In an effort to make college more accessible to those seeking a degree, Pennsylvania’s Immaculata University has initiated what it’s calling the “Immaculata Advantage” – a program that focuses on making college more affordable.
In addition, a rebalancing of its tuition and scholarship structure will be introduced that will better reflect the actual “bottom line” that full-time undergraduate students pay per academic year.
Starting in fall 2017, tuition will be reduced by 25 percent, from $35,400 to $26,500. Along with last year’s 10 percent reduction in room and board, university officials are hoping to draw in prospective students who may have forgone the university as an economically viable option due to its published tuition under the high-tuition, high-discount model used widely for years in the private college market. Additionally, as part of the new initiative, students’ SAT/ACT scores will be optional when applying for most majors at the university, allowing for a more holistic approach to college acceptance.
“With nearly 75 percent of jobs requiring an undergraduate degree within the next five years, I whole-heartedly believe that our ‘Immaculata Advantage’ will allow families the ability to send their sons and daughters to college,” said Immaculate Heart of Mary Sister R. Patricia Fadden, university president. “The IHM congregation, with over 165 years of educating young people, has shown an undying dedication to providing quality education to the broadest possible pool of students. Immaculata has always strived to be affordable to our students, which is why we saw a 16 percent increase in enrollment last fall. Immaculata continues to make college affordable so that more people can attend.”
The university is adopting this model to showcase how accessible its education can be, officials said. With an 83 percent retention rate and nearly 60 percent of Immaculata’s full-time undergraduate students earning their degree within four years, students can graduate on time, thus entering the workforce earlier than their peers. In addition, 10 years after enrolling at Immaculata, alumni report a median salary of $47,600, which is above the national median of $33,400.
“I am very proud of the university’s commitment to increase the accessibility of a quality Immaculata education through the ‘Immaculata Advantage,’” said Gerald J. Wargo Jr., vice president for Enrollment Management. “We are certain that these efforts will provide an increased opportunity for more students to now consider Immaculata as an affordable option.”
For more information about the “Immaculata Advantage,” visit www.immaculata.edu/advantage.
Immaculata University is a Catholic, coeducational institution of higher learning, located in Immaculata, Pa., 20 miles west of Philadelphia.