sure the mattress isn't too hard, on and on and on.
My daughter worked for them while in grad school to pay for her tuition and she was amazed at how little was done by so many. Basically her small dept. was tasked with sending out questionnaires to students to make sure everything was going to suit them. that's it.
nobody's gonna have to throw a benefit for us anytime soon, but if we had to pay tuition for our kids at AU, (luckily only overlapped one year) we probably could have done it, but it wouldn't have been easy. their tuition scholarships made it happen.
My daughter worked for them while in grad school to pay for her tuition and she was amazed at how little was done by so many. Basically her small dept. was tasked with sending out questionnaires to students to make sure everything was going to suit them. that's it.
nobody's gonna have to throw a benefit for us anytime soon, but if we had to pay tuition for our kids at AU, (luckily only overlapped one year) we probably could have done it, but it wouldn't have been easy. their tuition scholarships made it happen.
This post was edited on 12/29/23 at 8:26 am
Posted on 12/29/23 at 8:22 am to CorchJay
quote:
Cost for instate schools by tiers
30k+
Auburn
Samford
Less than 30k
Alabama
UAB
Less than 20k
Troy
South
UAH
JSU
Had no idea Auburn was that expensive these days. But like others have said, have to pay for the growth somehow
Posted on 12/29/23 at 9:32 am to Tickytiger
I can't speak for anyone else but my degree from Auburn was worth every penny I paid and then some. I was better prepared for my career than many of my coworkers who went to college elsewhere. My father, who got his degree in engineering from Auburn in 1965, went on to get a master's degree from MIT and said that his undergraduate work at Auburn prepared him very well.
Posted on 12/29/23 at 10:25 am to LRB1967
quote:
I can't speak for anyone else but my degree from Auburn was worth every penny
Mine was only because I graduated in 96 and at that time you were able to get in-state tuition after the first year.
Out-of-state now for a political science degree now is nuts.
My kid is in Engineering so it makes it more palatable but still stupidly expensive.
Posted on 12/29/23 at 1:10 pm to EssexTiger
quote:
I'm curious why the WSJ selected Auburn for their deep dive article. It is not obvious based on the authors' academic backgrounds, with the lead author coming out of Stanford and Columbia, the second author out of UT-Arlington, and the third author from Ball State. I could not find the academic information on the fourth author. The latter two authors apparently did the graphics for the article.
I think they mention it in the article. The main reason is historic data availability when compared to other major public universities.
This post was edited on 12/29/23 at 1:11 pm
Posted on 12/29/23 at 1:32 pm to AUreo
Response to WSJ article by ALreporter.com
LINK /
What the WSJ missed: Amid rising costs, Auburn balanced growth, excellence.
College is expensive.
Tuition and fees, along with various other costs, have ballooned at every campus in every state – at both private and public universities – and the growth shows no signs of slowing down. Data available from the federal government shows tuition and related fees rose by more than 20 percent at America’s colleges and universities between 2010 and 2020, and the expected inflation rate is somewhere around 17 percent.
For some reason, on Thursday, the Wall Street Journal decided to single out Auburn University and its finances and financial decisions to illustrate this nationwide reality. Auburn’s expenditures on campus construction, expanding faculty and adding additional, more modern student housing were presented by the Journal as both elitist and also an example of opulent spending by college administrators nationwide.
The problem is it’s neither. In fact, Auburn’s spending and its tuition costs are both middle-of-the-road. And while the expenditures have been substantial, so have the benefits.
LINK /
What the WSJ missed: Amid rising costs, Auburn balanced growth, excellence.
College is expensive.
Tuition and fees, along with various other costs, have ballooned at every campus in every state – at both private and public universities – and the growth shows no signs of slowing down. Data available from the federal government shows tuition and related fees rose by more than 20 percent at America’s colleges and universities between 2010 and 2020, and the expected inflation rate is somewhere around 17 percent.
For some reason, on Thursday, the Wall Street Journal decided to single out Auburn University and its finances and financial decisions to illustrate this nationwide reality. Auburn’s expenditures on campus construction, expanding faculty and adding additional, more modern student housing were presented by the Journal as both elitist and also an example of opulent spending by college administrators nationwide.
The problem is it’s neither. In fact, Auburn’s spending and its tuition costs are both middle-of-the-road. And while the expenditures have been substantial, so have the benefits.
This post was edited on 12/29/23 at 1:35 pm
Posted on 12/29/23 at 1:32 pm to Tickytiger
Over the past two decades, Auburn has been transformed from a middle-of-the-road, land grant institution into one of the most sought-after, highest-ranked public colleges in America.
In 2023, Jennifer Wood Adams, the executive director of Public Affairs and Executive Communication, said that the university received over 50,000 applications from students worldwide, with fewer than 6,000 available spots. This was not a money grab, either. Unlike other universities, which have expanded their student populations by lowering entrance requirements to collect more tuition dollars, Auburn has been more selective in the students it admits.
While it admitted its largest freshman class in 2023 – at 5,935 students – that class also was one of the most academically accomplished in Auburn history. The average high school GPA in that class was an astonishing 4.15 and the class carried an average ACT score of 27.1.
