<p>I have at hand the book America's</a> Untapped Resource: Low-Income Students in Higher Education and I'll be reading the articles in that book to gain a better understanding of how low-income students deal with access to college educations. I know that repeated studies have shown that low-income students are by far the most underrepresented group in higher education, so much so that it is much more likely for a high-income, low-ability student to attend college and complete a college degree than for a low-income, high-ability student to attend college at all. </p>
<p>I wonder what colleges you would recommend to a student of limited means who seeks to gain knowledge and improve his family's opportunities in the next generation. Which colleges are looking for low-income students? Which colleges fit their needs well and help those students succeed and contribute to society after graduation?</p>
<p>Warren Wilson in North Carolina, traditionally known for giving farm kids a chance at college. Nowadays, it has a very tattooed or pierced vibe, I hear, but still offers the same opportunity.</p>
<p>Most of the top colleges have very large endowments and thus are able to provide aid for low income students. Princeton, for an example, is very generous with aid and has a no-loan policy, is need blind, and guarantees to meet the EFC.</p>
<p>Thanks for the replies. I suppose there are some colleges somewhat in-between those already mentioned. Probably a lot of readers of this forum need to consider this issue.</p>
<p>I think there are lots of ways this question could be answered.</p>
<p>If I was a low income student looking to get a quality education and yet be in an atmosphere that was sensitive to my needs, I would probably choose a community college and then transfer to a state school afterwards. By and large, CC's and state colleges are the best values out there, and I think it would be the combination of ambition and a solid education that would lead to improved opportunities.</p>
<p>A lot of elite schools are looking to increase the percentage of low-income students; however, "low-income" for elite schools means something much different than it does for the nation at large. For example, with the new Odyssey Scholars program at the University of Chicago, those from families earning less than 60k graduate debt-free. However, the median household income is around 48k. (Source: HINC-04--Part</a> 1) So for Chicago, a "low-income" student could be the same as an "above average" student. That leads me to think that most students at Chicago (and probably other elite schools) are, at the lower end of the spectrum, "above average." For a true low-income student at Chicago, it seems like finding others in one's income bracket would be near impossible, and the silver spoon tendencies of ANY private school might be unintentionally unwelcoming. College life is an easy money drain: what happens if your friends want to go to bars, restaurants, and concerts, and you don't have the money to do that? How comfortable would it be to tell your friends (decked out in North Face, Uggs, and Abercrombie) that you need to stay in because you can't afford going out with them?</p>
<p>On the other hand, I know of people who grew up in low-income households and for whom going to the elite school on a full ride was the best thing that ever happened to them, both for their social selves and for their futures. The person I'm thinking of wanted very badly to escape the environment that she grew up in, and the elite school she went to provided that escape.</p>
<p>Most women's colleges are welcoming to low-income students. The top women's colleges (Wellesley, Smith, Barnard, Bryn Mawr & Mt. Holyoke) are obviously looking for the top students, with generous financial aid available.</p>
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College life is an easy money drain: what happens if your friends want to go to bars, restaurants, and concerts, and you don't have the money to do that?
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<p>That's a very good follow-up to my thread-opening questions, as I want to better understand social issues like that. </p>
<p>Thanks for the suggestion to look at certain women's colleges. My daughter is nowhere near college-applying age, so first I have to deal with three sons who, presumably, will not be applying to those colleges. What are good colleges for boys in the income range of solidly middle class, which means slightly above the United States national average but well below the typical college-attending average?</p>
<p>My son attended Dartmouth recently with our family income in the middle quintile nationally. There are plenty of wealthy kids at Dartmouth. However, the role of money is pretty well submerged due to the isolation of the school. There just is no place to spend money, and even having a car is not a huge advantage. Students would travel together in someone's car to get shopping done for staples at WalMart, or to make a run for "beverages". Almost all the activities one would want happen on campus and are free, or nearly so.
As a result, there was almost never a sense in daily life which kids' parents had money and which didn't. This would come out in the occasional anecdote or trip home with another student.<br>
Schools with this level of endowment tend to support median income kids very well and, IMO, favor them in admissions as well. I believe this enough to have made sure that my first 2 applicants made clear in their applications that they needed major financial aid. I don't think there are more than a handful of truly "need blind" schools today. Some that say they are need blind are actually out to enroll more middle income kids.
