Federal ‘college scorecard’ on Capital Region schools released

In his State of the Union address Tuesday night, President Barack Obama talked about a “college scorecard” that families can use to see “where you can get the most bang for your educational buck.” As promised, the White House posted the scorecard online today, creating a new universal system to compare the educational value of colleges and universities. Here’s a snapshot of what the scorecard says about some Capital Region institutions:
• LSU: Average annual attendance costs are $10,629 for undergraduates; 59.9% of full-time students receive their bachelor’s degree within six years, which is medium-to-high according to national rankings; 4.9% of graduates default on their federal student loans within three years of entering repayment; $172.62 is the typical monthly loan payment over 10 years.
• Southern University: Attendance per year typically costs $10,272 for undergraduates; 19.2% of full-time students receive their bachelor’s degree within six years, which is low according to national rankings; 12% of graduates default on their federal student loans within three years of entering repayment; $266.12 is the typical monthly loan payment over 10 years.
• Southeastern Louisiana University, Hammond: Average annual attendance cost is $7,440 for undergraduates; 33.2% of full-time students receive their bachelor’s degree within six years, which is low according to national rankings; 10.6% of graduates default on their federal student loans within three years of entering repayment; $143.85 is the typical monthly loan payment over 10 years.