Rejecting Academic Potential for Dollar Bills

April 3rd, 2009

The New York Times recently addressed the financial aid climate of college admissions in an article that is quite disturbing to me. Financial aid has always been an issue and great concern for pretty much the entire college-application population. But because of the state of the economy, it is definitely at a low point.

While financial aid is still available to some, it is certainly not as available as it once was. This is, of course, completely understandable. However, in the article, some admissions offices revealed that they are looking to admit applicants who don’t apply for financial aid or those who come from wealthy families:

This year, many of these colleges say they are more inclined to accept students who do not apply for aid, or whom they judge to be less needy based on other factors, like ZIP code or parents’ background.

Although such colleges admit to applying this mindset only to those “students at the margins, the ones who would probably be ‘maybes,’” it’s a scary factor, for sure. Now, in addition to being faced with a million different emotions and issues with affording college, parents must also grapple with knowing that their pleas for aid may affect the acceptance of their children into their college of choice.

Colleges want those students who will be able to pay tuition in full, especially as endowments do not increase. What we have here is rising tuition and an attitude that is blinded by the green monster of the almighty dollar. Now, more than ever, this makes colleges seem more like businesses than institutions designed to better students’ (and the country’s) future.

This is certainly a sign of the times that those with more academic potential but less endowment potential would get rejected from their prestigious dream college. Could this be a trending discriminatory practice?

-Amanda Fornecker

Entry Filed under: College Admissions, College Trends, Financial Aid