The Council of Independent College's new fact sheet, “Private Colleges and STEM: Myths and Facts,” contains new research to set the record straight by countering myths and providing facts about the success of small, private colleges in preparing STEM majors for careers and graduate study.
2. The Issue
With student loan debt reaching approximately $1.3 trillion,
critics are concerned that student loans may be the next
financial bubble to burst. They cite students with loans of more
than $100,000 and ballooning loan default rates. They contend
that borrowing for higher education may not be worth the
financial risks, especially for students who attend private
institutions. Some even argue that students should not incur
debt to attend college.
What is the truth? This presentation examines a number of
myths about college students’ indebtedness and sets the facts
straight with the most recent data available.
Council of Independent Colleges, September 2016
3. MYTH
Many students owe
more than $100,000
when they graduate.
FACT
In 2014, only 4 percent of all
borrowers owed $100,000 or
more in student debt.1
The average debt level of
bachelor’s degree recipients
at private colleges and
universities is $19,3002 —less
than the price of a modest
automobile and the same
level as in 2006–2007.
Meanwhile, debt at public
institutions continues to rise.
Council of Independent Colleges, September 2016
1. A. Haughwout, D. Lee, J. Scally, and W. van der Klaauw. 2015. Student Loan Borrowing and Repayment Trends, 2015. Federal
Reserve Bank of New York.
2. The College Board, Trends in Student Aid 2015.
4. Council of Independent Colleges, September 2016
$12,000 $11,700
$12,400
$13,400
$13,900
$14,800 $15,000 $15,200
$19,300
$17,900
$19,100
$19,800 $20,000 $19,700 $19,900
$19,300
$0
$5,000
$10,000
$15,000
$20,000
$25,000
2006–2007 2007–2008 2008–2009 2009–2010 2010–2011 2011–2012 2012–2013 2013–2014
Public 4-Year Private 4-Year
Average Total Student Loan Debt per Bachelor’s Degree Recipient
Source: The College Board, Trends in Student Aid 2015. All totals are expressed in 2014 dollars.
5. MYTH
High levels of
student debt make
private colleges
unaffordable.
FACT
One quarter of students who
graduated with a bachelor’s
degree from a four-year
private college or university
did not have any educational
debt.
For those with debt, the
difference between the
average debt levels for
graduates of public versus
private institutions is only
$4,100.
Council of Independent Colleges, September 2016
6. Council of Independent Colleges, September 2016
Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Postsecondary Student Aid
Study, 2011–2012 (NPSAS:12). Analysis by the Council of Independent Colleges.
35%
16%
19%
11%
6%
12%
20%
13%
20%
13%
9%
26%
10%
9%
16%
14%
13%
37%
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40%
$40,000 or more
$30,000 to $39,999
$20,000 to $29,999
$10,000 to $19,999
Less than $10,000
No Debt
Public 4-Year Private 4-Year For-Profit 4-Year
Distribution of Total Undergraduate Debt
7. Council of Independent Colleges, September 2016
MYTH
The problem with
high levels of debt is
even worse because
students don’t pay
back their loans.
FACT
Students who attended
private colleges are less likely
to default on their student
loans than those who
attended for-profit and public
institutions.
In the most recent year, only
6.5 percent of private college
students defaulted on their
loans, less than half the rate
of students at for-profit
institutions.
8. Council of Independent Colleges, September 2016
Source: U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid Office, 2016, Comparison of National Cohort Default Rates to Prior
Two Official Cohort Default Rates. Note: Default rates are for four-year institution attendees.
8.9%
7.6% 7.3%7.0%
6.3% 6.5%
18.6%
14.7%
14.0%
0%
2%
4%
6%
8%
10%
12%
14%
16%
18%
20%
Fiscal Year 2011 Fiscal Year 2012 Fiscal Year 2013
Three-Year Student Loan Cohort Default Rates
Public 4-Year Private 4-Year For-Profit 4-Year
9. MYTH
Only wealthy
families can afford
to send their
children to private
colleges.
