NEWS
Kiplinger’s Ranks Davidson as Top Value Among National Liberal Arts Schools
Chambers, the main academic and classroom building on the Davidson College campus. (Bill Giduz photo)
Article reprinted with permission from Davidson College web site www.Davidson.edu
Davidson College topped all private liberal arts colleges and ranked second only to Princeton among all colleges and universities in Kiplinger’s “300 Best College Values of 2018.”
The Kiplinger ranking highlighted the superior preparation offered by a liberal arts curriculum, and noted the broad impact of The Davidson Trust, which lays the groundwork for student success by meeting 100 percent of demonstrated need through a combination of grants and student employment, instead of loans. That puts the Davidson education within reach of all qualified students, regardless of their finances.
The article noted that Davidson may not have the name recognition of similar New England liberal arts colleges, but said its selective admission standards, magnanimous financial aid awards, and high four-year graduation rate make it the top-ranked school among private liberal arts colleges.
Kiplinger’s said Davidson remains committed to a classic liberal arts education, but is also focused on preparing graduates for life outside its close-knit campus. One example is “The Hub,” an old textile factory the college is converting into nearly 23,000 square feet of work space where students can launch their own projects and collaborate with companies in the community.
Kiplinger’s concluded that “Like many of the schools on our best-values list, Davidson posts an annual sticker price of more than $60,000. But its financial aid programs have kept costs in check. Nearly half of students receive need-based aid, and the average award cuts the school’s sticker price by 65 percent, to $22,905 a year. A robust merit-aid program awards funds to 14 percent of students who don’t receive need-based aid; those awards average $25,572 a year. And since loans aren’t part of the deal at Davidson, the average debt of the 26 percent of students who do borrow is $20,431, compared with the national average of $32,000.”
Davidson President Carol Quillen said, “The no-loan program is our way of telling talented students of all financial backgrounds that we want them here and will do what we can to make it possible for them to attend.”
Read more at the Kiplinger’s website.
Bill Giduz
Bill Giduz was the son who followed his father’s footsteps into journalism. He has been involved his entire life with news and photography in schools he attended and jobs he’s held. He believes now that he’s got a few good years left to devote to The News of Davidson.