By Stephanie Todd
BYU is the second-best value in American private higher education, according to a ranking by Consumer Digest Magazine.
Of the 3,500 colleges and universities reviewed, 75 were ranked based on several characteristics combining academic excellence and the institution''s educational quality.
Rankings were made based on the academic excellence of first-time freshman, using standardized test scores, high-school rankings and grade-point averages.
These attributes were compared against the student-to-faculty ratio, graduation rate and percentage of faculty holding a doctorate or terminal degree at each institution. The estimated cost of tuition, room and board were then factored in with the value ranking to determine the best academic value per dollar.
Randy Weber, publisher of Consumer Digest, said in the article the price of attending a university or college often exceeds $20,000 per year. The cost for attending fall and winter semesters at BYU is currently $1,640 for an LDS student without a scholarship.
Breezy Clarke, a senior majoring in Middle Eastern studies, said the price difference was a big influence in her initial decision to come to BYU.
'If school cost $20,000 per year, I''d have to take a few years off to work,' Clarke said. 'It would be a delayed degree.'
Both parents and students are influenced by the low cost of education at BYU.
Danny McDavitt, associate counselor in the financial aid office at BYU, has worked with many students and parents where the determining factor of attending BYU was the low cost.
Some have even turned down scholarships from other universities to attend BYU because of low costs.
'Even without a scholarship to BYU, it is still cheaper than attending many other universities with a scholarship,' McDavitt said.
Brian Springer, an accounting clerk in the financial aid office recently spoke with a prospective student in New York who was choosing between attending BYU or Syracuse after being accepted to both.
The prospective student decided to attend BYU because of its lower costs.
Springer said this sort of situation was not an isolated event and other students have made similar choices.