FACT
Private colleges enroll
students of all
financial backgrounds.
In fact, private
nondoctoral colleges
enroll a larger
proportion of low-
income students than
do public institutions.
Council of Independent Colleges, September 2016
10. Council of Independent Colleges, August 2016
Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS), 2012. Tabulation
prepared by the Pell Institute and PennAHEAD, 2015 Revised Edition, for Indicators of Higher Education Equity in
the United States: 45 Year Trend Report. Note: Totals may not equal 100 percent due to rounding.
24%
33%
27% 26%
24%
26%
25%
22%
22%
22%
23%
26%
26%
17%
25% 26%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Private Doctoral Private Nondoctoral Public Doctoral Public Nondoctoral
Student Enrollment by Family Income Level at Four-
Year Institutions in 2012
Less than $40,000 $40,000–$79,000 $80,000–$119,000 $120,000 or more
11. MYTH
It is very difficult to
receive financial
aid at private
colleges.
FACT
A larger proportion of students
at private colleges receive
financial aid than do students
at public institutions.
Students enrolled at private
colleges are almost twice as
likely to receive grants from
their college as are students
enrolled at public institutions.
Council of Independent Colleges, August 2016
12. Council of Independent Colleges, September 2016
Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Digest of Education Statistics 2015.
Note: Percentages for first-time, full-time undergraduates during academic year 2013–2014. “Any Financial Aid”
category includes aid listed as well as state and local grants.
83%
45%
38%
50%
90%
82%
33%
61%
89%
34%
72%
78%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Any Financial Aid Institutional Grants Federal Grants Student Loans
Percentage of Undergraduates Receiving Financial Aid
Public 4-Year Private 4-Year For-Profit 4-Year
13. MYTH
Students at public
institutions receive
more financial aid
than do students at
private colleges
and universities.
FACT
Students receive more financial
aid at private colleges. They
receive over three times
($17,088 versus $5,476) the
amount of institutional aid as
do students at public
institutions and over five times
($17,088 versus $3,104) as
much as students at for-profit
institutions.
Private colleges give students
nearly six times as much
institutional grant aid as does
the federal government.
Council of Independent Colleges, September 2016
14. Council of Independent Colleges, September 2016
Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Digest of Education Statistics 2014.
Notes: Percentages are for first-time, full-time undergraduates in aid programs during academic year 2013–2014. “Total Financial Aid”
category includes aid listed as well as state and local grants. Analysis by the Council of Independent Colleges.
Average Amount of Financial Aid
$20,558
$5,476
$4,629
$6,701
$33,795
$17,088
$4,788
$8,069
$19,459
$3,104
$4,661
$8,648
$0
$5,000
$10,000
$15,000
$20,000
$25,000
$30,000
$35,000
$40,000
Total Financial Aid Institutional Grants Federal Grants Student Loans
Public 4-Year Private 4-Year For-Profit 4-Year
15. Council of Independent Colleges, August 2016
$1.3 $1.6
$1.6
$2.1
$3.0
$5.2
$10.1
$17.7
$29.7
$0.0
$5.0
$10.0
$15.0
$20.0
$25.0
$30.0
$35.0
2000–2001 2005–2006 2012–2013
State Federal Institutional
GrantAidinBillions
Academic Year
Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, finance component, various
years. Note: Data represents grant aid awarded to students at Title IV, degree-granting, U.S. private nonprofit, four-year institutions. Analysis by the National
Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, Private Colleges: FactFile.
Private Colleges Give Students Nearly Six Times as Much Institutional
Grant Aid as Does the Federal Government
16. MYTH
All students enrolled
at private colleges
pay the same high
tuition (irrespective
of family income).
FACT
On average, the actual
amount students pay at
private colleges is less than
60 percent of the total cost
of tuition.
Students with lower family
incomes pay a much lower
percentage of the total
costs.
