打折無(wú)效，美國(guó)小型學(xué)院改打降價(jià)牌

Getting Out of Discount Game, Small Colleges Lower the Price

打折無(wú)效，美國(guó)小型學(xué)院改打降價(jià)牌

A higher education riddle: When can a college slash tuition by almost half, without losing revenues? Answer: When nobody much pays full tuition anyway.

一道高等教育謎題：一所學(xué)院什么時(shí)候可以削減近一半學(xué)費(fèi)，而不會(huì)損失收入?謎底：當(dāng)沒(méi)有人支付全額學(xué)費(fèi)的時(shí)候。

When Converse College, a tiny women’s college here, announced that it was “resetting” next year’s tuition at $16,500, down 43 percent from the current year’s published price of $29,000, the talk was about affordability, transparency and a better deal for struggling families.

肯弗斯學(xué)院(Converse College)打算把明年的學(xué)費(fèi)“重新設(shè)定”為1.65萬(wàn)美元，較本年度公布的2.9萬(wàn)美元學(xué)費(fèi)下降43%。宣布這項(xiàng)消息時(shí)，這所小規(guī)模女子學(xué)院強(qiáng)調(diào)的是經(jīng)濟(jì)承受能力和透明度，并且聲稱(chēng)這樣做更有利于經(jīng)濟(jì)困難家庭。

But of Converse’s 700 undergraduates, only a small number — in the single digits, its president said, paid the full sticker price in recent years. Almost everyone received a tuition discount from the college, along with, in many cases, financial aid from the state and federal governments.

但近些年來(lái)，在肯弗斯學(xué)院的700名本科生中，只有少數(shù)學(xué)生全額按標(biāo)價(jià)支付了學(xué)費(fèi)——該校校長(zhǎng)透露說(shuō)，這個(gè)數(shù)字是個(gè)位數(shù)。幾乎每位學(xué)生都獲得了該校給予的學(xué)費(fèi)折扣，還有很多人獲得州和聯(lián)邦政府發(fā)放的助學(xué)金。

Now, like some other small private colleges, Converse is cutting tuition and reducing discounts. Betsy Fleming, Converse’s president, said the tuition discount rate would drop to 25 percent, well below the national average, from the current 56 percent. The college will still offer aid to talented students, but only to the extent covered by its $39 million endowed scholarship funds.

現(xiàn)在，像其他小規(guī)模私立院校一樣，肯弗斯學(xué)院打算削減學(xué)費(fèi)，并減少折扣。該校校長(zhǎng)貝特西·弗萊明(Betsy Fleming)表示，學(xué)費(fèi)折扣率將從目前的56%下降至25%，遠(yuǎn)低于全美平均水平。這所學(xué)院仍將資助優(yōu)秀學(xué)生，但只在該校3900萬(wàn)獎(jiǎng)學(xué)基金夠付的范圍內(nèi)。

While Converse’s reset was the most drastic, others including Concordia University in Oregon, Ashland University in Ohio, Ave Maria University in Florida, Belmont Abbey College in North Carolina and Alaska Pacific University in Anchorage, have also recently announced tuition cuts.

盡管肯弗斯學(xué)院的學(xué)費(fèi)調(diào)整幅度非常大，但其他高等院校最近也宣布了削減學(xué)費(fèi)的計(jì)劃，比如俄勒岡州的康考迪亞大學(xué)(Concordia University)、俄亥俄州的阿什蘭大學(xué)(Ashland University)、佛羅里達(dá)州的圣母頌大學(xué)(Ave Maria University)、北卡羅萊納州的貝爾蒙特大學(xué)(Belmont Abbey College)，以及位于阿拉斯加安克雷奇市的阿拉斯加太平洋學(xué)院(Alaska Pacific University)。

For decades, most private college pricing has reflected the Chivas Regal effect — the notion that whether in a Scotch or a school, a higher price indicates higher quality.

大多數(shù)私立院校幾十年來(lái)的學(xué)費(fèi)定價(jià)反映了芝華士(Chivas Regal)效應(yīng)——無(wú)論是一瓶蘇格蘭威士忌，還是一所學(xué)校，高價(jià)象征著高質(zhì)量。

“Schools wanted a high tuition on the assumption that families would say that if they’re charging that high tuition, they must be right up there with the Ivies,” said David L. Warren, president of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities. “So schools would set a high tuition, then discount it. But when the schools in your peer group all have discounts, it becomes an untenable competition for students, with everyone having to increase their discounts.”

