Wyoming Catholic College Opts Out of Federal Student Loans and Grants

[SuscipeMeDomine]

What ever happened to working one’s way through college?

How many people without a college degree can make enough to pay out $30K a year for tuition and expenses?

 

[Thorolfr]

What ever happened to working one’s way through college?

That was possible when tuition was much cheaper at many universities, especially state universities. It was possible to work your way through the state university I attended 30 years ago, but not any more.

 

[ProVobis]

That was possible when tuition was much cheaper at many universities, especially state universities. It was possible to work your way through the state university I attended 30 years ago, but not any more.

Some say the reason tuition has exponentially increased in the last 30 years was because of the increased credit (loans) among other things. Just like housing and oil, at least before those market crashed. Take away the loans and people would be forced to pay with cash, and who would raise tuition if no one can afford it with cash?

 

[Morwenna]

I’m seeing a fair bit of guessing and speculation on this thread, so I went to the college website to have a look.

First, there is this:

Wyoming Catholic College is committed to making the unique education it offers available to qualified students regardless of their financial need. The College endeavors to meet the needs of each student through its program of financial aid, which includes a work-study program and need-based scholarships.

Also:

Source 1. Outside Scholarships. As a prerequisite to receiving financial aid from the College, each student must apply for a minimum of two outside scholarships. Scholarships are often awarded by local service clubs (such as the Knights of Columbus, Council of Catholic Women, and Rotary), corporations, private organizations, religious organizations, high schools, unions, and the military.

…

Source 2. Payments from Parents. The College utilizes a standardized financial aid calculator to reach a final determination of the family’s financial need based on analysis of the Application for Financial Aid and prior year tax returns.

…

Source 3. Payments from Student. To be eligible for financial aid, a student must contribute a minimum of $2,500 each year from summer employment towards tuition, room, and board. If students have available savings, they are expected to contribute from there as well.

…

Source 4. Student Loans. Before students may receive financial aid directly from the College, they are expected to obtain loans for part of their costs. Students are expected to borrow $3,500 for freshman year, $4,500 for sophomore year, and $5,500 for junior and senior years.

…

Source 5. Parent Loans. Before a student may receive a need-based scholarship from the College, his or her parents are expected to obtain a loan for part of the student’s costs. Parents are expected to borrow $2,000 per year, an amount that is not increased even if more than one of their children are simultaneously enrolled at the College. This amount may be borrowed from other members of one’s family, if this is a possibility. The maximum total debt incurred by the parents after four years is $8,000 … If parents are having difficulties securing a loan, they should contact the Financial Aid Office.

…

Work-Study Program
Work-study positions, which make a genuine contribution to the common good of the entire college community, are available in areas such as food service, maintenance and groundskeeping, library, and administrative and faculty offices. The maximum number of hours required of a student on work-study is ten hours per week for 31 weeks. For this work, a maximum of $2,800 per year is credited against room and board. It is the student’s responsibility to work the required hours and meet the work-study amount credited as financial aid.

Let’s break this down a bit further.

Student loans would come to a total of $19,000 under this scenario. This is almost identical to the amount that I accumulated in student loans over twenty years ago. This is amazing by any standard, especially when you consider that I attended a public university, not private!

Work-study pays $2,800 for ten hours per week for 31 weeks, which equates to $9.03/hour … almost $4/hour above Wyoming’s minimum wage. Not too shabby, considering how many students work for minimum wage in outside employment.

Now, here is the last bit:

Need-based Scholarships
If, after the above-mentioned payment sources and the work-study program have been taken into account, the student still needs additional resources to meet fully the cost of tuition, room, and board,** the College will make every effort to award an outright grant that need not ever be repaid.** Grant amounts for any student will be assessed yearly, on the basis of the family’s financial situation.

 

[unstoppable_II]

From Hillsdale College’s web site:

Hillsdale’s modern rise to prominence occurred in the 1970s. On the pretext that some of its students were receiving federal loans, the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare attempted to interfere with the College’s internal affairs, including a demand that Hillsdale begin counting its students by race. Hillsdale’s trustees responded with two toughly worded resolutions:
…

Would that more colleges/universities follow the lead of Hillsdale and Wyoming Catholic
​

Yes, I read that Hillsdale had done this, but as a result, the school was hounded by the government to accept students with government loans and that the college had finally relented. I don’t have a reference.​

 

[TARRAT]

Yes, I read that Hillsdale had done this, but as a result, the school was hounded by the government to accept students with government loans and that the college had finally relented. I don’t have a reference.

Skip college and get into the technical field. Our company cannot find enough electricians and they could make about $60,000 a year.

 

[Suudy]

Skip college and get into the technical field. Our company cannot find enough electricians and they could make about $60,000 a year.

My wife’s counsin did welding and is in ND making $75k/yr. My brother-in-law’s best friend did diesel repair and works in a shipyard in Seattle for $80k/yr. Granted, these aren’t starting wages right out of school and they have about 5 and 10 years experience, respectively. But the also went to a very inexpensive 2 year tech school and had no debt when they graduated. One doesn’t need a 4 year degree to be successful.

 

[unstoppable_II]

Skip college and get into the technical field. Our company cannot find enough electricians and they could make about $60,000 a year.

Can you find such schools that don’t accept government money?

Another consideration is obsolescence. I started out taking vocational training in community college when they were teaching vacuum tube electronics. At that time, there were many yellow page ads for TV repairmen. A few years later, just about everything was solid state, and repairing a circuit became too costly compared to replacement. Computer programming was the same. It started out being sequential operation and is now event-based.

 

[CarolNoel]

Great decision.