Council of Independent Colleges, August 2016
17. Council of Independent Colleges, September 2016
65%
48%
54%
70%
86%
92%
56%
48%
46%
51%
58%
68%
80%
78% 79%
86%
93% 94%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
All Income Levels $0–$30,000 $30,001–$48,000 $48,001–$75,000 $75,001–$110,000 $110,001 or more
Average Net Price as a Percentage of the Total Costs by
Family Income
Public 4-Year Private 4-Year For-Profit 4-Year
Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Student Financial Aid, Academic Year
2013–2014; 2014–2015 constant dollars are represented. Note: Aid consists of federal Title IV grants and other federal
state, local, or institutional sources. Analysis by the Council of Independent Colleges.
18. Other Factors to Consider
• Over the past decade, tuition and fees at public institutions
have increased twice as fast as at private colleges.
• The graduation rates at private colleges are higher than those
at public and for-profit institutions, even for low-income
students.
• Students at private colleges graduate much sooner (about ten
months earlier) than do their peers at public institutions and
48 months earlier than students at for-profit institutions—
which means fewer years of paying tuition and a quicker start
at earning a salary.
Council of Independent Colleges, September 2016
19. Inflation-AdjustedPublishedTuitionandFees
Relativeto1985–1986
Source: The College Board, Trends in College Pricing 2015. Note: Values for published tuition and fees by sector, adjusted for
inflation, as a percentage of 1985–1986 published prices.
Council of Independent Colleges, September 2016
2.42
2.39
3.22
0.00
0.50
1.00
1.50
2.00
2.50
3.00
3.50 85-86
86-87
87-88
88-89
89-90
90-91
91-92
92-93
93-94
94-95
95-96
96-97
97-98
98-99
99-00
00-01
01-02
02-03
03-04
04-05
05-06
06-07
07-08
08-09
09-10
10-11
11-12
12-13
13-14
14-15
15-16
Change in Inflation-Adjusted Published Tuition and Fees
1985–1986 to 2015–2016
Private Nonprofit 4-Year Public 4-Year Public 2-Year
20. Council of Independent Colleges, September 2016
Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Digest of Education Statistics 2015.
Note: Percentages are for entering cohort of 2007.
34%
52%
58%
53%
63%
65%
23%
28%
32%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
4-Year Graduation Rate 5-Year Graduation Rate 6-Year Graduation Rate
Four-Year, Five-Year, and Six-Year Graduation Rates by
Institutional Type
Public 4-Year Private 4-Year For-Profit 4-Year
21. Council of Independent Colleges, September 2016
Source: The Education Trust, The Pell Partnership: Ensuring a Shared Responsibility for Low-Income Student Success,
September 2015. Note: Calculations are based on students who graduated in 2013.
51%
48%
58%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
All Institutions Public 4-Year Private 4-Year
Six-Year Bachelor’s Degree Completion Rates for
Students Who Receive Pell Grants
22. Time to Degree by Institutional Type
Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 2008–09 Baccalaureate and Beyond Longitudinal Study
(B&B:08/09): First Look. Notes: Percentages are for 2007–2008 first-time bachelor’s degree recipients; time to degree is calculated by
number of months from enrollment in postsecondary education to degree attainment for first-time bachelor’s degree recipients.
Median Time to Degree
Public 4-Year: 55 months
Private 4-Year: 45 months
For-Profit 4-Year: 103 months
Council of Independent Colleges, September 2016
38%
28%
12%
22%
59%
15%
5%
21%
18%
9% 8%
65%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
48 months or less 49–60 months 61–72 months 73 months or more
Public 4-Year Private 4-Year For-Profit 4-Year
23. For additional information about these facts and
others that describe the quality and affordability of
independent colleges, please see:
www.cic.edu/MakingtheCase
For questions, please contact:
Laura Wilcox, Vice President for Communications
lwilcox@cic.nche.edu
(202) 466-7230
Council of Independent Colleges, August 2016