Jesse Kloss- Quiz: Analyzing Change
The percentage difference of in state tuition and fees versus out of state tuition and fees is similar between UA and Mizzou. For UA, it was 63.86%, whereas for Mizzou it was 60.70%. This means that out of state students at Mizzou pay $15,657 more on average than in state students, and out of state students at UA pay $13,304 more. One of the major differences between the data sets was that there was a 20.86% increase in the cost of books and supplies at Mizzou, whereas Arkansas students saw a -21.75% decrease in the cost of books and supplies from the 2012-2013 school year to the 2015-2016 year. In-state and out of state tuition and fees have increased for both UA and Mizzou students, but there are some differences in the rates for the two institutions. The out of state tuition rate for Mizzou students increased by 2.89% from the 2014-2015 year to 2015-2016. The out of state tuition rate for UA students increased by 7.52% from the 2014-2015 year to 2015-2016. The out of state tuition rate has steadily climbed for UA students at higher rates than that of Mizzou students. Both out of state tuition rates and in state tuition rates increased yearly at higher rates at UA than at Mizzou. However, both in state and out of state students at Mizzou pay higher tuition and fees on average than UA students, though as mentioned before, the rates are increasing at higher rates for UA students.
College Navigator Spreadsheet:
I think the lede is a bit off – focus on the big picture: Missouri is far more expensive for out of state students than Arkansas, while in-state students pay close to the same rates. Also, provide some context by mentioning the absolute figures – it is one thing to describe the percentage changes but the readers will want to know, “a change from what?” Missouri out of state tuition rose less than Arkansas but it was still $39,840.
Check AP style on writing with numbers. Yoo don’t put a minus sign in front of a negative number: “whereas Arkansas students saw a -21.75% decrease”
On the spreadsheet:
–Good on the data biography
–Clean sheet – use a little more formatting and highlighting next time to emphasize the findings