Eastern Makes List Hailing Schools For The ‘Real World’ Ewu Met Book’S Criteria Of Affordability And Quality

Most students don’t graduate from high school with a 4.0 grade-point average. Nor do they have trust funds to pay for college.

So they look at schools that are affordable, offer financial aid and focus on jobs after graduation.

A recently published book titled “The Best 201 Colleges for the Real World” offers suggestions - with Eastern Washington University as the only public university in Washington state that met the author’s criteria.

“We’re pleased to be recognized,” said Brian Levin-Stankevich, Eastern’s vice president for student affairs. “It reinforces what many have come to view as the main mission of Eastern - to support the regional economy and the regional needs of people for upward mobility.”

The colleges and universities selected for the book focus on convenience, quality and cost, author Michael Viollt wrote.

In 1999-2000, Eastern’s tuition was $2,724 for in-state students, the lowest in the state. The average institutional aid award was $2,520 - with 55 percent of the students receiving aid.

Viollt, president of Robert Morris College in Chicago, notes in the book that these schools have programs that match students’ needs and can be completed within a reasonable time frame.

“These colleges may not be featured in magazine articles about the `best’ colleges, but they may be the right choice for you and your busy lifestyle,” Viollt writes in the introduction.

“They are colleges that take to heart the needs of the student as a consumer and are a great fit for the student with above-average ambition.”

The criteria used by Viollt in selecting the top 201 colleges for career preparation included: college costs; proximity to a major city; financial aid availability; enrollment growth; undergraduate enrollment and average class size.

Because Eastern is so close to Spokane, many of its students - especially in the computer science area - are able to work at local companies through internships, Levin-Stankevich said. In 1999-2000, more than 2,930 EWU students were involved in internships, cooperative education or service learning experiences - a 28 percent increase since the 1995-96 school year.

Eastern received an exceptional rating for accessibility for students, and an above-average rating for market response and students’ chance to earn a degree in a timely fashion. The university, however, rated poorly in a category called “college experience.”

The publication did state that one of Eastern’s unique features is its “Finish in Four” program, which guarantees that a student can graduate from a specific major in four years.

Although Eastern was the only one of Washington state’s six public higher education institutions mentioned in the top 201, two private schools from Washington state were included in the list - City University in Bellevue and St. Martin’s College in Lacey.

Other regional universities that made it in the top 201 include Boise State University, the University of Portland and Montana State-Billings.

This sidebar appeared with the story: BACKGROUND Making the list

Affordability is among the main criteria used to rate colleges in the book.

For the 1999-2000 school year Eastern’s tuition for in-state students was $2,724, the lowest in the state.