Just 300 of the nation’s thousands of colleges and universities made this year’s Forbes’ America’s Best Value Colleges list, which looks at the cost and return on investment of a college education.
Not surprisingly, given its low tuition, high on-time graduation rate and above average alumni earnings, Grove City College has a place on the list, which also included Ivy League schools, major research institutions and public and private universities with tens of thousands of students.
In its class – private liberal arts – Grove City College is the second least expensive school on the Forbes list, coming in behind Brigham Young University, the flagship school of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
In its region, the College was fifth ranked overall out of the 13 Pennsylvania schools on the list. When it comes to costs, Grove City College is the least expensive school in the state, public or private, on Forbes’ list.
Forbes’ methodology is based on a school’s rank on its annual Top Colleges rundown, student debt, alumni earnings, net price, graduation rate and the number of federal Pell Grant recipients enrolled. That last data point, which counted for 10 percent of a school’s grade, makes Grove City College’s placement on the overall list even more impressive because the College doesn’t accept federal grants, student loans or any other federal funding.
“Forbes affirms what we’ve known for a long time: Grove City College stands with the nation’s leading higher education institutions as an excellent and affordable choice for students and families who want to get the best return on investment from their tuition dollars,” College President Paul J. McNulty ’80 said. “The fact that we are near the top of our class nationally and regionally when it comes to affordability in comparison to schools that enjoy enormous federal and institutional subsidies is a testament to our financial model, which honestly reflects the true cost of providing our students with an excellent education in a Christ-centered living and learning environment."
Overall, Grove City College is ranked 165 out of 300 on the America’s Best Value Colleges list.
Forbes says the list offers students and families who are “interested in value over prestige” a select group of schools that provide “an excellent return on one of the most important investments of their lives.”
Grove City College by the numbers:
- $17,930 – Tuition (2018-2019)
- 79% – Four-year graduation rate
- 42% – Graduate debt-free
- $53,500/$103,300 – Average starting/mid-career alumni earnings
- $399,000 – 20-year return on investment