“學(xué)校想設(shè)定一個(gè)較高的學(xué)費(fèi)，因?yàn)樗麄兺葡?，學(xué)生家長(zhǎng)準(zhǔn)會(huì)說(shuō)，要是收這么高的學(xué)費(fèi)，其教學(xué)水平肯定也達(dá)到了常春藤院校級(jí)別，”全美獨(dú)立學(xué)院和大學(xué)協(xié)會(huì)(National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities)主席大衛(wèi)·沃倫(David L. Warren)這樣說(shuō)道。“所以，學(xué)校往往會(huì)設(shè)定一個(gè)較高的學(xué)費(fèi)，然后打折。但當(dāng)同檔次院校都在打折的時(shí)候，你就必須加大折扣力度，對(duì)于學(xué)生來(lái)說(shuō)，這樣的競(jìng)爭(zhēng)是站不腳的。”

At the nation’s most selective institutions, discounts are usually reserved for low- and middle-income students, and a third to a half of students pay the full sticker price. But colleges without a national reputation pass out discounts, in the form of aid, with a free hand — and not just to needy students.

在全美最難進(jìn)的高等院校，校方通常把折扣預(yù)留給中低收入學(xué)生，三分之一到一半學(xué)生支付全額學(xué)費(fèi)。但許多缺乏全國(guó)知名度的院校往往采用資助的方式隨意打折，享受折扣政策的不僅僅是家境困難學(xué)生。

“About a quarter of students at independent colleges are full-pay, and at institutions with small endowments and small name recognition, it’s single-digit,” Mr. Warren said.

“在獨(dú)立學(xué)院，大約四分之一的學(xué)生支付全額學(xué)費(fèi)，而在一些捐贈(zèng)基金較少，知名度較低的院校，只有個(gè)位數(shù)學(xué)生這樣做，”沃倫說(shuō)。

Over all, private colleges discounted freshman tuition by 45 percent last year, a new high, according to a survey by the National Association of College and University Business Officers, and the share of freshmen getting institutional aid rose to 87 percent last year, from 80 percent in 2002, also a new high.

根據(jù)全美學(xué)院和大學(xué)商務(wù)官員協(xié)會(huì)(National Association of College and University Business Officers)的一項(xiàng)調(diào)查，總體而言，私立院校去年向新生提供的學(xué)費(fèi)折扣率為45%，再創(chuàng)新高;去年獲得校方資助的新生比例從2012年的80%攀升至87%，也創(chuàng)下了歷史新高。

For all but the top-tier private colleges, these are tough times. Enrollment is flat or declining in many parts of the country. In November, Moody’s issued a report finding that more than 40 percent of colleges and universities face falling or stagnant tuition revenue. With family incomes stalled, many bargain-seeking students are drawn to public institutions. And for colleges that are not well known, the race to lure students with big discounts is becoming unsustainable.

現(xiàn)在，除個(gè)別頂尖名校外，大多數(shù)私立院校的日子都不好過(guò)。在美國(guó)許多地區(qū)，私立院校的在校學(xué)生人數(shù)不升反降。穆迪公司(Moody’s)11月份發(fā)布的一份報(bào)告稱(chēng)，超過(guò)40%的學(xué)院和大學(xué)面臨學(xué)費(fèi)收入不斷下降或陷入停滯的局面。由于家庭收入停滯不前，許多打算上學(xué)費(fèi)低廉大學(xué)的學(xué)生被吸引到公立院校。對(duì)于那些名聲不夠響亮的學(xué)院來(lái)說(shuō)，以大幅折扣吸引學(xué)生的競(jìng)爭(zhēng)越來(lái)越難以持續(xù)。

As a result, many private colleges are rethinking their pricing — whether cutting or freezing tuition, or locking in the freshman tuition for all four years.

其結(jié)果是，許多私立院校正在反思其定價(jià)策略——要么準(zhǔn)備降低或凍結(jié)學(xué)費(fèi)，要么將大學(xué)四年的學(xué)費(fèi)定為固定費(fèi)用。

“Whether you in fact make it more affordable with a reset or a freeze is not clear, since net revenues tend to come out about the same,” said Richard Ekman, president of the Council of Independent Colleges. “But there’s a public assumption that private higher ed is unaffordable, so anything that gets people’s attention and lets you have the conversation explaining that most people don’t pay full price, that it is within reach, is very important.”

