By Hannah Austin
From my two and a half years of living in the tri-cities area, I’ve noticed that Milligan College has some clout in the local community. I’ll be speaking with a and she’ll ask me where I go to school and I’ll mention Milligan and she’ll reply: “Oh yeah, that’s a good school.” Honestly, sometimes I don’t see how people are so impressed. There have been times where I thought Milligan was a little overpriced and overrated. But recently I have compared Milligan’s tuition rates and rankings with other local colleges, and I have to admit that I’m a little surprised.
I used U.S. News and World Report college rankings as a source for my investigation. I have been using this website for years to compare colleges. Their rankings greatly helped me in my college search when I was in high school. Milligan College ranks eighth out of 74 regional colleges in the South, according to U.S. News and World Report’s education rankings. Tuition including room and board for the 2013-2014 school year was $33,915.
King University, another private, religious-based school located in the neighboring city of Bristol, Tenn. ranks 73rd out of 92 on the list, and tuition including room and board for this school year was $33,140. There is only a $775 difference in costs, yet Milligan’s standing, according to U.S. News and World Report and my interpretation of the statistics, is a lot higher.
Montreat College, located just across the border in Montreat, N.C., was unranked. Its costs are $1,789 less than Milligan. Tusculum College, located in Greenville, Tenn., was also unranked on this list. Its total cost for this school year was $30,750.
I also looked on the other side of the same coin. I decided to check out schools that were ranked higher than Milligan. High Point University in North Carolina ranks first on the list. It costs $41,600 this year.
I know that scholarships, accreditations, graduate programs, dorm quality, food quality and size all play into factor into a school’s final bottom line costs. Remember, the U.S. News and World Report is only one source of information. However, without the risk of sounding judgmental or in any way critical of the institutions discussed, Milligan actually might be leading the way in offering better education for the least amount of money.
The raise in Milligan’s tuition for the 2014-2015 academic year should be announced within the next month. Keep your eyes open to see whether or not Milligan climbs atop the list this year.
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