Central College in Iowa cuts tuition in half

[Anselm]

https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/education/2019/09/10/tuition-price-iowa-central-college-private-liberal-arts-schools-iowa-pella-independent-colleges/2277572001/

I hope to see more examples of honest pricing.  As a student I avoided applying to many schools because of the sticker shock with no idea how much financial aid I would get.

[Hibush]

The Register article throws out lots of numbers, but not a set that allows one to gauge what impact is could have on Central's finances or its competitive position relative to the competition.

I compared IPEDS data of Central with some of its similar neighbors (Loras, Coe and Cornell). Their size and outcomes are similar, their perceived quality increases in that order, with Central between Coe and Loras.  Here are some basic cash-flow numbers in thousands of dollars per student.

College	Sticker	Net	Spending
Cornell	41	27	25
Coe	42	22	17
Central	36	23	24
Loras	33	20	13

   
Central already had a low sticker price. It stands out as spending more per student than the net tuition. Presumably the want to get more students so they can bring that number down. But dropping the sticker to $19k will take some serious savings to make up!

Loras is the cheapest, but also making the most money.  Is Central trying to match their financial model?