Fahey Associates Bulletin

Less-Selective Colleges With Highest Retention

Posted on 2021-02-11by Andrew Nguyen

Retention refers to a students’ continued enrollment in one institution after completion of their first year. A high retention rate is a sign that the institution boasts strong academics, strong support, and great student life overall that help a student graduate and achieve greater goals. There are several colleges (paywall), which, despite their lenient selectiveness, maintain high retention rates. The institutions below yield an average acceptance rate of 62.38% while maintaining an average retention rate of 93.73%.

When choosing where to apply to college, many students tend to aim for big-name prestigious universities. However, in their selection of “backup” colleges, it is equally important that students also look into schools that are more lenient. At the same time, those backups should boast a high retention rate along with strong academics that show the potential of helping students obtain their degrees. Notable institutions selected by The Chronicle are the University of Wisconsin at Madison, the University of Washington, and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Retention and acceptance rates as of fall 2016

Source: Data is from an analysis of U.S. Department of Education data by the Chronicle.

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The Top 100 U.S. Colleges, Ranked by Tuition · 2020

Posted on 2020-12-122021-01-23by Fahey Associates

Source: titlemax

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NYU and UC Berkeley trail Ivy League for employability

Posted on 2020-11-052021-01-17by Elise Rust

Investment in an undergraduate degree typically provides access to higher-paying jobs, strong alumni networks, and greater financial success. In a 2018 survey by UCLA’s Cooperative Institutional Research Program, 85.1% of college freshmen said that “being able to get a better job” was one of their main reasons to attend college. The big question then is: which schools do employers look to when hiring? Times Higher Education found that recruiters’ favorite US institutions included the usual suspects like Harvard and Stanford, as well as perhaps more surprising candidates such as New York University and much cheaper state schools like the University of California Berkeley. These schools all excel at providing an education that hones employable skills like the ability to effectively communicate orally or analytically think through problems. For students interested in studying abroad, many international institutions, such as Cambridge, Technical University at Munich, and the University of Tokyo all rank as highly as MIT, Stanford, and Princeton.

Top universities in the U.S. for graduate employability 2019 (US Rank / Intl Rank = Dark)

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Large Research Institutions Hit Hardest by Decline in International Enrollment

Posted on 2020-10-222020-11-05by Elise Rust

Many U.S. students select colleges with a high enrollment of international students in the hopes of experiencing global cultures and viewpoints. On top of cultural contributions, international students accounted for over 1 million of America’s higher education students and spent $41 billion in the US economy in 2018-2019. In the last weeks, the United States government has passed aggressive policies threatening to refuse visas and even deport international students in a move that will likely discourage international students from studying here now and in future years. To understand the contribution of international students to individual college campuses, we’ve included our graph below. The institutions that will be most impacted are large research universities like NYU, USC, and Northeastern, while small liberal arts colleges Smith, Wesleyan, Bryn Mawr, and Macalester will also be affected. It is possible that this decline in international applicants will increase the 2021 admission rate inside the country as colleges struggle to meet enrollment needs during the pandemic and given its economic impact.

Colleges with the Highest Proportion of International Students 2018-2019

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University of Texas and University of California systems Join Ranks of Highest Endowments

Posted on 2020-10-092020-10-09by Elise Rust

…alongside the Ivy League and peers in the fiscal year 2018. The 2018 Nacubo-TIAA Study of Endowments saw combined assets of $616.5 billion across 802 U.S. college and university endowments, with an average increase of 8.2 percent in FY 2018. This growth was lower than in previous years due to a decline in U.S. and international equity markets. Two-thirds of the colleges in the study reported a median 6.6 percent increase in endowment spending in FY 2018, typically to cover student scholarships and financial aid.

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Kiplinger Ranking Prioritizes Affordability and Best Value

Posted on 2020-09-252020-09-25by Elise Rust

…and places UNC at Chapel Hill and Swarthmore College at the top of their 500 school list. The personal finance magazine assesses total cost per year, average financial aid, average debt at graduation, and median earnings 10 years post-graduation, among other criteria, to generate their overall rankings.

