Many of Indiana's independent colleges and universities consistently place at or near the top of the higher education rankings, such as those found in U.S. News & World Report, Barron's, Peterson's, and The Templeton Guide. The reasons are simple:

• Teaching is the top priority of faculty at Indiana's independent colleges. While faculty at many private institutions conduct significant amounts of research, the emphasis is on helping students meet their educational objectives.

• The average student/faculty ratio at Indiana's independent colleges is 12:1.

• Graduates of Indiana's independent colleges and universities have a high rate of acceptance into graduate and professional programs. For example, in Fall 2004, graduates of Indiana's independent colleges and universities made up 27 percent of the Indiana University School of Medicine's incoming class.

Indiana's independent colleges and universities are the choice of more than 75,000 students each year.

• More than 130 majors are offered on 31 campuses located in every region of the state; independent colleges and universities are found in large urban areas, quiet suburban locations, and bucolic rural settings.

• Independent colleges in Indiana enroll over 22 percent of all students and award about 32 percent of all baccalaureate degrees in the state, including more than one-third of the degrees in such high-demand areas as chemistry, physics, nursing, and the biosciences.

• Indiana's independent colleges enroll approximately one-fourth of all minority college students, including 23 percent of African-American students.

• While the overall tuition, or "sticker price," of an independent college or university is higher than that of a state college or university, independent colleges and universities are prepared to meet the financial needs of their admitted students through generous financial aid offerings, often resulting in lower "out of pocket" expenses for many families.

• Most full-time students receive scholarships or other grants that significantly reduce the cost of attendance. Combining state and federal scholarship programs, low-interest loans, private scholarships, and on-campus employment gives most needy students the resources they need to enroll at their top choice institution. Attending an Indiana independent college or university is therefore possible for students from even the poorest circumstances. Indeed, more than 90 percent of the full-time students enrolled at independent colleges or universities receive one or more types of financial aid to make their enrollment possible.