Saint Louis University is one of the best education values in the country, according to a new report by U.S. News & World Report’s 2000 “America’s Best Colleges.” SLU is 24th on the list of “Schools That Offer the Best Value.”
“This report is based not only on the cost of the University, but also the quality of the education,” said Provost Sandra Johnson. “We’re on the list with such prestigious universities as Stanford and Harvard.”
SLU was ranked 49th on the same list three years ago. Last year, the University was tied for the 30th slot with Marquette University. This year, SLU is tied with the University of Notre Dame and is the only Jesuit university in the top 25.
“The rise in rankings is based solely on the quality indicator of the University since the financial aid has not changed,” Johnson said.
While Johnson remains skeptical of rankings, she said this list is of great importance to the student, faculty, and staff since both cost and quality are considered. U.S. News & World Report uses a formula that relates a school’s academic quality to the net cost for students to determine which schools offer families the best value.
Johnson credits the rise in quality directly to tuition dollars. “Due to the increase of tuition, we’ve had the funds to improve the quality of our education,” Johnson said.
This best value ranking is a combination of the true cost of the University and institutional financial aid from SLU, compared to the quality that impacts the value of the degree, according to Johnson.
“This is great news,” Johnson said. “We’re a best value, and everyone is concerned with the cost of the University.”
The rankings show that SLU has good stewardship of tuition dollars and good usage of financial aid. It will also help with recruiting, according to Johnson.
Hal Deuser, director of Financial Aid, credits the SLU administration. “Biondi’s vision involved recruiting the best and the brightest students, regardless of their financial needs.”
Throughout Biondi’s years at the University, the undergraduate student financial aid grew from $5 million to $42 million. He established several scholarships including the Presidential, Dean, and University. The purpose of these scholarships is threefold: to attract students, counter competition, and reward students, said Deuser.
In addition to creating such scholarships, he is continually adding to them.
Previously, 10 Presidential Scholarships had been awarded. However, this past year, 30 of the “full-ride” scholarships were presented to the incoming freshmen, according to Deuser.
Biondi also initiated the family award, which awards a student $1,000 when more than one member of the family attends the University.
Throughout Deuser’s 23 years at the University, he still asks, “Is it enough? There’s never going to be enough. Federal aid money has been flat, and so has the state money.”
“We had one scholarship program and no financial need when I came,” Deuser said. “We want a total understanding of the amount of money that is out there.”
Teresa Barr, junior special education major, was awarded the Jesuit Education Scholarship and the SLU Family Award.
“I think that parents will see that we are recognized across the country,” Barr said. “That would reinforce the importance of a Catholic education to parents and college hopefuls while in the decision making process of where to go.”
