Each Friday on AIKCU.org we feature a new graphic that highlights an important aspect of independent higher education.

The graph below shows the production of bachelor’s degrees at AIKCU member institutions from 1999-00 to 2006-07. AIKCU members enroll about 19 percent of bachelor’s degree seeking undergraduates and produce about 22 percent of bachelor’s degrees. The bar on the far right marks the independent sector’s degree production goal for the year 2020 under CPE’s “Double the Numbers” plan. AIKCU has formally committed to sector-wide goals to increase degree production and transfer under Kentucky’s ambitious postsecondary education plan.

Download: AIKCU Bachelor’s Degree Production Graph (PDF).

Each Friday on AIKCU.org we feature a new graphic that highlights an important aspect of independent higher education.

This week’s graph examines the average financial aid awards by source (institutional, federal, and state grants) to first-time, full-time students attending independent Kentucky colleges and universities in 2006-07 in relation to the average costs of tuition/fees and room and board for that same year. Note that awards are averages for first-time, full-time students who did receive aid and are not necessarily cumulative. For low income students who receive the average of each of these awards, the sum of the average awards ($15,068) is nearly equal to the average tuition/fees ($15,245) but does not cover room and board or other expenses. The student share is the average amount of the total cost not covered by the three grant sources and would include include loans, savings, income from student work, and other sources.

Download KY Independent College Costs and Sources of Aid (PDF).

A few weeks ago we introduced a new weekly feature on AIKCU.org - a weekly graphic highlighting some aspect of independent higher education. Look for these each Friday. And thanks to our friends at the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Ohio for the idea.

As today’s chart indicates, Kentucky’s independent institutions play a major role in transfer from two to four year degree programs in Kentucky. In 2006-07 AIKCU institutions were collectively the largest destination for transfer students. More than 1 in 5 KCTCS transfer students go to an independent Kentucky college. Increasing the number of transfers from Kentucky’s Community and Technical College System to four-year degree programs is a major emphasis of the Council on Postsecondary Education’s Double the Numbers initiative. More information on transfer is available in CPE’s KCTCS System Report.

Download Destination of KCTCS transfers, 2006-07 (PDF)

A few weeks ago we introduced a new weekly feature on AIKCU.org - a weekly graphic highlighting some aspect of independent higher education. Look for these each Friday. And thanks to our friends at the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Ohio for the idea.

The time it takes to reach graduation has a major impact on the overall cost of a college education. Students at Kentucky independent institutions are more likely to graduate in four years than their counterparts at public institutions. This chart uses IPEDS data to illustrate the percentage of first-time, full-time students at AIKCU and Kentucky public institutions who graduate in four, five and six years.  (For more on the economic costs of delayed graduation, see this Council on Independent Colleges (CIC) chart.)

Download: Time to Graduation: Four, Five, and Six Year IPEDS Graduation Rates for AIKCU and Publics (PDF)

Two weeks ago we introduced a new weekly feature on AIKCU.org - a weekly graphic highlighting some aspect of independent higher education. Look for these each Friday. And thanks to our friends at the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Ohio for the idea.

This week’s simple pie graph underscores the tremendous return on investment that Kentucky’s independent colleges and universities provide to the Commonwealth. In 2007-08, Kentucky allocated more than $1 billion dollars in state funds in support of postsecondary education; about 87% went to funding the public system, CPE, and specific initatives and about 13% went to student financial aid in the form of the three major Kentucky student financial aid programs (CAP, KTG, and KEES). AIKCU students received $53.4 million in state aid, or just under 4% of the state’s total support for postsecondary education.

Download AIKCU student aid as percentage of state postsecondary spending, 2007-08 (PDF)

Last we week we introduced a new weekly feature on AIKCU.org - a weekly graphic highlighting some aspect of independent higher education. Look for these each Friday. And thanks to our friends at the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Ohio for the idea.

This week, the College Board released its annual Trends in College Pricing report. Kentucky’s private colleges low average tuitions continue to be a strong value when compared to their peer institutions regionally and nationally. The average tuition at AIKCU institutions is 31% less than the national private college average and 21% less than the Southern average. Note that this only reflects the average published tuition and fees (often referred to as the “sticker price”) and is not reflective of the average amounts that students actually pay after financial aid is factored in.

Source: AIKCU 2008 Tuition Survey; College Board’s Trends in College Pricing 2008.

Download: 2008-09 Average Tuition Graph (PDF)

We’re kicking off a new weekly feature on AIKCU.org this week - a weekly graphic highlighting some aspect of independent higher education. Look for these each Friday. And thanks to our friends at the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Ohio for the idea.

This past week, the Project On Student Debt released new data showing the average debt load of college seniors graduating in 2007. To see the data for individual institutions and compare Kentucky against other states using an interactive map, visit www.projectonstudentdebt.org.

Source:  ProjectOnStudentDebt.org. Debt data as reported by campuses to Peterson’s Undergraduate Financial Aid and Undergraduate Databases. 17 of 20 AIKCU campuses and 7 of 8 Kentucky public university campuses reporting data.

Download 2007 Kentucky Student Debt as PDF.