 

[SuscipeMeDomine]

Can you find such schools that don’t accept government money?

Another consideration is obsolescence. I started out taking vocational training in community college when they were teaching vacuum tube electronics. At that time, there were many yellow page ads for TV repairmen. A few years later, just about everything was solid state, and repairing a circuit became too costly compared to replacement. Computer programming was the same. It started out being sequential operation and is now event-based.

This leads into a whole other discussion of education. What is the value of a college education? Does everyone need one? What about a technical education?

One of the things that has long bothered me is that we rely on high schools, community colleges, and adult schools for technical educations, but we don’t give them the money to provide the latest type of training/education. As you point out, a lot of these areas are changing constantly and the schools need to keep up if they’re going to be useful.

On the other hand, the extent to which we do fund them and keep them up to date means that they can produce graduates who are qualified for good paying jobs.

There’s no one type of education that’s right for everyone even though high school students are often encouraged to consider only a bachelor’s degree.

 

[TARRAT]

I have been an electrician for a while, there is a lot of electronics controlling electricity but the sending of the electricity is still the same. Wires and terminations.

Mechanics is a lot of math and …to the right tightens.

Our company actually partners with local Comm. Coll.,has internships. The tech fields are not for everybody, but should be given serious consideration.

 

[ProVobis]

I have been an electrician for a while, there is a lot of electronics controlling electricity but the sending of the electricity is still the same. Wires and terminations.

Mechanics is a lot of math and …to the right tightens.

Our company actually partners with local Comm. Coll.,has internships. The tech fields are not for everybody, but should be given serious consideration.

Another consideration is the length of employment in that field. I majored in physics, and after graduation, I did have a couple of good physics jobs but I found the pay to be better in the IT field, which I worked for over 35 years. Never had had a computer course per se leading toward a degree though. But the transition was easy.

 

[unstoppable_II]

…
There’s no one type of education that’s right for everyone even though high school students are often encouraged to consider only a bachelor’s degree.

Not only that, but I would wager that most college freshmen don’t really know what they want to major in.

 

[jtauke]

What ever happened to working one’s way through college?

How long has it been since you attended a college or university? Wake up and smell the coffee…the price of education has skyrocketed in the last 30 years.

A full time student could work 40 hrs/week at $10/hr and still not be able to cover the costs. Not to mention they would have no time to attend class or complete schoolwork.

Signed,

Graduate of Iowa State University, 2012

 

[ProVobis]

A full time student could work 40 hrs/week at $10/hr and still not be able to cover the costs.

A full-time student AND employee would probably be out of the question. But there might be an employer who offers tuition reimbursement of some kind. You don’t have to be a full-time student to get a degree. Just sayin…

 

[jtauke]

A full-time student AND employee would probably be out of the question. But there might be an employer who offers tuition reimbursement of some kind. You don’t have to be a full-time student to get a degree. Just sayin…

Of that I’m aware. However, most the cap most employer’s place on tuition reimbursement is very apparent.

For example, my girlfriend is in nursing school at a community college, while working at a local hospital as a CNA. The reimbursement doesn’t even cover the whole cost of tuition at a community college for the year. Additionally, the reimbursement is obviously only disbursed upon completion of the courses for a given semester, meaning the student still has to front he cash for the classes their taking.

Luckily, between her parents and 12 hour shifts on the weekends, she’s managed to get through it so far.

 

[SuscipeMeDomine]

A full-time student AND employee would probably be out of the question. But there might be an employer who offers tuition reimbursement of some kind. You don’t have to be a full-time student to get a degree. Just sayin…

Are we still talking about Wyoming Catholic College? It’s located in a town of less than 8,000 people. I don’t think it has the kind of major employers who provide tuition reimbursement. Further, WCC offers a “great books” type of curriculum with a broad liberal arts focus, not the kind of practical course of study that might appeal to an employer.

Sweet Briar College just announced yesterday that they are closing at the end of the academic year – a school with a 124 year history and $84 million endowment. Times are tough for private schools. I hope WCC is paying attention.

 

[ProVobis]

Are we still talking about Wyoming Catholic College? It’s located in a town of less than 8,000 people. I don’t think it has the kind of major employers who provide tuition reimbursement. Further, WCC offers a “great books” type of curriculum with a broad liberal arts focus, not the kind of practical course of study that might appeal to an employer.

Sweet Briar College just announced yesterday that they are closing at the end of the academic year – a school with a 124 year history and $84 million endowment. Times are tough for private schools. I hope WCC is paying attention.

It appears they are standing on their principles, something they should applauded for not warned against. Some colleges have suffered because they haven’t followed their own principles, with or without federal funds.

 

[Brendan]

How long has it been since you attended a college or university? Wake up and smell the coffee…the price of education has skyrocketed in the last 30 years.

Hmm, I graduated from Michigan State University in '89. I took a look at what I paid for an average year there ( 8,000) and ran it through an inflation calculator.

Result in 2015 dollars is 19,400

Current average undergrad tuition is listed as about 22,700
collegecalc.org/colleges/michigan/michigan-state-university/

That is hardly a ‘skyrocket’ in tuition costs.

Between ROTC and engineering co-ops, I came out pretty much debt free.

 

[St_Pancake]

It appears they are standing on their principles, something they should applauded for not warned against. Some colleges have suffered because they haven’t followed their own principles, with or without federal funds.

There was a time when the government and the Church had similar goals and the Church was grateful for the government money that was granted. Over time, the government has demanded certain things in return for the money and the Church has been compromised.

This school has decided that Catholic doctrines and principles are more important than grants and cheap loans.

The government does nothing well and this is yet another area where they should not be involved.