By Carey Sweet
The big news for college students this August came in the form of dollar signs, as the Biden-Harris Administration once again extended the pause on student loan repayments and announced plans to provide up to $20,000 in debt cancellation to Department of Education Pell Grant recipients and up to $10,000 in forgiveness to non-Pell Grant recipients.
It’s a welcome development, but just one step in addressing the increasingly high cost of college. As the College Board reports, the average 2022 cost of a California private college is $55,800 before financial aid.
Certainly community college is an option — California boasts the least expensive community college system in the nation, with tuition costing less than half of the national average, according to the Education Data Initiative. Averaging $1,430 for in-state tuition as noted by the College Board (the creator of the SAT), it’s understandable that opting for a public community college education can be highly appealing.
According to the experts, however, there are other practical advantages to a private education.
“One of the reasons we hear students have been considering private schools compared to state schools has been the length of time it takes to receive a degree,” said Kaitlyn Goslinga, assistant director of financial aid, wellness and outreach for University of the Pacific in Stockton. “Pacific works hard for our students to get the courses needed in four years, compared to what we hear can be quite a bit longer at the state system depending on the major.
Private schools feature intimate campuses, financial assistance, top notch programs
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Students participate in a video game design class at University of the Pacific.
Credit: Jason Millner
“The longer it takes to complete a degree, the more expensive that degree becomes. You also need to consider the cost of lost opportunity to pursue employment, graduate studies or other interests.”
Established in 1851, the University of the Pacific claims to be the West Coast’s first medical school, as well as the first accredited conservatory of music on the West Coast. These days, students can choose from more than 80 undergraduate and more than 30 graduate programs and study across nine schools, including the main campus in Stockton with satellites in Sacramento and San Francisco.
Top programs focus on specific areas of study such as the Eberhardt School of Business, School of Engineering and Computer Science and McGeorge School of Law, while students can also major in studies like marketing, biological and biomedical sciences, engineering, and of course, numerous health professions and the music industry.
In general, Goslinga added, private schools mean more intimate campuses than found at larger state systems.
“That includes small class sizes with individualized attention from faculty and experiential learning embedded into our curriculum offerings,” she said.
In one groundbreaking idea, for example, the first Pacific Summer High School Institute was held this summer, hosting more than 300 Bay Area high school students taking part in an introduction to college program. They lived on campus and took an immersive test-run on real-life college experiences, including course studies in Pacific’s classrooms, fields and makerspaces.
“This was a remarkable opportunity for students who are still in high school to come to our historic campus and explore topics they’re passionate about with access to our expert faculty and state-of-the-art equipment in our labs and studios,” said University of the Pacific President Christopher Callahan. “It also gave students an advantage in preparing for college with a better understanding of what they may want to study.”
Students should also consider their living situations, unless they are able to continue residing with their parents.
In April, admitted students learned about Pacific’s academic programs and met staff and faculty.
Credit: Jason Millner
“State schools in the Bay Area often have limited on-campus housing opportunities — especially those deep in urban city settings — and looking for and securing housing can be expensive and challenging,” said Goslinga. “This factor alone can make private schools more attractive depending on their own on-campus housing options.”
Above all, cost should not deter would-be-applicants from trying for the college of their dreams, the experts agree. High school students should begin researching scholarship opportunities no later than their junior year, connecting with the high school guidance office to learn about government and individual college resources.
At the prestigious Stanford University in Santa Clara County, the current cost of attendance for the 2022-23 school year totals $82,162. But the average scholarship and grant received by aid recipients is more than $60,000, noted Stanford Associate Director of Emergency Communications and Media Relations Luisa Rapport.
“In recent years, 48% of the undergraduate population at Stanford received need-based scholarships from the university and paid an average of $12,800 toward their bills,” she said. “Many students do not receive federal student aid because we don’t expect students to borrow to meet their needs.”
For this year, Stanford also increased its “zero parent contribution” eligibility for domestic families with income less than $75,000.
“Our need-based financial aid makes it possible for all admitted undergraduate students to attend,” Rapport said.
At University of Pacific, undergraduate tuition is $52,918 for the 2022-23 school year.
“This certainly can cause quite a bit of sticker shock,” Goslinga said. “However, we have generous merit scholarships that all our admitted students are automatically considered for, such as our Regent’s Scholarship of $25,000. Our Powell Scholars program invests in high achieving students who demonstrate leadership potential, and our Community Involvement Program invests in first-generation Stockton students. And that is before other need-based state, federal and institutional grants and loans are offered.”
