Some students say cost played a large role in their decision to attend AU, in accordance with a recently released survey by Sallie Mae where 38 percent of students said they eliminated colleges based on cost after looking at financial aid packages.
The 2007 Higher Education Research Institute Freshman Survey reported that about 26 percent of AU freshmen said cost "was a very important reason for choosing their college," according to Karen Froslid Jones, the director of AU's Office of Institutional Research and Assessment.
Amy Doggett, a freshman in the School of Communication, said cost was a major factor in her decision to attend AU.
"I originally wanted to go to the University of Miami," she said. "But I didn't receive money from Miami so I came to AU instead."
Ryan Carter, a freshman in the School of Public Affairs, said if AU had not given him a scholarship, he would have not been able to afford to attend.
Claudia Nunez-Cespedes, a freshman in the School of International Service, said she decided to attend AU because of its international studies program, even though other universities offered her more scholarship money.
"AU gave me the least amount of money out of all the schools I was accepted to," she said. "But the SIS program and the location were a bigger draw."
For some students, scholarship and the academic programs drew them to AU.
Martin Ziech, a freshman in SIS, agrees that both cost and programs were important factors in choosing AU.
"Cost was definitely a factor," he said. "I'm here at AU because of a scholarship."
But the price of AU was not the only reason why he chose to attend. He said that the university's international service program, its location in D.C. and internship opportunities were also factors in his decision.
At AU, the average need-based financial aid package for the class of 2011 was $22,539. Tuition, room and board at AU amount to about $45,234. In comparison, Stanford University and Fordham University, colleges with student populations similar to AU, offer more or the same financial aid on average than AU. The average total financial aid package offered at Stanford University was $31,515, while tuition and board are about $45,608. At Fordham University, tuition and fees equaled around $41,780, while the average total financial aid package awarded was $20,104, according to The Princeton Review.
The U.S. News and World Report's "America's Best Colleges 2009" college ranking guide labeled AU as a "Best Value" school based on the school's tuition, financial aid offerings and strong academics.
Andrew Feierman, a freshman in SIS and the College of Arts and Sciences, said he agrees with the U.S. News and World Report's assessment.
"Kids with scholarships and in the Honors Program can get as much out of AU as they could out of similar colleges," he said.
Doggett said she is still unsure if AU is worthy of the "Best Value" label.
"I haven't gotten the full picture of academics yet," she said. "AU is fairly pricey, but with the lack of financial aid [offered by other colleges], it will end up being the best choice."
You can reach this writer at news@theeagleonline.com.
