ACU seems to be taking into account that the price of its education needs to match the value of its education, as the university offers a plethora of resources and opportunities students can’t get at many other places while growing in a spiritual community while constantly finding ways to improve the university to promote innovation.
The value of higher education has changed over the last five or so years, and it’s become harder to distinguish what schools are worth paying for.
Master’s degrees have become an expensive necessity in some fields. It used to be that you could get a bachelor’s degree and be plenty qualified for a number of jobs, but now it seems as if a bachelor’s degree is the new high school diploma – it’s just not enough anymore.
Some of these fields include social work and some positions in the medical field. And with so many educational resources available to us – free online classes, instructional YouTube videos, etc. – it’s difficult to find institutions worth paying to teach us something we could easily learn somewhere else.
Why pay a university to teach you something you could easily learn from a book or from a free webinar?
Not all fields require more than a four-year degree, such as art, journalism and some business fields, but the students in the areas that do are faced with finding a place where their investment will benefit them the most.
“In the graduate arena, financial aid is drastically different than in undergraduate education,” said Corey Patterson, director of graduate recruitment, admissions, and student services. “There are some scholarships, assistantships, and grants, but the majority of students pay out of pocket or take out a lot of loans. It is exceptionally important to provide value for the price that is paid.”
No one wants to pay for a mediocre education, especially if they don’t have a choice in the matter.
At ACU, many undergraduate students wonder whether or not paying the price to attend a private school is worth paying double that of a public university. We ask ourselves “What am I getting from ACU that I can’t get anywhere else?”
To say ACU’s graduate program is of a high enough standard to be worth investing in as opposed to other graduate programs in the country is accurate.
For the price we are paying, we should receive an invaluable educational experience superior to what you can learn at a public institution or community college. In other words, we need be receiving an education worth $40,000.
But what does a $40,000 education look like? It provides you opportunities you can’t get at a cheaper university, gives you access to top-notch resources, great alumni connections, class sizes that allow you the opportunity to get to know instructors one-on-one, an atmosphere where you can conduct academic and non-academic discussions without being censored, and most importantly, guaranteed job placement.
“In my five plus years in graduate, I have seen our programs provide community unlike other institutions,” Patterson said. “Our programs are small enough for faculty to work closely with students on a daily basis, but large enough to provide opportunities for research and innovation. The Graduate Students Association allows students to meet and network with students who aren’t in their discipline. This provides opportunities to walk alongside of people with the same goals, but may bring experiences that enhance others’ journeys.”
You can get the “college experience” anywhere, but these are the things that make a university exceptional.
ACU realizes that graduate students need the assurance that their education is worth investing in here and are constantly taking steps to make that decision easier for students choosing a masters program making it worth the investment.
