Agnes Scott gives excellent financial aid. I do not know anyone who actually pays full tuition. The people in Financial Aid will work with you and create payment plans if that’s your only option. I am very proud to be an Agnes Scott student and hope that if you think that we are that out-of-line expensive, you change your mind after seeing the cost of the colleges above or simply talk to the college before posting things like this to see that we are trying everything to keep costs down.

As to the tuition, when it is compared to other private universities and/or public colleges and universities I applaud the administration for such a low increase.

*Proud Alum

The general feeling among many families struggling financially is that public universities and two-year colleges are the only affordable options available to them. This logic isn’t always sound. For one, tuition at public colleges and universities is likely to increase significantly as states struggle with massive budget deficits. Mid-year tuition hikes are even possible this winter.

Also, private colleges and universities, because they are private, often have more flexibility than state schools when it comes to dealing with financial crisis. Where the state’s response is often to raise tuition, private colleges may do just the opposite to attract new students–minimize tuition increases and offer competitive financial aid. Agnes Scott, for example, increased its total cost by just 2.69% for 2009-10, the smallest increase in 35 years and a number that is about half the rate of inflation. Many colleges such as Middlebury and Williams are postponing construction projects, and a great number of schools are scaling back on filling vacancies. The general idea is to cut costs, not squeeze more money out of students.

To see how dozens of top private colleges and universities are responding to the economic downturn, check out this compilation of articles put together by NAICU, the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities.