Karen_Giannino

100 duck-sized horses, definitely. Especially on the hills at Colgate.

BTW, we have a great equestrian club.

Just get on the bus.

Seriously, apply for financial aid. At Colgate, we meet 100% of demonstrated financial need, and this year the average award we gave was more than $41K. This brochure is really helpful.

Thanks for raising such an important topic.

At Colgate, we strive to give smart, driven students a complete education so they can go onto great careers. We work to keep student loan debt as low as possible. This year, students graduated with an average debt of just over $16K-- total. We do this from money raised in the recent fundraising campaign – $141.5 million toward financial aid.

We don't gap students--we meet 100% of their demonstrated need. We are not need blind in our admission process--we are getting closer to that but believe it is better to meet a student's full need and not leave a gap that then requires the student to take on an unreasonable amount of private loan debt. This is the circumstance that many people find themselves in. It's really important to dig deep into the aid policies of each school you are looking at. That's the consumer's responsibility.

We want to turn intelligent/driven students into adults that can contribute to society. Colgate grads get jobs and get into grad school. Our one-year-out data shows that 72.3% are employed full time, 18% in grad school, 5% in transition, 2.6% in fellowships or internships, and 1.2% volunteering. Less than 1% are "other."

Also, a four-year college experience may not be the right fit for everyone. That's up to the student to decide. We're here to help explain what Colgate has to offer, and, when I can, offer some insight into highly selective admission and aid practices.

Here's one more thing: all colleges are now required by law to have a financial aid calculator on their websites. Plug in your info, and you will see how that college would package your financial aid. Part of your responsibility as a student looking at colleges is to determine what you can afford and assess how each college will meet your need.

yes

It's important to connect with the admission office--call the school(s) you are interested in. Admission counselors are there to help--really.