What is the best indication of financial health of a college or university?

[Anonymous]

Some people say endowment per student, but how much would you weigh endowment per student, and what other indicators would you look for? At my kid's SLAC, it's around $1.6m per, and the financial health of the school seems excellent. There are few things the school charges extra for and they are generous with fellowships, paid internships/research jobs, etc. But I can't tell how that relates to other schools, though anecdotally other parents will mention that their kid has to pay to use the gym or for outings and similar. Other than asking when you tour, what are other ways to determine the generosity of a school and how it will impact students?

[Anonymous]

Endowment, bond ratings, enrollment, now and how they have been trending.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Some people say endowment per student, but how much would you weigh endowment per student, and what other indicators would you look for? At my kid's SLAC, it's around $1.6m per, and the financial health of the school seems excellent. There are few things the school charges extra for and they are generous with fellowships, paid internships/research jobs, etc. But I can't tell how that relates to other schools, though anecdotally other parents will mention that their kid has to pay to use the gym or for outings and similar. Other than asking when you tour, what are other ways to determine the generosity of a school and how it will impact students?

These are going away

I removed ours from two large public institutions

[Anonymous]

Building and renovation

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Building and renovation

+1

[Anonymous]

Financial health and generosity are two totally separate characteristics. In fact, they can hypothetically oppose each other.

[Anonymous]

We used the financial health rankings that have been published as well as endowment per student numbers. The venn diagram of overlap of the T25 on each list was the ultimate goal though merely being on one list as T25 and close to that on the other was ok with us. It worked for the first kid, hopefully the second will get in to one of the overlap schools. Not surprisingly they are most of the ivies plus a handful of other privateUnis or LACs.

[Anonymous]

Bond Ratings. Then endowment.

Goucher for instance bond ratings dipped but then got a massive endowment from a rich alum

[Anonymous]

Where do you find the bond ratings without paying a fee?

[Anonymous]

U Chicago has over 10 billion dollars endowments, and keeps building new facilities and improving the housing.
Very generous Pell program but it seems they having financial trouble .

[Anonymous]

Ensure that the university isn't wasting money on low roi majors and has a process to defund things associated with it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Building and renovation

I disagree. People donate money for buildings and it doesn’t help keep the lights on in said building