{"id":2205,"date":"2015-07-07T22:22:10","date_gmt":"2015-07-08T04:22:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/janetheactuary\/?p=2205"},"modified":"2015-07-08T08:17:43","modified_gmt":"2015-07-08T14:17:43","slug":"what-do-you-make-of-arrupe-college","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/janetheactuary\/2015\/07\/what-do-you-make-of-arrupe-college.html","title":{"rendered":"What do you make of Arrupe College?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

This is a new endeavor at Loyola University in Chicago: \u00a0a two-year college program sponsored by the university, intended for needy and first-generation college students, opening its doors in the fall. \u00a0See this article in the National Catholic Reporter<\/a>, and the website of the program itself<\/a>. \u00a0(This was featured in the news a couple weeks ago, but got forgotten about as a draft for a while.)<\/p>\n

The core idea is this: \u00a0at a rate of $10,410 per year (that is, $12,910 less a $2,500 \u201cscholarship\u201d for all students), or about $1,500 when the Pell Grant and Illinois\u2019s MAP grant are offset, Loyola University is offering a community college experience, specially tailored to its target demographic. \u00a0The classes are limited in number, with specialization offered in Arts & Humanities, Business, and Social and Behavioral Sciences. \u00a0The faculty will be specific to the program, and, in addition to instructors, there will be a heavy emphasis on advisors and advising, with advisory periods built into the schedule. \u00a0Students will also be\u00a0expected to\u00a0\u201cwork at a job for 20-25 hours a week and they will contribute $1,700-$1,800 towards their tuition.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Surprisingly \u2014 or perhaps not so suprisingly \u2014 the students are not particularly high achievers: \u00a0\u201c\u00a0They have grade point averages around 2.5 and ACT scores in the 17-22 range,\u201d according to the NCR article. \u00a0Perhaps, for the target demographic, this is a good GPA \u2014 or perhaps the higher achievers got free ride scholarships to traditional university programs.<\/span><\/p>\n

How did Loyola arrive at this bargain price? \u00a0On the one hand, they say they\u2019re not \u201ccharging\u201d any of the overhead costs \u2014 the space being used by this program was vacated when another department moved into a new facility, and other overhead costs will also not be included in the tuition \u2014\u00a0\u00a0\u201cthe admissions office, security, the health and wellness group\u201d are mentioned specifically in the NCR article but the Arrupe website lists the whole array of Loyola facilities:<\/span><\/p>\n