College won't accept students who need loans
A Missouri school says borrowing to pay for a degree is no longer acceptable. Applicants are expected to work instead.
Updated 12:40 p.m. ET
One college is taking an unusual approach to the problem of mounting student debt: It's no longer accepting applicants who need to take out loans.
The College of the Ozarks, a private, evangelical Christian school in Missouri, may be the first institution of higher education to take the step, Reuters reports.
The reason for banning loans? "Debt is a big problem all over the country," Jerry Davis, president of the four-year school, told Reuters. "Kids nowadays are not very sophisticated with money."
But many would say the bigger problem is the surge in education costs, prompting families and students to borrow money for earning a college degree.
The average cost of a four-year college topped $22,000 for the 2010-11 academic year, almost triple what students paid just two decades ago, according to the U.S. Department of Education.
The College of the Ozarks isn't cheap, either. Tuition for the 2012-13 academic year is $17,900, but its website tells families (italics are from the school), "Don't panic!" So, how does it expect students, who can no longer take out loans, to afford the school?
The school previously had a policy that students must work on campus, defraying some of their costs, while federal and state aid also help. And scholarships are available, if needed. The college's home page advertises the school as "Hard Work U.," and notes "debt is openly discouraged." Or as Davis told Reuters: "This is a work college, not a debt college."
The school's president said it no longer works with students or banks in covering costs via loans. About 99 students will be affected by the policy change, because they carry private loans to help offset the cost of boarding or other expenses, the story adds. Davis added that he's confident the college can accommodate all students, but those who insist on loans will need to transfer to another school, according to the report.
Nationally, the average student debt for the class of 2011 jumped to $26,600, up from $25,250 in 2010, according to the Project on Student Debt.
At the same time, however, many graduates are struggling to find jobs that can pay enough to cover both their loan repayments and the cost of living. Two years after leaving school, students who graduated in 2010 defaulted on their federal loans at a rate of 9.1%, up from 8.8% for the previous class, according to the Department of Education.
My daughter's best friend attends COO, and in exchange for working 15 hours per week on campus plus two annual 40-hour work weeks during breaks, every student EARNS FULL TUTITION. She as already worked 2 internships in her degree field as a junior and has job offers waiting upon graduation. Also, many students are given the oppertunity to stay on campus and work during the summer, and in return they EARN their room & board.
COO grads are in high demand because they graduate with the ability to work and an appreciation for the education they've worked hard to EARN. Teaching someone how to work and giving them a great education so they are able to compete in the job market is a gift beyond desription. That's better than any hand-out.
And by the way, the student body is several thousand strong and the wait list to get into COO is incredible long. Wish my daughter went there........
Work while in college is mentioned in this article. I found out quite by accident that work is indeed helpful in other ways than merely defraying undergraduate costs. It's great for managing time, either in a semester or quarter system. How does it help? Well, if you're inclined to be a wee bit too social. In fact, I appreciate the quarter system, too, in that there's no time to fool around with a mid-term "just around the corner." To avoid encountering humongous loans, it might be an option to attend a two-year community college, then transfer into college for your junior and senior years.
In my opinion The College of the Ozarks has the best tuition model in the country because it put both the academic and professional (work) onus on the student and the university actually gives the student an opportunity to gain work experience while they are completing their degree.
Even better -- no parental loans - student can get loans / work. It astounds me how many American families bankrupt themselves and fret over "getting the kids through college". That's THEIR job, not the parents. Wake up, parents!! Parents should be saving for their 401k, and students for their own college. Kids - you can't have everything handed to you on a platter, no matter what "society" says!
We have 2 off to college in the autumn, and they'll have scholarships and loans. As a middle class family on 2 incomes, we simply cannot afford even one kid's college costs.
The REAL problem is the bloated colleges themselves. What on earth is that bloated endowment for anyway? Not all for new fancy buildings, that's for sure. Use it to get quality students.
Finally - not everyone should go to college - that will DEBASE the degree. Some are better off working vocationally, and will end up happier, and everyone benefits from their practical skills.
Literally, the dumbest thing I've ever read. Well, Jerry Davis, you might have been able to pay your way through school by working because A) the tuition was actually affordable and B) Jobs for college students were plentiful, but that is not the way of the world today.
Good luck explaining this to your professors when you need to lay them off because you have a 95% drop in enrollment.
we THE PEOPLE BENEFIT FROM EVERY increase in earning power ,from taxation, and college educated are less prone to violence and other crime. It would behoove us to provide a college education for our citizens and then if an expensive education is wanted . that is up to the person to pay for the difference.
The current system only promotes bankers and other bloodsuckers who bleed our nations work force.
Debt is a form of slavery.
DATA PROVIDERS
Copyright © 2013 Microsoft. All rights reserved.
Quotes are real-time for NASDAQ, NYSE and AMEX. See delay times for other exchanges.
Fundamental company data and historical chart data provided by Thomson Reuters (click for restrictions). Real-time quotes provided by BATS Exchange. Real-time index quotes and delayed quotes supplied by Interactive Data Real-Time Services. Fund summary, fund performance and dividend data provided by Morningstar Inc. Analyst recommendations provided by Zacks Investment Research. StockScouter data provided by Verus Analytics. IPO data provided by Hoover's Inc. Index membership data provided by SIX Financial Information.
Japanese stock price data provided by Nomura Research Institute Ltd.; quotes delayed 20 minutes. Canadian fund data provided by CANNEX Financial Exchanges Ltd.
RECENT POSTS
More than 8,000 households got hit with the one-time levy as Socialist President Francois Hollande continues to target the nation's wealthiest.
- Farmers cultivate drones as new high-tech tool
- Apple's overseas hoard unfair to taxpayers
- Why hugely profitable ESPN is laying off workers
- Tornado shelters become a vital business
- Victoria's Secret won't sell cancer 'survivor' bras
- DC is doing nothing to fix the economy
- Models have it easier getting into US than engineers
- Bernie Madoff earns sweatshop wages in prison
- Motor home sales rise in hopeful economic sign
MARKET UPDATE
[BRIEFING.COM] Stocks ended modestly higher as the S&P 500 climbed 0.2%, and the Dow added 0.4% to register its 19th consecutive Tuesday of gains.
The major averages saw little change during morning action, but afternoon buying interest helped lift the indices to session highs. Most cyclical sectors (with the exception of materials and technology) finished among the leaders, but the defensively-geared health care sector settled atop the leaderboard as biotechnology outperformed. ... More
More Market News
TOP STOCKS
The auto parts giant beats Wall Street expectations, while continuing to expand its stores in the U.S. and Mexico.
MSN MONEY'S
- Shared
- Commented
- Viewed