SO, I would say isolated, deep-pocketed schools such as Williams are one category that can work well for middle income kids.</p>
<p>At the same token, I would think that the most unfriendly campuses towards low and middle-income students will be those in which city nightlife is a main source of social life.</p>
<p>Sometimes low income comes with unexpected baggage: parents/families are counting on the income of the student (working) to help pay with family expenses and on the physical presence of the student to help in day to day responsibilities (transportation/childcare,etc) that the average middle class family does not tend to think about. I have seen many students who were "guilt tripped" by parents to not apply to any schools but the local state school. Occasionally one goes elsewhere and the difference in spendable income can be a problem. One kids had tons of rich friends who were willing to pay his way so he could go along, but said it made him feel like their "pet". Another got a full ride to a great school very far away. His package did not include airfare but his fellow hs students and teachers made that possible. A year or so back was another article in the LA Times about the reluctance of certain groups to accept loans or even reveal their financial situation (therefore rendering the FAFSA unavailable to them). Can be a sociologist's nightmare - or thesis, depending how you look at it.</p>
<p>If you are a good candidate, and low income, look at private schools that are known to give a lot of aid. Sometimes it is easier to get aid at the liberal arts colleges than at universities. However, do not neglect to apply to your state university system, and to apply to a number of schools within the system. Often the flagship does not give as much aid as the lower ranked branches. At private schools, many if not most of the middle class families are struggling to pay, so I would not worry much about not having as much cash for entertainment, clothes, etc. They will be in the same situation, receiving less aid and paying more in tuition and fees.</p>
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Sometimes it is easier to get aid at the liberal arts colleges than at universities. However, do not neglect to apply to your state university system, and to apply to a number of schools within the system.
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<p>It is very good advice for low-income families to apply widely and compare offers.</p>
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I know that repeated studies have shown that low-income students are by far the most underrepresented group in higher education, so much so that it is much more likely for a high-income, low-ability student to attend college and complete a college degree than for a low-income, high-ability student to attend college at all.
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<p>Wow, that's hard to believe!</p>
<p>In NY, the CUNY and SUNY schools provide great value for the money and their niche is enrolling low- to middle-income students. CUNY, however, provides limited housing options, so that may be a drawback for someone wanting the full college experience. SUNY is a bit more expensive, but NYS has the wonderful TAP program, which in conjunction with the federal PELL program, serve to considerably bring down the costs of higher education for students attending colleges in NY state.</p>
<p>It may be a hard statement to believe, but it's true. </p>
<p>After edit: In New York, is there anything stopping SUNY and CUNY colleges from mostly enrolling reasonably well-off students who want to save a buck? That's a pretty common phenomenon in most state university systems.</p>
<p>Harvard and Columbia, if the student meets academic criteria for admission. It is my impression that most low-income students aim too low when it comes to colleges. They get scared away by the high tuition and application fees. Neither should be a factor in deciding where to apply.</p>
<p>I'm actually doing some research on this topic to present to my D's Guidance Office at her high school. We live in a small town/suburban area with a number of low and middle income students, and the high school GCs are not aware of the new financial aid initiatives being offered at some of the top colleges. They tend to encourage kids to apply only to Comm Colleges or state publics if they are low-income, even if the kids are really, really smart. But they are receptive to learning more about this, as well as the Questbridge Scholarship, so I'm going to do my best to compile some info to give them in January.</p>
<p>So far, this is the list of schools I've found that have eliminated loans from the aid packages, if anyone knows of any others, I would appreciate the info.</p>
<p>Amherst College
Columbia University (income less than $50k/year)
Dartmouth College (income less than $30k--loans capped at other income levels)
Davidson College
Duke University (income less than $40k/year)
Emory University (income less than $50k/year)
Harvard University (income less than $60k/year)
Pomona College
Princeton University
Rice University (income less than $60k/year)
Swarthmore College
University of Chicago (income less than $60k/year)
University of Pennsylvania (income less than $100k/year)
Wesleyan University (income less than $40k/year)
Williams College</p>
<p>Stanford has a "low income" policy that if the parents make $45K or less, they do not have to contribute to the student's education. Parents making $45K - $60K have a pro-rated reduction (but still quite reasonable).</p>
<p>Regardless of parental income, an incoming freshman is expected to contribute $1800 from savings or summer earnings and there is also a $4K self-help portion ($2K loans and $2K work study). It sounds like the student can eliminate the loan portion by requesting $4k in work study.</p>
<p>Thanks FresnoMom, I'm also working on making a list of schools that offer "capped" loans too, like Stanford, that are based on income. I hope I'll have a lot to share with the high school, and I hope even more that it will actually help someone in the future who is in a similar situation to my family. </p>
<p>Our high school GCs just aren't familiar with any of these programs, and if it wasn't for my own research, my D would probably just go to State U. I really do want to give something back to our community because I know there are other kids who are academically qualified and have a shot at attending great colleges, but aren't aware that they could attend for less than the cost of our public colleges in some cases. There's nothing really wrong wih attending State, but their financial aid leaves a lot to be desired so a lot of bright and talented kids here end up at CCs instead.</p>