June is a little late for schools to be thinking about filling up their freshman and transfer spots but the National Association of College Admissions Counseling says 470 schools — some of which you've actually heard of — are telling them they're in need of warm bodies:
NACAC’s new 2014 “College Openings Update” list is out and there are a whopping 470 colleges listed as still urgently seeking either freshman or transfers students. This large and growing list of colleges that are unable to attract enough students is an alarming reminder of how troubled and inefficient the market for higher education is in the U.S. The vast majority of colleges continue to engage in “prestige” pricing, but ultimately are forced to quietly offer deep discounts in an attempt to fill up their classes. Then, when even that doesn’t work, hundreds report that they still can’t find enough “customers.”
What's up, Class of 2018? Just not feeling the whole college thing?
The listed schools are still accepting applications for Fall of 2014 and some schools are discounting tuition to entice fresh meat in time for fall.
50 schools on NACAC's list also appear in the Princeton Review Best 378 Colleges guide and run the gamut from liberal liberal arts (Sarah Lawrence) to the bro fest at SUNY Binghamton. The percentage of freshman receiving institutional grants is 100% for several schools; the average grant size is often in excess of $20K. Schools with sizaeble enrollments are also on the list, including Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado State, Florida-Gainesville, Iowa and Oregon.
Arizona State boasts a massive 66,224 students, which puts it at the highest enrollment of the schools on Forbes' 50 but apparently that isn't enough.
Referring to NASBA's 2011 CPA Exam Candidate Performance Book, we see Michigan Tech was 21st nationally by pass rate on first time exams. Marquette, Gonzaga, Baylor, and Cornell all ranked on that list as well.
So, if you have been thinking about going back to school or know a fresh faced youngster who put off college applications this year for whatever reason, you know what to do. Nothing like a good bargain bin education!
