Goshen College again listed as a ‘Best Buy’ by Barron’s

GOSHEN, Ind. – Selecting a college is one of the first important decisions young adults make. To assist students and parents, Barron’s “Best Buys in College Education” has compiled its ninth edition profiling 247 colleges and universities that offer first-rate educations at a reasonable price. The 2006 edition again includes Goshen College.

Barron’s notes in the college guide that the Goshen College student body represents 35 states and 40 countries along with 30 different denominations. In the profile, one student writes, “Goshen stands out because of its integrity, ethics and philosophy as written in its mission and carried out through programs such as [Study-Service Term]. Goshen is not big, but it doesn’t lack opportunities for students ready to take them on.” The author later writes that Study-Service Term is “easily the star of Goshen’s general education program.”

What helps make Goshen College a “best buy” financially is that it costs 10 percent less than the national average for private colleges. Annually, Goshen’s financial aid packages average more than $16,700 in merit- and need-based aid. And more than 98 percent of enrolled students receive financial assistance.

“A student with curiosity, compassion, creativity, and interest in the world beyond him- or herself will go far here,” advises a Goshen College senior in the guide’s description. Goshen is one of 15 Indiana schools and one of two Mennonite-affiliated colleges included in the guide.

Barron’s chose 247 colleges to include in its ninth edition of the guide that represents the best combination of sound data and student satisfaction. According to the publication, the colleges included are places where the tuition and required fees did not exceed $30,000 in the 2005-2006 academic year, at least two-thirds of the faculties held doctorates or the highest other terminal degrees in their respective fields and where at least half of the entering freshmen graduated in four or five years. Student satisfaction and other data were collected by questionnaires completed by the colleges’ dean of students and students, including those at the campus newspaper and in a representative sampling.

“Best Buys in College Education” provides information to assist students and parents in the pressure-filled and important decision in choosing a college according to Barron’s. It also attempts to denounce myths such as there is only one right college for every student or that good colleges are either well known or very expensive. The profiles of the colleges include information about tuition and fees, student body composition, academic programs, campus life, financial aid, payoff for graduates and a summary from enrolled students.

– By Erini Shields

Editors: For more information about this release, to arrange an interview or request a photo, contact Goshen College News Bureau Director Jodi H. Beyeler at (574) 535-7572 or jodihb@goshen.edu.

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Goshen College, established in 1894, is a four-year residential Christian liberal arts college rooted in the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition. The college’s Christ-centered core values – passionate learning, global citizenship, compassionate peacemaking and servant-leadership – prepare students as leaders for the church and world. Recognized for its unique Study-Service Term program, Goshen has earned citations of excellence in Barron’s Best Buys in Education, “Colleges of Distinction,” “Making a Difference College Guide” and U.S.News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges” edition, which named Goshen a “least debt college.” Visit www.goshen.edu.