North County-Area Colleges Profiled by White House

President Barack Obama used part of his State of The Union address Feb. 12 to promote the release of an education scorecard, a tool he said "parents and students can use to compare schools based on a simple criteria: where you can get the most bang for your educational buck."

The College Scorecard was released the following day. It does not rank schools, like The Princeton Review or U.S. News & World Report.

Instead, it provides information about cost, gradaution rate, loan default and median borrowing. In the future, it will also include average earnings for graduates who attended school using federal loan dollars.

What does it say about schools in the North St. Louis County-area?

University of Missouri-St. Louis

COST

The average net cost is $16,465 per year after grants and scholarships, placing it in the "medium" range. 

GRADUATION RATE

According to the site, 50.5 percent of full-time students received their bachelor’s degree within 6 years, described as "medium."

"Graduation rate data are based on undergraduate students who enrolled full-time and have never enrolled in college before. This may not represent all undergraduates that attend this institution."

LOAN DEFAULT

More than 7.5 percent of borrowers defaulted on paying federal student loans within three years of repayment, below the national average of 13.4 percent.

MEDIAN BORROWING

According to the site, students borrow approximately $230.55 monthly, deemed in the "low" range.

Saint Louis Christian College

COST

The average net cost is $10,305 per year after grants and scholarships, placing it in the "high" range. The scorecard indicates a decrease of 12.5 percent between 2007 and 2009.

GRADUATION RATE

According to the site, 16.1 percent of full-time students received their bachelor’s degree within 6 years, described as "low."

"Graduation rate data are based on undergraduate students who enrolled full-time and have never enrolled in college before. This may not represent all undergraduates that attend this institution."

LOAN DEFAULT

More than 12 percent of borrowers defaulted on paying federal student loans within three years of repayment, below the national average of 13.4 percent.

MEDIAN BORROWING

According to the site, students borrow approximately $139.88 monthly, deemed in the "low" range.

Sanford-Brown College - Hazelwood

COST

The average net cost is $16,780 per year after grants and scholarships, placing it in the "medium" range. The scorecard indicates a decrease of 12.5 percent between 2007 and 2009.

GRADUATION RATE

According to the site, 31.9 percent of full-time students received their bachelor’s degree within 150 percent of the expected time for completion, described as "medium."

"Graduation rate data are based on undergraduate students who enrolled full-time and have never enrolled in college before. This may not represent all undergraduates that attend this institution."

LOAN DEFAULT

More than 28.8 percent of borrowers defaulted on paying federal student loans within three years of repayment, above the national average of 13.4 percent.

MEDIAN BORROWING

According to the site, students borrow approximately $121.47 monthly, deemed in the "low" range.