• Clubs and Organizations: A sense of the extracurricular opportunities on campus can be gleaned from a list of major clubs and organizations, the numbers of fraternities and sororities, and the proportion of undergraduates who are members. All the information is for the 2011-2012 academic year.
• Sports: In this section, you'll find information about the school's intercollegiate varsity sports program. Is the school a member of either the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) or the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA)? During the 2011-2012 academic year, how many intercollegiate varsity sports—and which ones—were offered for men and women?
Campus Info & Services: In this section, you'll find out if students are permitted to have cars on campus, which student services are offered (counseling services, remediation, and career-placement services, for example), an idea of the size of the library's collection, and information on computer resources. Are students required to take a computer course? Are they required to lease or own a computer? How many computers does the school have for students to use? Is a wireless network available to all students? Where on campus are computers available for student use? Campus security services are enumerated, too. All the information is for the 2011-2012 academic year.
• Disabled Students: Students with learning disabilities can find out here whether the school offers a specific program for them and how many undergraduates are receiving services. Are admissions requirements for learning-disabled students the same as those for other students? Is a GED certification accepted? Is a lighter-than-usual college course load an option for learning-disabled students? Is additional time allowed to complete an undergraduate degree? Is credit toward a degree given for remedial courses? Services offered to learning-disabled students also are listed. All the information is for the 2011-2012 academic year.
Likewise, physically disabled students can find out about services provided, the accessibility of the campus, and whether campus housing specifically for disabled students is available. All the information is for the 2011-2012 academic year.
Paying for School: One statistic you will surely want to know is the sticker price: tuition, room and board, and required fees. We give figures for the 2012-2013 academic year. For public schools, we list both in-state and out-of-state tuition. If data for the 2012-2013 academic year are not available, we show figures for 2011-2012 or, in some cases, the school's estimate for 2012-2013. We also provide estimates of the cost of books and supplies, transportation, and personal needs for the 2012-2013 academic year. In some cases, a comprehensive fee is listed, which includes tuition, room and board, and other expenses.
In addition we have listed each school's net price calculator that helps students determine a how much it will cost them to attend the school and whether they qualify for need-based financial aid.
Anyone planning to apply for financial aid for the fall of 2013 will find a rundown of the necessary forms and deadlines. Which types of need-based scholarships and grants are available to students? What are the criteria used in awarding institutional need-based aid? What criteria are used in awarding institutional non-need-based aid? What loan programs are available? What tuition payment plans are open to undergraduates?
The data on financial aid packages given out to undergraduates during the 2011-2012 school year include the percentage of undergraduates who applied for aid, the percentage determined by the school to have financial need, and what percentage had their need fully met by an aid package that excluded parent or other private loans.
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