Pros And Cons Of Private Colleges

Today only 16% of students attending college in the United States attend a private college. This may be because of the high tuition costs or the unknown benefits that private colleges have to offer. A private college is defined as an independent school that is privately funded and sets its own policies and goals. Private colleges get their funding through tuition (which is why the tuition is higher) as well as endowments from alumni or other donors. On the other hand, public colleges are funded by local and state governments. Private colleges are typically smaller in comparison to a public college. Private colleges have an average student enrollment of 1,900, while a public university can have well over 30,000 students (“What is a Private College?”). With intimate class sizes, a cozy campus, and an unique sense of community, small, private universities offer an exceptional college experience for

Public universities do come with their advantages. One advantage is the endless amount of resources some of these large public research universities have. Their libraries and facilities will generally be better equipped with books as well as electronic resources. This is beneficial for those students in a major that involve a lot of research. The downfall of the research aspect of large universities is that these schools hire professors to teach students as well as do research in the name of the university. This situation results in a lack of dedication these professors have for their students since they have to split their priorities. The student population of public universities contain greater diversity than that of private universities. Among the top ten diversified universities in America, all with a diversity index of .71 or above, seven of these schools are public(“Campus Ethnic Diversity”). This diversity is also shown throughout the majors, as well as clubs and organizations. With a greater overall student