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South Carolina’s Benedict College bills itself as “one of the fastest growing, most diverse colleges in the nation,” offering degrees in “high-demand fields of study in STEM, cyber security, mass communication, sport management, business administration, engineering, computer science, biology, and education.”
The private, historically black college boasts of having been “recognized nationally for its programs,” touting is status as the 2019 Historically Black College University (HBCU) school of the year.
According to an updated index from Degree Choices, though, Benedict’s braggadocio is not matched by positive economic outcomes for its students. The college ranked No. 9 nationally on the list of “worst universities by economic value.” Benedict also ranked No. 3 nationally on Degree Choices‘ list of “worst graduation rates,” with an anemic 23.9 percent graduation rate.
Only Baker College in Michigan and the American Intercontinental College in Illinois fared worse on that key metric.
Degree Choices describes itself as “a team of education researchers working together to provide valuable financial advice and guide prospective students to find schools and careers that best suit their needs.”
Its advice on Benedict? Stay away …
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“We’re looking at the schools that offer graduates little to no economic value,” the index noted. “You’d be better off with just a high school diploma than paying for a degree from one of these bad colleges.”
Originally released in March, the website updated its list of schools earlier this week. It compiled data from nearly 900 four-year public, private, and non-profit schools with more than 1,500 students. Its rankings factored in “cost, earnings after graduation, and payback period.”
“An ideal university offers high earnings after graduation, a short payback period on your educational investment, and low costs, resulting in a low economic score,” the website noted.
For example, the number one school on its list – the University of Pennsylvania – boasted an economic score of 0.27.
Benedict’s score? A whopping 11.1 – which was more than three times higher than the national average of 3.73.
This isn’t the first time Benedict has landed on a list like this. Back in 2014, this news outlet reported on the college ranking fifth from the bottom on Washington Monthly’s list of “America’s Worst Colleges.” When the ranking’s focus shifted to the number of degrees awarded to part-time and transfer students – along with the percentage of the study body borrowing money to attend school – Benedict jumped to No. 1.
A.k.a. “the worst.”
Benedict has more recently been honored by Washington Monthly “as one of the top baccalaureate colleges in the nation for creating social mobility, and producing cutting-edge scholarship and research.”
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …
Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and seven children.
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BANNER VIA: Benedict College
4 comments
You had to read someone else’s report to know this?!?
Benedict has a 4 and 6 year grad rate of 18% and 26% respectively. Of course, it could be worse, Allen University is at 14% and 29%. Compared with USC at 58% and 71% that looks abysmal.
HOWEVER, the national rate is 40% and 53% so they aren’t quite as bad as you’d think. USC Upstate, a “taxpayer funded school”, sits at 24% and 53%. Winthrop, a “state funded school”, has only a 38% and 57%. USC Aiken, another “state funded school”, is well below the national average at 21% and 45%. Coastal ain’t much better at 26% and 46%.
Worst of all? Morris College has a 6% and 25% rate. I guest lectured there one semester years ago, had to cut class short four times due to fights in the library, a “disturbance” in the adjoining lecture hall, a wandering homeless person and a campus lockdown.
Name a university in SC that doesn’t have high tuition costs.
Given that the average cost of a year in college in the US is $35,000 and that a year at USC costs a SC kid about $22-24,000 I’d say most of the public schools in SC don’t have high Tuition. Furman at $68,000, Wofford at $58,000 and PC at $38,000 are all aberrations in SC.
As bad as Benedict is, most students are getting massive amounts of aid and they’re only paying around $16,000.
Notice nearly all on the list are colleges from the Southeast.
These numbers are BEFORE the MAGA extremists passed draconian laws banning abortion and attacking the educational systems in their State’s.
That list will be full of nothing but colleges in the South after another year or two.