Dive Brief:
- Broome Community College headlines a list of institutions profiled by Market Watch for the high percentage of their fundraising dedicated to student financial aid.
- Several community colleges comprise the top ten, which along with four-year schools like Frostburg State University and Texas A&M University – Commerce, each spend more than 70% of money raised in 2016 on financial aid support.
- According to recent research, colleges and universities commit an average of 16% of funds raised to student tuition and fees supplements.
Dive Insight:
The narrative about college fundraising is low-hanging fruit for affordability and access advocates who say that schools can do more to support students, but for college leaders, the objective is to show how money works for the overall student experience, in addition to college access.
Endowed funds for teaching, student services, athletics and business auxiliary all help to improve student engagement and encourage retention, and these are the important elements which can impact whether a student persists through to graduation as much as affordability. It is imperative for presidents and chancellors to be ambitious about showcasing costs and how they translate to institutional success at large.