This issue of character is more
important than what career I
choose, which courses I take or
even which college I attend.
Reason 3:
There is a significantly higher graduation rate in four
years if a student attends a Christian college versus other
institutions.
Reason 2:
There is a real difference in the spiritual growth and
maturity of students attending Christian colleges versus
other institutions.
Unless at a Christian college, research consistently reports
declines in student religious values, attitudes, and behav-
iors during the college years. More specifically, students
attending all types of non-religiously affiliated private and
public institutions report significant decreases in religious
affiliation and religious behaviors (church attendance, pray-
ing, reading the Bible, etc.). Enrollment in a church-related
college tends to support and strengthen the student’s exist-
ing religious values and behaviors. Sadly, by the time they
finish college and depending on the type of non-Christian
college attended, 52 to 70% of all Christian students will
no longer identify themselves as a born-again Christian or
even if they do still self-identify, will have not attended any
church service in the last year. What was most surprising in
my study of 16,000 students attending 133 US colleges was
this – the more conservative the background of the Chris-
tian student, there appears to be a greater decline in religious
commitment if the student attended a non-Christian college.
44
Religiously affiliated universities rank the highest nation-
wide in graduating their students. By researching the
graduation rates of all colleges in the Council for Christian
Colleges and Universities (CCCU) versus public institutions,
I estimate the average number of years to graduate from a
CCCU college is 4.4 years. Are you ready for this? The same
method for determining the estimate for graduation from a
public university yields 6.2 years – nearly two years more!
You may ask the obvious question, “What about starting at
a two-year community college and staying at home?” One
study estimates that only 12% of college bound students
who start at a community college ever finish a four year
degree. Even worse is that ONLY 5.1% of those who attend
the typical widely advertised online college graduate within
six years.
Reason 4:
In most cases, there is only a minimal difference in total
debt at graduation between those attending a Christian
college versus other institutions.
The average debt of those who borrow for a Christian
college education is $26,839 while the most recent number I
have gathered for public colleges is $21,945 – a difference of
less than $5,000 for an undergraduate degree. How can the
difference be so small? First, although less expensive per year,
it is taking almost two years longer to complete the same
degree at a public institution. Second, students who attend
public institutions are enjoying their “freedom.” There are
many other resulting “costs” that comparing sticker prices
totally ignore. Let me leave that discussion for another time.