Students should also be aware that much of the financial aid can be applied to all things listed in a school’s yearly cost of attendance.
“Students can use financial aid to cover all expenses related to being a student, both those that the school charges like tuition, housing, fees and dining, and those that they will need to cover like books, travel between home and school and basic personal expenses,” Rapport said.
Thanks to modern computers and the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) online form, applying for financial aid is relatively easy. The IRS Data Retrieval Tool is also available to link family tax data directly into the form, and Goslinga has found the FAFSA usually takes less than an hour to complete.
Students should also look into taking a campus job.
“One of the best things about our campus positions is that they do not conflict with a student’s course schedule,” Goslinga said. “Working off-campus part-time can cause complications when a boss or manager schedules a student without regard to their classes.
“Pacific also offers an abundance of positions designed to give students the real-life skills needed to succeed in their professional careers,” she noted. “And our staff are often the first ones asked to provide references when our work-study students are applying for their first professional position or internship.”
“Families choose Shu Ren because of its commitment to an inquiry-based program, its language immersion and its caring community,” the school’s co-head of school Deron Marvin said. “Despite having a few near-native Chinese speakers, our program is still geared for all learners to reach fluency in the language.”
Shu Ren students learn Mandarin through the whole curricular program with many of the specialist classes being taught in Mandarin, including performing arts and physical education.
“The immersive experience renders multilingual and culturally literate students,” according to the school.
With so many language and learning approaches, “finding the right match between a student and an independent school can be very individualized,” said
“State schools in the Bay Area often have limited on-campus housing opportunities — especially those deep in urban city settings — and looking for and securing housing can be expensive and challenging,” said Goslinga. “This factor alone can make private schools more attractive depending on their own on-campus housing options.”
Above all, cost should not deter would-be-applicants from trying for the college of their dreams, the experts agree. High school students should begin researching scholarship opportunities no later than their junior year, connecting with the high school guidance office to learn about government and individual college resources.
At the prestigious Stanford University in Santa Clara County, the current cost of attendance for the 2022-23 school year totals $82,162. But the average scholarship and grant received by aid recipients is more than $60,000, noted Stanford Associate Director of Emergency Communications and Media Relations Luisa Rapport.
“In recent years, 48% of the undergraduate population at Stanford received need-based scholarships from the university and paid an average of $12,800 toward their bills,” she said. “Many students do not receive federal student aid because we don’t expect students to borrow to meet their needs.”
For this year, Stanford also increased its “zero parent contribution” eligibility for domestic families with income less than $75,000.
“Our need-based financial aid makes it possible for all admitted undergraduate students to attend,” Rapport said.
At University of Pacific, undergraduate tuition is $52,918 for the 2022-23 school year.
“This certainly can cause quite a bit of sticker shock,” Goslinga said. “However, we have generous merit scholarships that all our admitted students are automatically considered for, such as our Regent’s Scholarship of $25,000. Our Powell Scholars program invests in high achieving students who demonstrate leadership potential, and our Community Involvement Program invests in first-generation Stockton students. And that is before other need-based state, federal and institutional grants and loans are offered.”
Students should also be aware that much of the financial aid can be applied to all things listed in a school’s yearly cost of attendance.
“Students can use financial aid to cover all expenses related to being a student, both those that the school charges like tuition, housing, fees and dining, and those that they will need to cover like books, travel between home and school and basic personal expenses,” Rapport said.
Thanks to modern computers and the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) online form, applying for financial aid is relatively easy. The IRS Data Retrieval Tool is also available to link family tax data directly into the form, and Goslinga has found the FAFSA usually takes less than an hour to complete.
Students should also look into taking a campus job.
“One of the best things about our campus positions is that they do not conflict with a student’s course schedule,” Goslinga said. “Working off-campus part-time can cause complications when a boss or manager schedules a student without regard to their classes.
“Pacific also offers an abundance of positions designed to give students the real-life skills needed to succeed in their professional careers,” she noted. “And our staff are often the first ones asked to provide references when our work-study students are applying for their first professional position or internship.”
In April, admitted students learned about Pacific’s academic programs and met staff and faculty.
Credit: Jason Millner