.- In an effort to assist parents and students who are weighing various college options, the Center for the Study of Catholic Higher Education has commissioned a study to find the “best buys” at Catholic colleges and universities. The study found that the most faithful colleges are also some of the most affordable for students.
The Center for the Study of Catholic Higher Education, the research division of the Cardinal Newman Society recently conducted the study which compares the faithful Catholic colleges recommended in “The Newman Guide to Choosing a Catholic College: What to Look for and Where to Find” with other Catholic and private colleges on issues such as tuition, institutional aid, student debt and overall affordability.
According to a press release from the Cardinal Newman Society, the study found that colleges that were the most faithful to the teachings of the Catholic Church, also offered students the most cost savings.
The research, led by Andrew Gillen, PhD, a leading expert on college affordability issues found that average tuition for students at the recommended faithful Catholic colleges is nearly $3,000 less than at other Catholic colleges and about $1,000 less than the average private college. In addition, the Newman Guide colleges provide a larger percentage of financial aid (39%) than the average private college (29%).
Gillen and his team also found that students at the recommended Catholic colleges graduate with fewer loans and less debt, about $2,000 less than at private colleges and $1,400 less than other Catholic colleges.
"This study is welcome news to families sacrificing to find ways to pay for a meaningful Catholic college education for their sons and daughters," said Patrick J. Reilly, President of The Cardinal Newman Society.
"The Catholic colleges profiled in The Newman Guide were chosen for their quality education and for the priority that they place on Catholic identity in all aspects of campus life. In that sense we have always believed that the recommended colleges were 'best buys' for families based on fidelity to Catholic teachings, but with the publication of this affordability study we now know that they are also truly economic 'best buys' too," noted Joseph A. Esposito, editor of The Newman Guide and director of the Center.
"The combination of faithful Catholic education and lower costs should put Newman Guide colleges at the top of any family's list as they begin to make decisions on which college to attend in the fall," he added.
The recommended Newman Guide colleges are Ave Maria University, Aquinas College (Tenn.), Belmont Abbey College, Benedictine College, The Catholic University of America, Christendom College, The College of Saint Thomas More (Texas), DeSales University, Franciscan University of Steubenville, Holy Apostles College & Seminary, John Paul the Great Catholic University, Magdalen College, Mount St. Mary's University, Our Lady Seat of Wisdom Academy, St. Gregory's University, Southern Catholic College, Thomas Aquinas College, The Thomas More College of Liberal Arts (N.H.), University of Dallas, University of St. Thomas (Texas), and Wyoming Catholic College.
The study can be accessed online at: www.TheNewmanGuide.com.
