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TheBestSchools.org Ranks ALC in Its Top Ten

by M. B. Miller

ALC's Historic Cushing Hall

Alice Lloyd College is pleased to announce that it has been ranked #8 in TheBestSchools.org list of The Best Colleges Providing Free Tuition. The colleges were selected based on financial aid packages, quality of degree programs, types of courses offered, faculty prestige, rankings, awards, and overall reputation.

The College was included on the list with a variety of prestigious institutions, including Cooper Union, Curtis Institute of Music, College of the Ozarks, Berea, and Webb Institute. A second list, related to the list on which ALC was featured, revealed The Best Colleges Providing Free Tuition Based on Family Income, which included many of the country’s Ivy League institutions. 

The idea that Alice Lloyd offers “free tuition” comes from the fact that the College provides students from its 108-county service area with a “tuition guarantee.” Due to the generosity of alumni, staff, trustees, churches, societies, businesses, foundations, and countless friends across America, students from this service area in central Appalachia may attend Alice Lloyd regardless of financial circumstances. Tuition is guaranteed to those students through several sources, but in particular through endowed scholarships that produce income to fund the supreme financial aid packages available to qualified students. Students must pay room/board, the cost of textbooks, and the matriculation fee, but the resulting amount owed is far less than what students pay elsewhere; and, again, the cost of tuition is covered by the College for the student.

As one of the nation’s work colleges, Alice Lloyd requires its students to participate in the Student Work Program as a way to meet the costs of guaranteeing their tuition. Students hold various on-campus or off-campus jobs, including (but certainly not limited to) campus maintenance, janitorial duties, student and community services, and administrative assistants. The program requires every full-time student to work a minimum of 160 hours per semester, and the students are paid the prevailing minimum wage rate. Work experience at Alice Lloyd is designed to teach young people the meaning of responsible leadership, self-discipline, and self-reliance.

The College also offers other forms of financial assistance (via scholarships, federal loans, etc.) and even sponsors some students as they move on to graduate and professional programs. Alice Lloyd is the only college in the nation that supports many of its graduates as they pursue higher degrees.

Alice Lloyd is no stranger to national attention. The College is routinely ranked in U.S. News and World Report’s Best Colleges guide as the top college in the nation for graduating students with the least amount of average debt, has been named a “Top Tier College” for overall academic quality, was selected 4th among southern regional colleges on the “Great Schools, Great Prices” list, was ranked 2nd in selectivity, and, over the summer, made headlines on The Today Show.

TheBestSchools.org is an independent organization with no ties to any other educational institution. All its editors know the academic world inside-out, with some holding Ph.D.s and having extensive experience in teaching, research, and publishing at the university level.

The future looks bright at Alice Lloyd College! We invite you to visit us on any of our Eagle Day Saturday events (please call ahead to schedule your visit):  http://www.alc.edu/admissions/schedule-a-visit/.

Also, help us continue the miracle at ALC! It takes the assistance of individuals all across this country to sustain our commitment of guaranteeing tuition to each one of our qualified students.  Please visit http://www.alc.edu/alumni-giving/ways-to-give/ to find out how you can help.