“現(xiàn)在還不清楚重新設(shè)定或固定學(xué)費(fèi)是不是可以減輕學(xué)生的負(fù)擔(dān)，因?yàn)閮魻I(yíng)收很可能跟以前差不多，”獨(dú)立學(xué)院理事會(huì)(Council of Independent Colleges)主席理查德·埃克曼(Richard Ekman)說(shuō)。“但公眾往往以為，他們負(fù)擔(dān)不起私立高等教育。因此，任何措施，只要能夠吸引大家的注意力，讓你有機(jī)會(huì)解釋大多數(shù)學(xué)生并沒(méi)有全額付費(fèi)，學(xué)費(fèi)完全在承受范圍內(nèi)的，都是非常重要的。”

Sewanee, the University of the South, reduced its overall cost of attendance — tuition, fees, room and board — by 10 percent in 2011 to be more competitive with the public universities elsewhere in Tennessee, and in Georgia.

2011年，西沃恩南方大學(xué)(Sewanee, the University of the South)將其上學(xué)總成本(包括學(xué)費(fèi)、雜費(fèi)和食宿費(fèi))降低了10%，以加強(qiáng)相對(duì)于田納西州和喬治亞州公立大學(xué)的競(jìng)爭(zhēng)力。

“We’re happy with it,” said the vice chancellor, John M. McCardell Jr. “Our applications continue to grow, our selectivity and yield and retention are all improving.”

“我們很樂(lè)意這樣做，”副校長(zhǎng)小約翰·M·麥克卡代爾(John M. McCardell Jr.)說(shuō)：“我們的申請(qǐng)人數(shù)持續(xù)增長(zhǎng)，我們的新生素質(zhì)、報(bào)到率和返校率均在改善。”

True, costs have crept back up, almost to the $46,100 pre-cut level, but Sewanee now guarantees that tuition will not increase during a student’s four years at the college.

沒(méi)錯(cuò)，上學(xué)成本已經(jīng)悄然回升，幾乎恢復(fù)至降價(jià)前的水平(46100美元)，但西沃恩南方大學(xué)現(xiàn)在做出保證，大學(xué)四年的學(xué)費(fèi)不會(huì)增加。

With growing sensitivity to tuition increase, such fixed-rate guarantees are becoming more widespread. Just this week, Northland College in Wisconsin became the latest to announce such a step.

隨著人們對(duì)學(xué)費(fèi)上漲越來(lái)越敏感，這種學(xué)費(fèi)固定不變的承諾正變得越來(lái)越普遍。就在本周，威斯康星州的諾思蘭學(xué)院(Northland College)成為最新一家宣布這項(xiàng)步驟的大學(xué)。

Roger Williams University in Rhode Island turned to fixed-rate tuition after some market research.

羅德島的羅杰·威廉姆斯大學(xué)(Roger Williams University)是在經(jīng)過(guò)一番市場(chǎng)調(diào)研后，轉(zhuǎn)向?qū)W費(fèi)固定政策的。

“When I got here in June 2011, there were so few people paying full price that one wondered why we bothered,” said Donald Farish, the university’s president. “If everybody’s getting a discount, the notion that there is a full price is almost meaningless. It’s a model that makes no sense, and makes you feel like you’re in a Middle Eastern souk bargaining with the tourists who just arrived.”

“2011年6月份剛到這里時(shí)，幾乎沒(méi)有幾個(gè)學(xué)生支付全額學(xué)費(fèi)，以至于有人納悶我們?yōu)槭裁匆龠@份心，”該校校長(zhǎng)唐納德·法里什(Donald Farish)說(shuō)。“如果每個(gè)人都能拿到折扣，全額學(xué)費(fèi)就差不多是一個(gè)毫無(wú)意義的概念。這種模式根本就講不通，它讓你覺(jué)得你正在一個(gè)中東集市上跟剛來(lái)的游客討價(jià)還價(jià)。”

Mr. Farish talked to the board about cutting tuition “to present a more authentic number,” and hired consultants, Maguire Associates, to find out whether current and prospective families would prefer a campus that charged $23,000 or one that charged $36,000 but offered an average of $13,000 in aid.

