<p>I know a lot of college like [url=<a href="http://www.dartmouth.edu/%7Enews/releases/2008/01/22.html%5DDartmouth%5B/url">http://www.dartmouth.edu/~news/releases/2008/01/22.html]Dartmouth[/url</a>] boast things like "No Tuition for Families Who Earn less than $75,000," but does it actually turn out that way? For example, if the family earns very little, but owns a house and has money in the bank, will the tuition they pay really equal 0?</p>
<p>Schools like Dartmouth base their need decisions on the CSS Profile, which factors in assets, and equity in a house and money in the bank will be considered available for tuition. Those with substantial assets can’t expect a low paying job to get their kid free tuition, just as parents with enough money to live on for four years without working can’t quit their jobs and expect their kid to get free tuition. I think the media miscasts the actual intent of the schools.</p>