Drew University (www.drew.edu) announced last month that it will lower its tuition by 20%—from $48,336 this year to $38,668 next year—rolling it back to 2010 levels and narrowing the gap between its “sticker price” and the amount many families pay after financial aid. This move makes Drew’s true tuition and true value more clear, and makes a Drew education more accessible to more families. Washington Monthly has already listed Drew among its “Best Bang for the Buck” schools in the Northeast.
Opening Doors
Since 2010, tuition and fees have increased by 25% at private colleges and by 16.5% at public colleges–all while family incomes have remained mostly flat. For many families–especially middle-class families who may not qualify for need-based aid–a college education may seem out of reach. But the reality is that most students do not pay a school’s full tuition price thanks to generous financial aid.
For example, Drew awarded about $35 million in scholarships and grants to its students this year and about 80% of them received financial aid. Its average total financial aid award was $39,700 and average scholarship/grant was $29,000. Still, undergraduate tuition, room and board for the 2017-18 academic year was $62,000, making Drew one of the most expensive private universities in New Jersey.
“Drew’s published price has deterred some families from considering the hallmarks of a Drew education—our professors who work one-on-one with students, our real-world learning experiences, our connections to our neighborhood and to New York City and our 94% success rate in the job market or graduate school within six months of graduation. Our lower tuition will open Drew’s door to many who thought it was closed to them,” said MaryAnn Baenninger, president of Drew University.
Celebrating its 150th Year
Drew takes this step as it celebrates its 150th year and a period of exceptional growth. Drew experienced a 27 percent increase in incoming students in three years and an increase of 50 percent in transfer students in four years. First-to-second-year retention has increased from 76 percent to 87 percent in four years. Drew recently welcomed the largest class of international students in its history, and its international student enrollment has grown by 195 percent in four years.
Building on its strong foundation, Drew will continue to invest, in its strengths. Recently launched liberal arts majors and minors include media and communications, creative writing, film studies, data science and statistics. New professionally-focused degree programs, in partnership with master’s and doctoral universities, include nursing, software engineering, law and teaching. The university’s number of New York City semesters has doubled, with the newest additions in Communications and Media, Social Entrepreneurship, and Theatre.
“The tuition reset lowers our price below that of many colleges and universities to which our students also apply,” said Robert Massa, Senior Vice President for Enrollment Management & Institutional Planning. “This plus the advantages of our excellent faculty mentors, our innovative programs and generous financial aid equals a Drew degree that is more valuable than ever.”
Additional information on this initiative, including all the facts and figures behind the tuition reset, can be found at www.drew.edu/letsbeclear.
Homeschoolers Welcome
We asked Robert Massa if Drew University accepts homeschooled students. Here is what he told us:
“Drew does indeed admit homeschooled students. We do accept transcripts issued by the parent. Sometimes, as you know, homeschooled students will take a course or two at local community college, so those transcripts help. And while standardized tests are optional for admission, I would strongly encourage homeschooled students to take either the ACT or the SAT… Bottom line, Drew welcomes homeschooled students.”
Please visit http://www.drew.edu/admissions-aid for more information.
About Drew University
Drew University, a Phi Beta Kappa liberal arts university, is located in Madison, New Jersey, a thriving small town approximately 25 miles west of New York City. Drew has been nicknamed the “University in the Forest” because of the serenity of its wooded 186-acre campus compared to the busy suburban area surrounding it. The Princeton Review twice named Drew one of only “50 Colleges that Create Futures,” and listed Drew among the top schools nationally in three key categories: theatre, race/class interaction, and being LGBTQ-friendly. Drew also is featured in Princeton Review’s list of Green Colleges.
The university sits on the former estate of William Gibbons, a southern gentleman who owned the New York–New Jersey steamboat business that became famous from the Gibbons v. Ogden case, a landmark decision in which the Supreme Court of the United States held that the federal government had the power to regulate interstate commerce. In 1867, financier and railroad tycoon Daniel Drew purchased Gibbons’ estate from his descendants. Drew, a devout Methodist, donated the estate to the church to establish a Methodist theological seminary. However, the university makes no religious demands of its students, and students of all faiths are admitted to study.
Drew has an enrollment of more than 2,000 students who hail from 45 countries, and 145 full-time faculty members, 94% of whom hold the terminal degree in their field. The College of Liberal Arts serves 1,417 undergraduate students, conferring BA degrees in more than 30 disciplines, offering strong concentrations in the natural sciences, social sciences, language and literature, humanities and the arts, and several interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary fields. The Theological School and the Caspersen School of Graduate Studies offer MA and PhD degrees.
Drew is dedicated to exceptional faculty mentorship, a commitment to connecting the campus with the community and a focus on experiential learning. Noteworthy opportunities for undergraduates include the Charles A. Dana Research Institute for Scientists Emeriti (RISE), home of 2015 Nobel Prize Winner for Medicine and Drew Fellow William Campbell, the Drew Summer Science Institute (DSSI) and the Center for Civic Engagement, as well as New York City semesters focusing on Wall Street, the United Nations, Contemporary Art, Theatre, Social Entrepreneurship, Communications and Media. Drew also offers hundreds of internship opportunities at major employers such as Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, Lincoln Center, Google, Sony Music, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and CNN.
Drew’s theater program is one of the top five in the country. Drew also houses the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, an independent professional theater, as well as the Center on Religion, Culture & Conflict, the Center for Holocaust/Genocide Study, the United Methodist Archives and History Center, and one of the country’s leading concentrations of materials on Willa Cather. Drew also recently opened a new dining hall and new science labs, and welcomed new sports teams.
The campus features the Drew Forest Preserve, an 80-acre expanse that was recently restored with the planting of 1,100 native trees and shrubs by the university community and volunteer assistance from pharmaceutical manufacturer Pfizer (a large, local employer), the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and the New Jersey Audubon Society. The Florence and Robert Zuck Arboretum, named for two botany faculty members, contains a mixture of native and non-native trees, plants and two small glacial ponds supporting populations of turtles, goldfish, catfish, and muskrats, and various species of birds including migratory fowl such as Canada geese, ducks, and herons. The preserve and arboretum both provide a natural laboratory for the instruction of students in the study of biology and life sciences and for research.
University President MaryAnn Baenninger points out the emphasis on “Drew’s commitment to integrating impactful, outside-the-classroom experiences into every student’s education. We are proud of our top-notch research facilities and faculty mentorship, which, combined with the breadth of our merit- and need-based financial assistance, give a Drew education tremendous value.”