Today's college spotlight takes us 60 miles south of Cleveland where we find The College of Wooster, one of Ohio's top private liberal arts colleges. As a member of the Five Colleges of Ohio consortium, the College of Wooster collaborates on both the academic and athletic fronts with Oberlin College, Kenyon College, Ohio Wesleyan University, and Denison University. For its strong academics, The College of Wooster was awarded a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa.

One of the college's most noteworthy features is its I.S. or Independent Study program. Every senior works with a faculty mentor to complete a major project that must be defended orally in front of a faculty committee. The college prides itself on teaching students how to think, not what to think.

While no private colleges are cheap, The College of Wooster does well on the financial aid front. Nearly all students receive financial aid, and the award packages tend to provide far more grant money than loans.

If you'd like to learn more about The College of Wooster, check out the College of Wooster profile and visit the official College of Wooster website. If you're familiar with The College of Wooster, please share your thoughts.

Every week I spotlight a great college that might be off the radar of college applicants. If you'd like to recommend a school for a future spotlight, please do so here in the College Admissions forum.

For students who want their college experience to include the excitement of Division I athletics, many of these state universities offer winning sports teams, quality academics, and excellent values. Click on a university's name to learn more about each school including acceptance rates, average test scores, costs and financial aid information.

• Florida State University
• Georgia Tech
• Oregon State
• Penn State
• University of Alabama
• University of Florida
• University of Texas

Today's spotlight takes us to Ewing, New Jersey, a suburb of the state capital, Trenton. The College of New Jersey is one of the top public liberal arts colleges in the United States. With an acceptance rate below 50%, seven schools, and over 50 degree programs, the college can boast of both strong students and wide-ranging academic opportunities.

New Jersey has higher tuition than most states, but The College of New Jersey often makes up the difference with financial aid. Also, both in-state and out-of-state students will find that the price tag is still significantly lower than comparable private liberal arts colleges.

The College of New Jersey has remarkable success providing a high quality of student life. The 83% six-year graduation rate and high freshman retention rate are well above the norm for both public and private colleges.

If you'd like to learn more about The College of New Jersey, check out the College of New Jersey profile and visit the official College of New Jersey website. If you're familiar with The College of New Jersey, please share your thoughts.

Every week I spotlight a great college that might be off the radar of college applicants. If you'd like to recommend a school for a future spotlight, please do so here in the forum.

The general feeling among many families struggling financially is that public universities and two-year colleges are the only affordable options available to them. This logic isn't always sound. For one, tuition at public colleges and universities is likely to increase significantly as states struggle with massive budget deficits. Mid-year tuition hikes are even possible this winter.

Also, private colleges and universities, because they are private, often have more flexibility than state schools when it comes to dealing with financial crisis. Where the state's response is often to raise tuition, private colleges may do just the opposite to attract new students--minimize tuition increases and offer competitive financial aid. Agnes Scott, for example, increased its total cost by just 2.69% for 2009-10, the smallest increase in 35 years and a number that is about half the rate of inflation. Many colleges such as Middlebury and Williams are postponing construction projects, and a great number of schools are scaling back on filling vacancies. The general idea is to cut costs, not squeeze more money out of students.

To see how dozens of top private colleges and universities are responding to the economic downturn, check out this compilation of articles put together by NAICU, the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities.