<h4 id="section---Pros">Pros</h4> <ul><li>Career, financial aid, substance abuse, and personal counseling available as well as employment and placement services for graduates, remedial instruction, and tutoring </li><li>Accepts credit for life experiences, CLEP, and AP credit </li><li>Tuition is $3,096 less than the national average for private, for-profit schools </li></ul><h4 id="section---Cons">Cons</h4> <ul><li>Student-to-faculty ratio is 24:1, which is 13 higher than the national average for private schools </li><li>Graduation rate is 31 points lower than the national average </li><li>Located far from major cities and airports </li></ul><h3 id="section---RankingsAndSchoolAnalysis">Rankings and School Analysis</h3> <p>Mount Washington College -- previously Hesser College -- was originally founded as a small business college and has grown to include five different instructional sites throughout New Hampshire. Currently, this school offers a range of diploma as well as associate's and bachelor's programs in fields such as allied health; arts, sciences and design; business; legal studies; and education. </p> <p>The Manchester location of Mount Washington College includes residence halls, a gymnasium, administrative offices, labs, library, and classrooms. It is located a little more than 50 miles from Boston, MA, and is situated within a business park that includes corporate offices, a childcare center, local television stations, a restaurant and other businesses that are unaffiliated with the school. So, if you are looking for a school that is conveniently located in a mid-sized city, and if you're not sure about your academic record, you may want to add Mount Washington College to your list of schools to consider. </p> <p>The open admissions policy means that admissions requirements are not selective, and since AP and CLEP credit, as well as credit for life experience, is accepted at the school, you may even be able to earn some credits before you start. There are also a number of student services available to help in both your personal and academic life, so if you find you are having difficulty in these areas, there are places at this school where you can go for help. </p> <p>The total cost to attend Mount Washington College in 2012-2013, including tuition, fees and off-campus living expenses, was $23,052, according to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). However, tuition and fees alone were $11,964, which is less than the national average for private, for-profit schools in that year ($15,090, as per the College Board). </p> <p>Something else you should be aware of about Mount Washington College is its higher than average student-to-teacher ratio. This means that class sizes at Mount Washington may be a little larger than those at other schools, and you may have a little less access to your teachers. Additionally, the school's graduation rate for students pursuing bachelor's degrees in 2006 was nine percent, as per NCES. This is lower than the national average of 40% for schools of all types. </p> <h2 id="section---GettingInAndFinancialAidAtMountWashingtonCollege">Getting in and Financial Aid at Mount Washington College</h2> <p>All students who want to enroll in classes at Mount Washington College must complete an application and an informational interview, and submit a $10 fee. The open admissions policy at this school means that virtually everyone who chooses to enroll is able to do so. However, prospective students in some programs will be required to earn a minimum score on the Wonerlic SLE - a nationally standardized test. Also, all students must be able to speak, read, and write in English to be able to enroll in classes. If you feel that you have not made satisfactory progress in your high school courses, it's good to know that your application will also be evaluated on personal qualities, extra-curricular activities, community involvement, job experience, and, in some cases, a personal interview. </p> <p>Although there is no application deadline for admissions, you should note that if you want to apply for financial aid, you should have your application in by May 1st for priority consideration. It is also worthwhile to note the school's student loan default rate of 20.2%, which means that more than 20% of those who borrowed money to help pay for their education at Mount Washington were not able to begin repayment within three years. The national average default rate, according to the NCES, is 13.4%, which means that Hesser's rate is 3.3 percentage points higher than average. </p> <p /> <table border="1"><tr><th>Admissions and Financial Aid</th><th /></tr> <tr><td> <i>Regular Application Deadline (2013)</i> </td><td> Rolling admissions*</td></tr> <tr><td><i>Financial Aid Application Deadline (2013)</i></td><td> May 1**</td></tr> <tr><td><i>Application Fee (2013)</i></td><td> $10**</td></tr> <tr><td><i>Acceptance Rate (2011)</i></td><td> Open admissions*</td></tr> <tr><td><i>Tuition and Fees (2012-2013)</i></td><td> $ $11,964</td></tr> <tr><td><i>Student Loan Default Rate (2010)</i></td><td> 20.2%**</td></tr> </table><h2 id="section---StudentLifeAtMountWashingtonCollege">Student Life at Mount Washington College</h2> <p>The College Board reports that although 18% of Mount Washington freshman live on-campus, 10% of all students choose to do so. Some student clubs at Mount Washington include choral groups, radio station, TV station, yearbook, and both intercollegiate and intramural sports. There are no fraternities or sororities at this school. </p> <p>NCES also reports an 47% retention rate for Mount Washington College in 2011-2012. This indicates that nearly half of first-year, full-time students who began their studies at Mount Washington in 2011 returned for a second year of study. Mount Washington encourages all prospective students to come by for a visit so you can meet faculty and students, check out the facilities, and address any other relevant questions you might have. </p> <p /> <table border="1"><tr><th> Student Life</th><th /></tr> <tr><td><i>Campus Setting</i></td><td> Mid-size city**</td></tr> <tr><td><i>Student Population (2012)</i></td><td> 2,970 (all undergraduates)**</td></tr> <tr><td><i>Male-to-Female Student Ratio (2012)</i></td><td> 31% male, 69% female**</td></tr> <tr><td><i>% of Full-Time Students (2012)</i></td><td> 63%**</td></tr> <tr><td><i>% of In-State Students (2011)</i></td><td> 83%**</td></tr> <tr><td><i>Retention Rate (2011-2012)</i></td><td>47%**</td></tr> <tr><td><i>Campus Housing Available</i></td><td> yes**</td></tr> <tr><td><i>% of Students Living On-Campus (2011)</i></td><td>10%**</td></tr> </table><p><i>Sources: *Mount Washington College, **NCES, ***College Board, ****U.S. News and World Report</i> </p> <h3 id="section---ContactInformation">Contact Information</h3> <ul><li><i>Address:</i> Mount Washington College, 3 Sundial Avenue, Manchester, NH 03103 </li><li><i>Phone:</i> 800-935-1824</li></ul>