2019 Ranking: schools with the attached link (blue) overlap with the Fahey Associates curated college list.
Rank ↓	Institution Name	State	Total Annual Cost
1	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	NC	$47,307 (out of state)
2	Swarthmore College	PA	$69,422
3	Yale University	CT	$70,570
4	Princeton University	NJ	$63,800
5	Washington and Lee University	VA	$68,330
6	Davidson College	NC	$66,819
7	Duke University	NC	$72,193
8	Haverford College	PA	$48,895
9	Massachusetts Institute of Technology	MA	$68,142
10	Hamilton College	NY	$69,490
11	Harvard University	MA	$68,580
12	Amherst College	MA	$72,166
13	Pomona College	CA	$70,496
14	Middlebury College	VT	$70,980
15	Wesleyan University	CT	$70,904
16	Vassar College	NY	$72,270
17	Bowdoin College	ME	$69,460
18	California Institute of Technology	CA	$69,210
19	Carleton College	MN	$69,697

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Best Bang for Your Buck Colleges (Highest ROI)

Posted on 2020-09-242020-09-25by Elise Rust

A new ranking by Washington Monthly offers a nuanced assessment of different colleges’ “Return on Investment”. The study calculates a social mobility score comprised of many factors including schools’ net price after aid, median earnings 10 years after initial enrollment, and loan repayment rate. The rankings are broken down by region of the US; thus, the Ivy League, MIT, and CUNY Baruch College stand out amongst Northeast Schools, while Georgetown and Washington & Lee University are notable winners in the Southeast. For those interested in attending college in the American south, Texas public schools also have high scores.

U.S. Colleges that Provide the Highest ROI 2019

Note: "Net price" refers to the amount that first-time, full-time undergraduate students pay after aid, measured using IPEDS data. Complete Washington Weekly methodology can be found here.

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Claremont Colleges Consortium Boasts High Yields Among Liberal Arts Schools

Posted on 2020-09-112020-09-11by Andrew Nguyen

Yield refers to the percentage of students admitted to an institution who choose to enroll. Colleges pride themselves on this metric as it demonstrates their value and reputation to high-caliber students. High yields are also financially valuable as they bring in more tuition money every year. Liberal arts schools saw a 42% increase in the number of applicants between 2007 and 2017, but yield is expected to drop with the coronavirus pandemic as students face financial or logistic roadblocks and are unable to attend college.

Institutional Yield 2017

Source: The Chronicle

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College Costs Continue to Rise

Posted on 2020-09-112020-09-11by Elise Rust

…as public universities saw 2.5% increases in tuition and room and board between 2018-19 and 2019-20, and private non-profit four-year colleges saw a 3.3% increase. Public universities remain significantly cheaper than private non-profit four-year colleges, charging almost $22,000 for tuition, room, and board for in-state students and $38,330 for out-of-state students. Private colleges averaged $49,870 per year in 2019-20. It is yet to be seen how colleges will respond to the financial effects of the novel coronavirus, but as of the spring semester, the majority of colleges charged full tuition, claiming they cannot afford a massive cost reduction.

Total Cost (Tuition + Fees + Room/Board) in 2019 Dollars

Data: All data is from the College Board's annual Trends in College Pricing Report. "Private Nonprofit Four-Year" and "Public Four-Year In-State" figures are taken from the 2019 report and converted into 2019 dollars by the College Board. For "Public Four-Year Out-of-State" data, the author compiled sticker prices from previous College Board reports and converted to 2019 USD via an inflation calculator.

Note: Data unavailable for Public Four-Year Out-of-State costs before 1990.

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Improving Remote Learning for Fall 2020

Posted on 2020-09-112020-12-12by Elise Rust

The abrupt nationwide shift to remote learning in March has faced mixed reviews from both students and faculty. Students have grappled with technology issues, mental health concerns, and a dislike for the online format as most said they felt online classes were not as valuable as in-person courses. As 44.7% of colleges prepare to begin the 2020-2021 academic year either fully or partially online, a new survey conducted by the Chronicle outlines ways in which colleges can be more successful with online learning. Professors say their greatest need is more professional development in online pedagogy, with better education tools/training following closely behind. Administrators have responded with investment promises, with 70% of administrators stating they will invest in faculty training, and 38% planning to invest in technology for students. Additionally, colleges are planning to emphasize communication, flexibility, and consistency throughout the fall semester for improved online delivery. For the details, refer to Inside HigherEd’s survey.

What Faculty Members Need Most to Teach Online

Source: Inside Higher Ed

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