Oglethorpe University to Match Flagship State Tuition in All 50 States for Qualified Students

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ATLANTA, GA (08/22/2018) Oglethorpe University is launching Flagship 50, a groundbreaking merit tuition scholarship program open to students across the country. Beginning fall semester 2019, Oglethorpe will match the in-state tuition at the flagship institution of each U.S. state for qualified incoming freshmen.

"Many students and their families believe they must attend a large state school because they can't afford a private college education," said Oglethorpe University President Larry Schall. "For many of the most talented students, their state's flagship university is the most desirable of their public options, even though a campus of 30,000-50,000 students and large classes may not be the best fit. Because of perceived costs, many of those students never even apply to a small private college like Oglethorpe. We want to change those misconceptions."

"Flagship 50 is meant to reward students' hard work and, as much as possible, eliminate cost as a factor in families' decision-making," Schall continued. "Choosing a college should be about the student's top choice, not the bottom line."

Minimum qualifications for Flagship 50 (oglethorpe.edu/flagship50) include a cumulative GPA of 3.5 and at least a 1250 combined SAT or 26 ACT composite score. The state flagship institutions used as benchmarks are as defined by The College Board.

If students qualify for state or federal grants and scholarships, they can bring those awards to Oglethorpe as well. Qualified applicants also will be invited to Oglethorpe's annual on-campus scholarship weekend for the chance to compete for full-tuition scholarships.

With over $24 million awarded in aid each year, Oglethorpe students graduate with some of the lowest rates of student debt in the country. 97% of Oglethorpe students receive merit or need-based aid. This year, Oglethorpe was selected as one of only 20 "Best Buy Schools" in the country by the 2019 Fiske Guide to Colleges---and the only school in Georgia, public or private, to make the list.

The value of a small, private institution is often overlooked due to common misconceptions.

Misconception: Why go to a private college like Oglethorpe when my state's scholarship program makes it nearly free to go to a state school?

When Georgia launched the lottery-funded HOPE Scholarship 25 years ago, many other states followed. The programs have largely been successful, but over time, decreased state funding and rising costs have resulted in increases to tuition and fees, and state scholarship programs have not kept pace. Today, increases in cost at many state institutions are reflected in new added fees with names like "academic excellence" or "technology" and even course-specific fees for hundreds of courses. Look closely at many flagship universities and you'll find significantly higher tuition for courses in business or STEM fields and even a higher tuition rate for upper-division courses (the ones where professors teach, not TAs). As a result, state-funded scholarship programs no longer cover the full cost of attending a public university. If you do the math, even before the launch of Flagship 50, it was possible to get an Oglethorpe education for nearly the same cost as a state school, whether you major in business, science, or philosophy.

Misconception: Good students are guaranteed admission to flagships.

Not even good grades and test scores guarantee admission to a flagship university. Some states' flagships are aggressively recruiting students from out-of-state while denying admission to increasing numbers of talented in-state students. Over 40% of flagships have acceptance rates below 60%, including our own and nearby states: Georgia (54%), Alabama (53%), Florida (38%) and North Carolina (27%). Even the most talented students must consider other high-quality options. We want to be sure these students know that price is not a barrier to attending a private university like Oglethorpe.

Misconception: If I want a personalized small-school experience like Oglethorpe at a large public flagship, I can just enroll in the honors program.

Honors programs, if you can get in, do provide some small class interactions and a sense of community within the larger university setting, but they don't eliminate the large lecture classes with hundreds of students. However, you can't count on getting in to the honors program if you get into the university. At Georgia, only 586 new students were admitted to their honors program in 2017, and just 614 were accepted to the program at Florida (that's less than 10% of the class). At Oglethorpe, 100% of our classes are taught by professors, not TAs, the average class size is 17 and the largest class students will ever take might have 30 students. And for extra rigor, we, too have an honors program. When looking for that type of experience, don't let finances get in the way of looking at schools that specialize in just that.

Misconception: Because my state's flagship university enrolls a lot more people, there's much greater ethnic, financial and social diversity than a small, private college like Oglethorpe where everyone is the same.

Oglethorpe looks very different than its private school peers. Our diversity is the cornerstone of who we are. In fact, over half of our students are non-white, a third are the first in their families to attend college, and nearly 2 out of every 5 students qualify for federal Pell grants.

On the contrary, many public flagships today are falling short of representing their state's populations. The gaps between the number of African-American and Latino students graduating high school and the number enrolled at flagship institutions is widening. In Georgia, that gap is 31%, one of the highest in the nation.

Likewise, many flagships are failing at enrolling low-income students. The U.S. Department of Education reported that all but 3 flagship universities enroll low-income students at a lower rate than the national average of 32.1%. In Georgia, the percentage of low-income students enrolled at its flagship institution is 13.6%. Most flagships in the south enroll similarly low percentages of low-income students. At Oglethorpe, that number is close to 40%. That's why U.S. News and World Report called us an "overperformer" when it comes to graduating low-income students.

See oglethorpe.edu/flagship50 for more details, including a list of flagship institutions in each state and additional data sources.

About Oglethorpe University

Founded in 1835, Oglethorpe University is Atlanta's only co-educational small private college, home to 1250 eclectic and engaged students from 33 states and 38 countries.

Renowned for its groundbreaking Core program, Oglethorpe's academically rigorous programs emphasize intellectual curiosity, individual attention, close collaboration among faculty and students, and active learning in relevant field experiences. Oglethorpe joins theory and practice in its A_LAB (Atlanta Laboratory for Learning), an incubator for experiential learning through internships, study abroad, civic engagement, and undergraduate research.

Under the leadership of President Lawrence Schall since 2005, Oglethorpe has entered an unprecedented era of innovation and growth, evidenced by increased enrollment and philanthropic giving, and new strategic entrepreneurial partnerships. In 2019, Oglethorpe will launch the Flagship 50 tuition merit scholarship program, open the I.W. "Ike" Cousins Center for Science and Innovation, and begin admitting students to the Q. William Hammack, Jr. School of Business, established as a result of a $50 million gift commitment in 2017.

Just since 2013, Oglethorpe has seen the addition of an award-winning campus center; a residential complex with six state-of-the-art classrooms; and the expansion of arts and athletics facilities. Oglethorpe's partnership venture with LeadAbroad has expanded its global footprint with the development of five global campuses in Barcelona, Cape Town, Greece, London, and Rome.

Oglethorpe is home to the Conant Performing Arts Center, Oglethorpe University Museum of Art, and the Piedmont School of Atlanta. The Oglethorpe Stormy Petrels compete in the NCAA Division III Southern Athletic Association. Website: oglethorpe.edu