Neumont University Reviews Educational Bang for Your Buck

Neumont Univeristy: Proven Bang for the Educational Buck

President Obama is introducing a new scorecard to measure a university's "bang for [the] educational buck." Neumont University has long been advocating for this sort of institutional-value reporting by publishing an annual Return on Investment.

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SALT LAKE CITY, Feb.14, 2013  -- In last night's State of the Union address, President Obama stated, "My administration will release a new "College Scorecard" that parents and students can use to compare schools based on a simple criteria- where you can get the most bang for your educational buck."  Utah's Neumont University couldn't agree more.

 

Neumont University's President, Edward H. Levine , has long been an advocate of measuring universities on student outcomes and return on tuition investment, not research and athletic programs.  "A college education is one of the most substantial investments a family will make, and universities have an obligation to weigh the cost of tuition against the expected earnings of their graduates. At Neumont University, our student loan default rate is low, graduation rates are high, and more than 96 percent of our graduates are employed in their field -computer science- upon graduation. What's more, we have not raised tuition for five consecutive years. We are proud to be a nimble educator where student outcomes are a priority."

Over the past three years, companies ranging from local technology firms to industry giants like Microsoft and IBM have been competing to hire Neumont's top talent, making offers designed to attract Neumont graduates with generous average starting compensation ranging from $60,000 to $100,000, travel and equipment allowances, stock options, and student loan reimbursements. Considering Neumont's $72,000 tuition cost (before scholarship), and Neumont's compressed 2.5 years to a bachelor's degree schedule, Neumont graduates enjoy a return on their tuition investment that is unparalleled in higher education. Laura Parson , Neumont's Director of University Relations says, "A focus on relevant education and graduate outcomes has consistently been a cornerstone of the Neumont approach. Neumont works with industry leaders to build a curriculum designed around the education and skills that are in high demand. "

Michael Ziminsky , age 20, was aggressively pursued by some of Neumont's top employer partners and received multiple offers with generous compensation packages well above the $60,000[1] national average for computer science graduates before he accepted an offer as a Software Engineer at TripAdvisor. He has said of his education, "The real world project experience I have gained from Neumont's classes and Enterprise projects has been invaluable throughout the interviewing process - my transition into the workforce will be nearly seamless.

ABOUT NEUMONT UNIVERSITY

Neumont University has long been praised by industry leaders like Microsoft, Amazon, Google, IBM and even the Department of Education[2] for its innovative, paradigm-shifting approach to computer science education.  Neumont has re-engineered the traditional four-year college degree into an intense, 2.5 to 3.0 year course of study where students are enrolled year-round in a full-time schedule that replicates the work environment – with no summers off.

Neumont University offers the following programs with a focus on digital science:

• Bachelor of Science in Computer Science
• Bachelor of Science in Software and Game Development
• Bachelor of Science in Business Technology Operations Management
• Bachelor of Science in Web Design and Development

From day one, students are immersed in a rigorous, project-based curriculum and complete up to three quarters of Enterprise Projects, a sequence of mandatory team-based development projects with real deadlines for employers like IBM, Nike, and Bosch. As a result of this professionally-focused academic approach, over 80% of Enterprise Project partners hire the Neumont graduates who work on their project teams, and over 96% of Neumont graduates are employed in field within six months of graduation[3]. Neumont graduates work for a wide variety of companies including Google, IBM, MSNBC, Microsoft, Nike, Bosch, Johnson and Johnson, and TripAdvisor, and accept offers with average first year compensation of over $62,400[4].

More information is available at www.neumont.edu. 

[1] www.nace.org: NACE Salary Survey, September 2012 Executive Summary

[2] www.neumont.edu/news: 2006 Spellings Report: Commission on Higher Education, and 2010 Chronicle of Higher Education "Career Colleges Deserve a Say."

[3] www.neumont.edu/results: Employment statistic is calculated using verified data for the 95% of 2009-2011 B.S. in Computer Science graduates who opted into Neumont's Career Services Program. Neumont University verifies employment by employers in writing. Neumont University does not guarantee employment for future graduates.

[4] www.neumont.edu/results: Salary statistic is calculated using verified data for the 93% of 2011 B.S. in Computer Science graduates with verified first-year compensation. Neumont University verifies first-year compensation by employers in writing. Neumont University does not guarantee first-year compensation for future graduates.

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SOURCE Neumont University

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College Investment Should Deliver a REAL Return

Yesterday, Pew Researchers announced that 57% of Americans say that the US Education system is not worth the money students spend. The researchers surveyed 2,142 adults 18 and older from March 15 - April 24, 2011. Participants answered several questions about the college experience, including: "Do you think students coming from public high schools into college, today, are better prepared or worse prepared or about the same as students 10 years ago?" Nearly six in 10 say they're not as well-prepared and only about 7 percent say they're better prepared.


This is a point Neumont has been striving to make for nearly a decade.  We believe that a University must focus on preparing students for the world they'll face after graduation.  And, this can't be done through a series of courses without relevant application to the world of work they're preparing to enter.  


While some people have the luxury of pursuing a college education purely for the advancement of their knowledge.  That is not a privilege that most Americans enjoy; most people attend college to prepare themselves for a career.  As we've said a thousand times, what good is college if it doesn't deliver results?


College is a major investment in your future, and - as the Pew study states, many Americans are feeling disenchanted by the return they're getting for their educational dollars.  It was this very issue the US Department of Education was trying to address in 2006 when they released their study on US higher education which cited Neumont for leading the charge in innovation in education, with an approach designed around the needs of industry, and the needs of students to see a real, and dependable return on their tuition dollar. 


"ROI - is what Neumont wants all of our graduates to measure their Neumont investment against.  It's why we take delivering a high quality professionally-focused education so seriously, while refusing to compromise on the necessary professional, technical, and academic competencies our Industry Partners are looking to hire." Neumont University President Ned Levine stated, when asked about the recent report. 


So, this fall, while some students choose a college based on short-term convenience features (close to home, it's where friends are going, etc.) we feel that the students who choose Neumont will be making an unparalleled investment, with a proven history of delivering the type of results not many Universities can claim.


Is Neumont worth the investment?  Absolutely!  But, what do the alumnus think?  Share your thoughts on the Neumont investment