It may seem like most college students are stressed about debt but recent rankings show that BYU students are better off than others. US News and World Report Ranks BYU as 5th in the nation for 'Least Debt' among it's students. This survey looks at the amount of money students spend on school and how much they still have when they graduate. Alex Dushku, Economics student at BYU, says it's no surprise that BYU students owe less by the time they get their diploma.
'We're really blessed that the church does so much for BYU and we don't bear alot of the cost that comes from school so it makes sense that the church is watching out for us and we're in such a great position economically when we're done,' said Dushku.
Tithing from the LDS Church pays for most of the expenses at BYU and other church schools and keeps tuition costs low. In this economy, people at BYU say that is a factor in the increasing number of new applicants. With BYU's tuition being lower than other schools, more students are applying and BYU has become more selective. Each year, BYU's acceptance rate goes down while at the same time, tuition goes up. Tuition went up $75 from last year but that's still low compared to other schools. Robert Doxey, Economics student at BYU says he hopes that as admissions becomes more selective, the prices will stay low.
'They have to increase because of inflation but hopefully the quality of students will also bring a stronger endowment that when students graduate they will want to give back to the school and keep the cost low,' said Doxey.
In addition to students graduating fewer financial burdens, BYU is also getting attention for low costs. This year, BYU ranked 15th in best value for college in the nation.