Now more than ever, the current state of the economy demands that today's students and parents identify the best educational offerings at the most affordable prices. At Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, students learn at a nationally recognized university dedicated to educating and developing professional and community leaders through its excellent faculty and programs.

Located just 25 minutes from downtown St. Louis, and identified as one of the safest university campuses in the nation, SIUE offers the advantages of a small, liberal arts college—with a 17-to-1 student-to-teacher ratio—at the lowest tuition rate of all 12 state universities in Illinois. And Missouri students can qualify for reduced and in-state tuition at a guaranteed four-year rate.

For fall 2011, SIUE offered scholarships and awards recognizing academic achievements to over 1,500 students out of a record applicant pool of more than 8,300 students. This year's scholarship recipients have an average ACT score of 25.5 and an average high school GPA of 3.51 on a 4.0 scale.

"We are particularly pleased with the cultural and geographic diversity of our recipients," said Scott Belobrajdic, assistant vice chancellor for enrollment management. "This year, 33 percent of merit award recipients came from underrepresented cultural backgrounds."

For more information about SIUE, visit siue.edu/explore.