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Update on Flagler College’s Data Misreporting

By WTOP Staff

In February, Flagler College in Florida announced that it had misreported admissions data of incoming freshmen for several years and that it would supply U.S. News with corrected data that were used in the Best Colleges rankings. The school has issued an update, confirming that it submitted inflated fall 2012 admissions data that were used in last year’s Best Colleges rankings, which are no longer published on our website now that the 2015 edition of the rankings has been released.

The revised data were contained in an Investigative Report commissioned by Flagler College’s Board of Trustees and conducted by the law firms McGuireWoods and D’Alemberte & Palmer.

Flagler’s president, Dr. William T. Abare Jr., had called for this investigation to determine the reason for, and the source of, the discrepancies as a result of the February discovery by a faculty member that there were suspicious data inconsistencies between reported and actual freshman SAT and ACT scores.

U.S. News analyzed Flagler’s revised fall 2012 admissions data and found it would have resulted in the school’s numerical rank being lower than what U.S. News published in the 2014 edition of the rankings, where Flagler was ranked at No. 8 in the Regional Colleges (South) category. If Flagler had reported its corrected data sooner, U.S. News would have moved the school to the ” Unranked” category in the 2014 edition of the Best Colleges rankings on usnews.com due to the discrepancies in the rankings. Unranked means that U.S. News did not calculate numerical rankings for these schools.

The report’s key findings said that “in hundreds of cases, SAT and ACT scores have been fabricated; high school grade point averages (“GPA”), manipulated; and low high school class rank values for certain freshman students, deleted. Consequently, the academic profile reported by the College for its incoming freshman class has been artificially inflated since 2004.” The report noted that these data were also misreported to the U.S. Department of Education, the Princeton Review and Wintergreen Orchard House.

Flagler College officials said that for the school’s fall 2012 class the correct average SAT math score was 508 and SAT critical reading score was 523, compared with the incorrect SAT math score of 552 and SAT critical reading score of 565 that were originally reported to U.S. News, a combined 86-point difference.

In terms of ACT composite scores, the correct average was 22, compared with the 24 originally reported.

For high school class standing, the proportion of entering freshmen from the top 25 percent was corrected to 32.6 percent from the originally reported 45 percent.

The average SAT and ACT scores have a weight of 8.125 percent, and high school class standing a weight of 3.125, in the Best Colleges ranking methodology.

U.S. News received a letter from Flagler College’s president, which noted that McGuireWoods had certified the accuracy of the fall 2013 admissions statistics submitted to U.S. News for the recently published 2015 Best Colleges rankings.

U.S. News will continue to handle each case of data misreporting on an individual basis.

More from U.S. News

Flagler College Misrepresents Admissions Data

What We’ve Learned in 30 Editions of the Best Colleges Rankings

U.S. News Publishes College Crime Statistics, Loan Default Data

Update on Flagler College’s Data Misreporting originally appeared on usnews.com

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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