"The Experience"



Geographic Diversity: Public vs. Private Schools

Author: petersons, Category: Getting Started for College

By Howard and Matthew Greene

Public schools
Public institutions, those that receive a significant proportion of their operating budget from a state’s government, usually give admission preference to in-state residents. These institutions also charge lower tuition to in-state students.

Some public schools restrict the proportion of out-of-state students admitted. UNC and the University of Illinois are examples. At schools like these, one does not typically gain an advantage by applying from out-of-state. This does not mean, however, that no public institutions recruit from out-of-state. However, schools like the Universities of Michigan, Wisconsin, Colorado, and Vermont have built their reputations by including 30 percent or more out-of-state students in each incoming class. They appreciate the diversity, talents, and dollars that these students bring to campus.

Public institutions can play an important role in diversifying your college list. They can be (but are not always) more affordable. They offer an enormous variety of academic and pre-professional programs. They also typically utilize a form of rolling admission, which allows you to learn of admission decision within a couple of months. This can help you secure one or more spots while continuing with applications to other colleges.

Private schools
Private colleges are much more likely to consider geographic diversity as a positive factor when reviewing your application. Private institutions have no restrictions on enrolling out-of-state students and most actively recruit students from far away. They love to brag about enrolling applicants from 30, 40, or all 50 states. That being said, many excellent colleges have trouble enrolling more than a dozen students from states more than 300 to 400 miles away, and will take notice if you’re from outside their traditional range.

The financial aid factor
Colleges, public and private, also use financial incentives to lure students farther from home. Most colleges (excluding a small group including the Ivy League) offer significant merit-based financial awards to qualified students. These scholarships are intended to attract desirable students to campus — and the colleges realize that they need to offer more aid to students who live farther away.

Most of these awards do not require a separate application. You receive notice of them along with your acceptance letter. So, if you want to increase your odds of admission, and perhaps open up some additional financial assistance, applying to a broad list of colleges farther from home is an excellent strategy.

Be strategic
The key to making college affordable and rewarding is to give yourself options. By creating a solid, balanced list you’ll be able to choose a school that fulfills most, if not all, of your requirements.

Howard and Matthew Greene are the hosts of two PBS college planning programs and authors of the Greenes’ Guides to Educational Planning series and other books.

Last 5 posts in Getting Started for College




Leave a reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.