The Value of a St. Norbert Education

Every student that attends St. Norbert College carries a burden, not only of tests, papers and extracurricular activities, but the significant weight of finances. It is hard to deny that St. Norbert is an expensive school, especially when compared to larger public institutions. In fact, over 95 percent of students receive some sort of financial aid so that attending a small, private school is a plausible possibility.

Even with the heavy cost of education, St. Norbert's Director of financial aid, Jeffrey Zahn, still sees the many positive aspects of this college.

 "The default rate for the Stafford loan here is 1.39 percent," said Zahn, "the national rate is higher and the state rate is higher."

The Stafford loan is Federal guaranteed money that higher education institutions give to students based on their family income. While it is surprising that St. Norbert's rate is lower than surrounding schools and states, Zahn attributes it to the uniqueness of what the college has to offer.

"I think that's tied to the fact that we have the four-year graduation guarantee. Typically what that means is that if someone knows they're going to get out in four years—people who come and stay and graduate—what do you suppose they do? They pay back on loans. Because they see value for what they receive, they've gotten a degree, it's in their hands."

But it is not only what St. Norbert promises—it is what St. Norbert delivers.

"We have a smaller environment, with smaller classes, and you get the attention you need to be able to get through," said Zahn, "and the fact that you can get classes—by and large—when you need them. At larger, public schools they only offer so many courses a term. There are many more people wanting those courses, and that course is maybe only offered in the spring, so if you want that course, you have to wait a whole more year. Because students can get courses [when they] want them, the retention rate is very high. Students come, they stay, they graduate. And students who do this see the value in a St. Norbert education."

In addition, St. Norbert offers an array of scholarships and grants, not to mention the multitude of work opportunities on campus. For some students, this school is only a possibility through these financial resources and options.

But once attending St. Norbert becomes realistic, the value of the education itself becomes useful in the "real world" as well.

"Another value of a St. Norbert education is the liberal arts program," said Zahn, "You take English, and you take religion, and you take philosophy. At a liberal arts school you don't just come in and say ‘I want to be a French major' and all you do is take French courses. The whole concept behind liberal arts is because you have exposure to all those different subjects you see how people think differently in literature verses biology. You have a better understanding of how to be a critical thinker."

In the wake of one of America's lowest economic points, an education with this kind of value like this might be the only way to find professional success.