Great schools at great prices: the staff at Careers & Colleges its picks of schools offering a great value - Paying For College

Careers and Colleges, Nov-Dec, 2003 by Don Rauf

Some people equate a big sticker price with success and status. Let's make no mistake: There is not always a connection between price and quality in education. Many schools with low tuitions turn out successful students and have high job and graduate school placement rates. To make our list, public schools had to cost $15,000 or less for in-state tuition and room and board, while private schools could cost no more than $20,000 or offer fantastic financial aid. Note: "R&B" stands for "Room & Board" and "Size" refers to number of undergraduates.

ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY, TEMPE, AZ

WWW.ASU.EDU IN-STATE TUITION: $4,750 OUT OF STATE: $15,304 R&B: $4,900 SIZE: 33,948

A very hot, very big school, ASU has excellent academics, stellar student services, and a wealth of extracurricular activities. Helpful services abound--such as Campus Match, an effort to bring together small clusters of students within the huge university. Tempe is a traditional university town with a youthful spirit, mostly dominated by ASU-sponsored events. The school's most popular programs are business, psychology, and education, but excellent smaller programs, such as journalism, should not be overlooked.

BRIGHAM UNIVERSITY, PROVO, UT

WWW.BYU.EDU TUITION: $3,555 R&B: $5,460 SIZE: 30,000

BYU primarily serves the Mormon community and because of its religious foundation, the school has a strict honor code that influences everything from academics to dress and hair length. Those from within the religious academic community find it an ideal college environment and the minority who are non-Mormons appreciate the high standards. Professors get high marks, but classes can be pretty big with a student population of more than 30,000. To unwind, students turn to the outdoors for adventure. With combined costs at less than $10,000, BYU is a bargain.

CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, SAN MARCOS, CA

WWW.CSUSM.EDU IN-STATE TUITION: $2,014 OUT OF STATE: ($282 PER UNIT MORE) R&B: $5,000-$7,000 SIZE: 6,345

Want small classes, personal attention, and great California weather? Then consider Cal State San Marcos, just north of San Diego and a short distance from some of Southern Cal's most beautiful beaches. Opened in 1990, the San Marcos campus features facilities that still feel like new, and you will not be taught by TAs--only the professors themselves. The school is known for its exceptional teacher education program, but business administration is the most popular.

CALVIN COLLEGE, GRAND RAPIDS, MI

WWW.CALVIN.EDU TUITION: $16,775 R&B: $5,180 SIZE: 4,300

Calvin College offers a no-joke liberal arts core that revolves around a traditional model: humanities, sciences, math, rhetoric, writing, foreign language, and physical education. Because Calvin is also a Christian school, students, faculty, and administrators are serious about religion and look to the college to provide a haven to develop their spirituality. Although some students party, alcohol- and substance-free fun are more the norm.

COLORADO SCHOOL OF MINES, GOLDEN, CO

WWW.MINES.EDU IN-STATE TUITION: $5,700 OUT-OF-STATE TUITION: $19,030 R&B: $5,800 SIZE: 11,735

Colorado School of Mines is a brain trust at bargain-basement prices. But remember: What you don't pay in cash, you pay for in sweat. Students, who typically pursue studies in engineering, math, and mineral sciences, say that the core curriculum for first-year students is designed to weed out slackers and inflict pain. One thing is clear, it works. About 90 percent receive jobs after graduation. Students here kick back with sports--about 50 percent participate in intramural athletics.

GRINNELL COLLEGE, GRINNELL, IA

WWW.GRINNELL.EDU TUITION: $24,490 R&B: $6,570 SIZE: 1,420

Although Grinnell has a relatively high sticker price, this small liberal arts school is dedicated to making education affordable by meeting 100 percent of need. Some call the school "an academic pressure cooker," students leave here with an impressive education and go on to bigger and better things. English, literature, and biology are top majors. Grinnell has recently been through a facelift with new dorms, a performance center, and fitness center.

HUMBOLT STATE, ARCATA, CA

WWW.HUMBOLDT.EDU IN-STATE TUITION: $4,094 OUT-OF-STATE TUITION: $10,606 R&B: $5,968 SIZE: 7,611

Humboldt is an underrecognized Cal State gem, 270 miles north of San Francisco. Located between the Pacific Ocean and the redwood groves, the school has a reputation as a launchpad for students going on to earn doctorates in science, especially biology. The business and forestry and wildlife management programs are outstanding. Plus, Stephen Hillenburg, the creator of "Sponge Bob Square Pants," is an alum.

INDIANA UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA, INDIANA, PA

WWW.IUP.EDU IN-STATE TUITION: $5,784 OUT-OF-STATE TUITION: $12,734 R&B: $2,352 SIZE: 673

Just outside Pittsburgh, IUP offers solid academics and a cultural smorgasbord--lecture series, concerts, and speakers. Of special note are the Robert Cook Honors College, geared toward honing writing and analytical skills of advanced students, and the Rural Scholars Program, which offers scholarships to exceptional students in rural Pennsylvania.