法里什建議董事會(huì)把學(xué)費(fèi)削減至“一個(gè)更真實(shí)的數(shù)字，”并聘請(qǐng)馬古力顧問(wèn)咨詢(xún)公司(Maguire Associates)調(diào)查，目前和潛在的學(xué)生家庭究竟是喜歡大學(xué)收2.3萬(wàn)美元學(xué)費(fèi)，還是喜歡大學(xué)收3.6萬(wàn)美元，但平均提供1.3萬(wàn)美元的資助。

To Mr. Farish’s surprise, twice as many families preferred the high-cost, high-discount approach, and the consultants warned that cutting tuition would cut the freshman class in half. So instead, Mr. Farish has locked in freshman tuition for four years. This year, the university overshot its enrollment target by 100 students, he said, bringing in 40 more freshmen, and retaining 60 more sophomores, “which I think was largely because their tuition didn’t go up.”

令法里什驚訝的是，青睞高收費(fèi)高折扣方式的家庭竟然是另一類(lèi)家庭的兩倍。咨詢(xún)顧問(wèn)警告說(shuō)，削減學(xué)費(fèi)將導(dǎo)致入學(xué)新生減半。經(jīng)過(guò)權(quán)衡，法里什最終決定固定新生學(xué)費(fèi)，四年不變。今年，這所大學(xué)的學(xué)生人數(shù)比招生目標(biāo)多了100人，多招了40名新生，多留下了60名大二學(xué)生，“我認(rèn)為，這主要是因?yàn)閷W(xué)費(fèi)沒(méi)有上漲。”他說(shuō)。

But the consultant who worked with Converse and Concordia, Kevin W. Crockett of Noel-Levitz, said tuition cuts can be useful at colleges where the high sticker price is scaring off students, few pay full freight, and where the school is reasonably healthy over all.

但在受聘于肯弗斯學(xué)院和康考迪亞大學(xué)的Noel-Levitz公司咨詢(xún)師凱文·W·克羅克特(Kevin W. Crockett)看來(lái)，如果某些院校有可能因高收費(fèi)而嚇跑學(xué)生，很少有人支付全額費(fèi)用，而學(xué)校整體表現(xiàn)比較健康，削減學(xué)費(fèi)或許能夠產(chǎn)生一些效果。

“If the school’s doing badly, a tuition cut can look like an act of desperation,” he said. “Also, it has to be part of an overall business strategy, emphasizing the program.”

“要是學(xué)校自身的表現(xiàn)很差勁，削減學(xué)費(fèi)看上去就像是一種走投無(wú)路的絕望行為，”他說(shuō)。“此外，它必須是一項(xiàng)旨在增強(qiáng)學(xué)校實(shí)力的整體商業(yè)戰(zhàn)略的組成部分。”

Converse, the nation’s only women’s college competing in Division II sports, met those conditions. After some difficult years, the college is on an upswing, with the largest freshman class in years, a new genetics counseling program, a new field house and a strong music school.

作為全美唯一一所加入大學(xué)聯(lián)賽乙組(Division II)的女子院校，肯弗斯學(xué)院符合這些條件。熬過(guò)幾個(gè)艱難的學(xué)年之后，這所學(xué)院終于撥云見(jiàn)日，不僅新生人數(shù)達(dá)歷年之最，還新設(shè)了一個(gè)遺傳學(xué)咨詢(xún)項(xiàng)目，一座體育館和一個(gè)陣容強(qiáng)大的音樂(lè)學(xué)系。

While the reset will have little effect on net revenue per student, Ms. Fleming said, the lower sticker price should increase interest in the school. Indeed both applications and donations have increased.

弗萊明校長(zhǎng)說(shuō)，盡管重設(shè)學(xué)費(fèi)對(duì)每位學(xué)生帶來(lái)的凈營(yíng)收影響不大，但更低的標(biāo)價(jià)應(yīng)該會(huì)加大學(xué)校的感召力。事實(shí)上，申請(qǐng)人數(shù)和捐款金額均有所增長(zhǎng)。

“We’re taking the fear of the price tag out of the equation on the front end,” she said. “When I think about tuition discounting, it seems deceptive, like a smoke-and-mirrors game. I think a majority of colleges like us could do exactly what we’re doing if they trusted that they don’t have to buy students.”

“我們正在擺脫對(duì)學(xué)費(fèi)價(jià)碼的恐懼，”她說(shuō)。“一想到不斷打折的學(xué)費(fèi)，我就覺(jué)得它帶有欺騙性，就像障眼術(shù)。我認(rèn)為，大多數(shù)像我們這樣的院校完全可以做我們正在做的事情，如果他們確信自己沒(méi)必要收買(mǎi)學(xué)生的話(huà)。”