Detailed Transylvania “Affordability” Page Combats Sticker Price Shock
Higher education analysts often decry the “sticker price shock” that many people have when they start their college selection journey and compare degree costs at public and private universities. Why don’t people understand that at private colleges and universities the “sticker price” is not what most people pay?
One reason is that few colleges and universities directly attack the sticker price problem on their websites with detailed “affordability” content. Today’s Link of the Week selection is a rare exception.
The “Affordability” page link receives prime placement on the home page, directly under the opening image with a large “Quality + Affordability” heading. Follow that path and you’ll arrive at a page that gets right to the point: potential students likely are “worried about paying for college.”
Easy-to-scan graphics
- The content gets directly attacks the sticker price problem with a series of graphics that include:
- The family incomes of people attending.
- The sticker cost compared to other “top 100” liberal arts schools.
- The progressive cutting of that sticker price with merit awards, grants, and loans.
- A lower-than-average debt load of about $27,000 at graduation.
- A low loan default rate of just 2.4 percent.
- A much higher 4-year graduation rate than at public universities,
- If the page is successful in reducing cost fears for people who make this their first stop from the home page, there are links to either complete an application or review available academic programs at the end of the page.
On Mobile
Alas, the page does not fare well for on mobile, where a lower than usual 39/100 for Speed combines with a 91/100 “User Experience” rating from Google PageSpeed Insights after the page loads.
Follow the Link of the Week
Start your review of how one private-sector university is making a serious effort to fight sticker shock when you visit the Transylvania University “Affordability” page from the home page link.
Original Link of the Week Page
Regular readers will notice that we are again posting a Link of the Week selection within the blog. I’ve decided to continue posting new Link selections here. Each week’s description is available to future visitors and the blog.
To review earlier selections for 2016 and previous years, visit the Link of the Week archive page.