In 2023, Jennifer Wood Adams, the executive director of Public Affairs and Executive Communication, said that the university received over 50,000 applications from students worldwide, with fewer than 6,000 available spots. This was not a money grab, either. Unlike other universities, which have expanded their student populations by lowering entrance requirements to collect more tuition dollars, Auburn has been more selective in the students it admits.
While it admitted its largest freshman class in 2023 – at 5,935 students – that class also was one of the most academically accomplished in Auburn history. The average high school GPA in that class was an astonishing 4.15 and the class carried an average ACT score of 27.1.
Posted on 12/29/23 at 1:33 pm to Tickytiger
That sort of quality growth among the student body doesn’t happen by accident, and it doesn’t happen unless your university administration invests heavily in the latest technology, top faculty, updated housing options, student amenities and post-graduate opportunities. Those things cost money.
But the true measure of a university comes in two forms: 1. The value of the education received, and 2. The return on the educational investment.
In both regards, Auburn University ranks as one of the best in the nation. According to U.S. News’ 2024 rankings of the best colleges in America, Auburn grades out as a top-50 public university and landed at 177 on the list of “best value” universities. (There are more than 2,600 public, four-year universities in America.)
The fact is Auburn has bettered itself by investing in itself. It has expanded its academic offerings while also keeping pace with the ever-evolving needs of modern students. For example, the Journal piece makes a big deal of “luxe” campus housing, featuring “flat-screen TVs” (as if there is another option for TVs today), but it doesn’t mention that on-campus housing is harder to get into than a Taylor Swift concert. Open units are snapped up within minutes during enrollment periods and the university has been forced to contract with private apartment complexes to meet housing demands.
With this growth, though, Auburn officials realized an area of concern – its scholarship offerings and means-based tuition assistance. By some measures, no financial area of the university has grown faster over the past decade.
In 2013, Auburn awarded just $1.5 million (adjusted for inflation) in need-based aid. Last year, it handed out $8.4 million. That’s a 460-percent increase. At the same time, scholarships and fellowships have increased by nearly 25 percent, going from $168 million in 2013 to $209.4 million in 2022.
The fact is Auburn University has done nothing substantially different to grow its student population and better its academic standing than any other university in America. It just seems to have done it better than most.
But the true measure of a university comes in two forms: 1. The value of the education received, and 2. The return on the educational investment.
In both regards, Auburn University ranks as one of the best in the nation. According to U.S. News’ 2024 rankings of the best colleges in America, Auburn grades out as a top-50 public university and landed at 177 on the list of “best value” universities. (There are more than 2,600 public, four-year universities in America.)
The fact is Auburn has bettered itself by investing in itself. It has expanded its academic offerings while also keeping pace with the ever-evolving needs of modern students. For example, the Journal piece makes a big deal of “luxe” campus housing, featuring “flat-screen TVs” (as if there is another option for TVs today), but it doesn’t mention that on-campus housing is harder to get into than a Taylor Swift concert. Open units are snapped up within minutes during enrollment periods and the university has been forced to contract with private apartment complexes to meet housing demands.
With this growth, though, Auburn officials realized an area of concern – its scholarship offerings and means-based tuition assistance. By some measures, no financial area of the university has grown faster over the past decade.
In 2013, Auburn awarded just $1.5 million (adjusted for inflation) in need-based aid. Last year, it handed out $8.4 million. That’s a 460-percent increase. At the same time, scholarships and fellowships have increased by nearly 25 percent, going from $168 million in 2013 to $209.4 million in 2022.
The fact is Auburn University has done nothing substantially different to grow its student population and better its academic standing than any other university in America. It just seems to have done it better than most.
Posted on 12/29/23 at 2:51 pm to Tickytiger
Back in the day when Auburn was a lot of bang for not much money, kids could work their way to a degree with part time jobs. Can't do that anymore unless there are a lot of grants and such.
My old friend, worked his way through MIT back when its tuition was $2400 a year. Couldn't do that now.
My old friend, worked his way through MIT back when its tuition was $2400 a year. Couldn't do that now.
Posted on 12/29/23 at 3:45 pm to Auburn1968
It's been said but worth repeating, the college experience is far superior today than when I was in school. Shitty dorm rooms and living off of pizza and beer. Their amenities and food today are far superior. That comes with a price.
Posted on 12/29/23 at 3:57 pm to Tickytiger
Look up The Retreat at Lake Tamaha, see that Olympic sized pool and imagine why one spring I did nothing but party. Most of my highlights film was from that one semester alone.
This post was edited on 12/29/23 at 4:03 pm
Posted on 12/29/23 at 4:02 pm to Tickytiger
quote:
Shitty dorm rooms and living off of pizza and beer.
For me it was CDV Extension, Brand X and Beast Light!
Posted on 12/29/23 at 5:57 pm to Tickytiger
quote:
Their amenities and food today are far superior. That comes with a price.
A more Spartan experience seems more appropriate for young adults.
Every apartment/dorm room does not need Ritz Carlton or the Cloister finishes.
Posted on 12/30/23 at 7:45 pm to Tickytiger
That's a lot of debt for a kid and family. I love Auburn, I appreciate Auburn for what it offered, but I can't imagine the big schools are the way to go anymore unless you are getting a legit engineering or medical/vet degree.
Reminds me of Disney World. No matter how much the cost rises, they're still full.
Reminds me of Disney World. No matter how much the cost rises, they're still full.
This post was edited on 12/30/23 at 7:54 pm
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