Despite other universities claiming The National College Scorecard for American universities is inaccurate, it proves to be accurate for LSU yet “superficial,” according to LSU officials.
The College Scorecard, an online hub from the White House for college students to review costs, graduation rates, loan default rates and the types of employment after graduation for American universities went viral last week. But this information has not been received as positively as intended, as The New York Times reported that the numbers on the site are medians, and they are not compared in a side-by-side manner like on other government sites.
Vice Provost and Associate Vice Chancellor for Budget and Planning Robert Kuhn said the site only gives potential students and families a “superficial” look and is unsure of how TOPS relates to the numbers on the site.
“On your fee bill, you receive a reduction for TOPS or the state general fund giving you money. I don’t know how TOPS relates to any of these score cards,” Kuhn said. “Loan rates might be lower because of TOPS.”
Montclair State University in New Jersey is questioning the site’s calculations. The site states the school’s average net price has increased 34.5 percent from 2007 to 2009, but the university said costs have risen 9.7 percent between 2008 and 2010.
Information on the scorecard for LSU states that 23,977 are enrolled as undergraduates and, “the average net price for undergraduate in-state students is $10,629 per year.”
Director of Institutional Research in the Office of Budget and Planning, Sandra J. Walker said the University’s numbers are accurate.
“The bottom line is that we provide the numbers, and that is exactly what we reported and that is what is accurate,” Walker said.
Walker said the $10,629 price was from 2010-2011, and last year’s records were published and submitted last month.
Bernie Braun, applications consultant in the Office of Budget and Planning, said the graduation rate of 59.9 percent was also accurate.
Kuhn said the site’s numbers show the University’s relatively low costs.
“For a resident student, [LSU costs] 29 percent below average, and for non-residents 15 percent below average,” Kuhn said.
Construction management junior Andrew Blanchard was unfamiliar with the site and said his out-of-state friends decided on the University because it was so affordable.
“A bunch of my friends from Texas said schools were hard to get into and decided on LSU since it was so cheap for out of state students,” Blanchard said.
