Students from first-generation and low-income backgrounds routinely experience better outcomes if they attend a smaller private college, according to a recent study released by the Council of Independent Colleges.
The study, “Expanding Access and Opportunity: How Small and Mid-Sized Independent Colleges Serve First-Generation and Low-Income Students,” reports that contrary to the popular myth that private colleges are only for affluent students, research clearly demonstrates that students of all academic and social backgrounds enroll in smaller private colleges, and these institutions provide a more rigorous and engaged college experience than larger public universities.
According to the report released by the CIC, in particular, first-generation and low-income students are far more likely to graduate—and to do so on time—if they enroll in a smaller private college, and these students tend to express a greater sense of satisfaction with their college education than their peers who chose public universities.
Additionally, the study findings show that first-generation and low-income graduates of smaller private colleges tend to stay more civically engaged through voting and volunteering in their communities.
Dr. Nancy B. Moody, president of Tusculum College, said that the first college in Tennessee continues to serve the type of students identified in this study.
“Tusculum provides a rich learning environment with students from all across the country and the world who are learning, living and working together in an academic atmosphere that promotes civic responsibility and engagement and service to others.”
She added that Tusculum’s residential student enrollment this past fall was the second largest in the last 10 years at 964. Of those, 46 percent are the first in their family to attend college and 66 percent are Pell Grant eligible, the students with the greatest financial need,” she said.
In addition, of the students served by Tusculum in the past year, 46 percent are from homes in which the average annual household income is less than $30,000 per year.
“We serve the students of our region with the partnership of our alumni and friends. More than 99 percent of residential students and 84 percent of Graduate and Professional Studies students receive some form of financial aid,” said LeAnn Hughes, vice president for marketing and enrollment management. She added that this aid comes not only from federal and state sources, but from institutional-provided discounts and scholarships.
“These students are most certainly at risk for not attaining a college degree. At Tusculum College, we consider it our mission to nurture these students and give them the best opportunity for degree completion.”
The report was prepared as a component of CIC’s public information campaign, Securing America’s Future: The Power of Liberal Arts Education. The initiative promotes the effectiveness and contributions of private liberal arts colleges and universities and the importance of the liberal arts as fields of study.
The Council of Independent Colleges is an association of 645 nonprofit independent colleges and universities, of which Tusculum College is one, and more than 90 higher education organizations that has worked since 1956 to support college and university leadership, advance institutional excellence and enhance public understanding of private higher education’s contributions to society.
CIC is the major national organization that focuses on providing services to leaders of independent colleges and universities as well as conferences, seminars, and other programs that help institutions to improve the quality of education, administrative and financial performance, and institutional visibility. For a copy of the full study or for more information, visit www.cic.edu.