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<p>It helps to already have employers that want more educated employees in keeping OOS students around after graduation. MA has a lot of businesses and organizations that need educated employees.</p>
<p>GMT, going away to college is not an entitlement, I agree. It’s something I often emphasize on the Financial AId board where I am fairly active. However, a state is leaving a gap that I think should be fill when it does not have local options for students who have shown they can do well to get their degree. Most of the country has some college options for the basic (2 years ) of college course though the networks of community colleges, many operating in synch with community programs. But once a student has gone through all of that, there are places that have no four year options available. </p>
<p>If I could reconsruct the way financial aid is given, it would be given more to those who are the most needy and do well at school. Anyone who get through two years of college coursework would be at the top of my list to get money to continue, certainly over some of the kids going away right after high school.</p>
<p>At this point college is an entitlement in that those whose incomes and assets are deemed inadequate to pay for it are given federal and sometimes state funds.</p>
<p>^^ the Alabama example is a good one to illustrate that going away in these kids’ case might be LESS expensive for the 30K and below family because of the gap–even with that child staying at home an commuting there are still costs involved with having transportation, you still have to feed that child, etc. Living at home isn’t the money saver people think it is.</p>
<p>I agree with the cpt is saying. It is a shame that the transition from two year community college to four year college is not as clean as it is in some states. Anecdotally it feels hit or miss in out state. There are some very good community colleges that can easily transition kids and then some that are pretty dedicated the para-pro or technical career training. If you “happen” to be a college bound student living in-district for one of the very good colleges you are set. If not, you either have to pony up rent and food and pay out of district rates, which are more often than not more than double the in-district rate if you want to do the 2+2 route. At that point where you have to move etc., there are 4 year colleges that might actually be a better financial deal.</p>
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<p>Where is the money from, state, federal or private donations? I thought it’s mainly federal money somehow.</p>
<p>^ there is also a lot of football money at Alabama. The football program (including ticket sales, television, and licensed merchandise) generates enough money to fund every other sport at UA, plus millions left over for other use.</p>
<p>It looks to me light Alabama (and some other southern state) are trying to attract out of state students, in the hope that some of them will stay. If they do stay, that increases the educational level of the parents for the next generation of in-state kids. At the same time, if merit aid keeps the higher performing in-state kids in Alabama, but causes lower performing students to seek their education out-of-state, that has the same new effect: the higher performing students get their degrees and are more likely to stay in-state, while the lower performing students leave the state, and potentially drag down another state’s stats. </p>
<p>Of course, if this produces a significant shift, not only will it increase the number of Alabama children coming from families where parents completed college, but it will also increase the number of families expecting the state to provide funding for early childhood education. If, as has been suggested, the taxpayers in Alabama don’t want to pay for early childhood education, this tactic could backfire - import enough northerners, and they may end up having to pay.</p>
<p>UT Dallas does this with their prestigious McDermott Scholars Program. The student has to be very involved in the political, arts, and social scene of Dallas and is a delegate of sorts on their required trip to DC. The hope is that these students will stay in the area upon graduation. They choose more locals than OOS but the OOS students they do choose are encouraged to stay in the area upon graduation or at least to remember their ties to the school and the area.</p>
<p>Chardo–for as much as people cut down schools with a heavy emphasis on athletics, this is VERY true–those big sports fund a lot of programs at the school…</p>
<p>It is possible that U. of Alabama value georgraphic diversity.</p>
<p>Yes, Steve, but know that there are only a handful of schools who actually make a net profit on athletics. For the vast majority of schools, athletics are a big drain on resources. This is a topic for another discussion, and I’m sure there are more than a few threads about it.</p>
<p>^^ yes Bama does value geographic diversity. They market heavily and attract many new students from the midwest, the northeast, and other non-bordering states. Their growth in students from far away states is impressive.</p>
<p>It looks to me like Alabama (and some other southern state) are trying to attract out of state students, in the hope that some of them will stay. If</p>
<p>Bingo.</p>
<p>Bama has built this fab Science and Engineering Complex and it has tripled the size of its College of Engineering.</p>
<p>The state of Alabama is home to the second largest research park in the US…Cummings Research Park (CRP). Many Fortune 500 and high-tech companies are there. </p>
<p>Therefore, the goal is to graduate these STEM majors and have them hired by companies in CRP. </p>
<p>Lake42ks… the scholarships are not coming from the feds. the scholarships are coming from donors and the huge profits from the football program. Crimson Tide Athletics netted $50million last year AFTER paying for ALL sports, all athletic scholarships, all coaches, all uniforms, all travel, all facilities, EVERYTHING.</p>
<p>[Most</a> Profitable College Athletic Programs | Kaarme](<a href=“http://kaarme.com/Most_Profitable_College_Athletic_Programs]Most”>http://kaarme.com/Most_Profitable_College_Athletic_Programs)</p>
<p>A lot more than a handful make a profit</p>
<p>If a school is “buying” more studnets in the upper quartile, wouldnt that at some point change the range of the scores, assuming enough students are being “bought” to make that statistical shift change?</p>
<p>It won’t change the lower quartile or “left side” of the middle quartile, but it will change the “right side” of the middle quartile. Not so long ago, Bama’s top quartile was ACT 27/28+…now it’s ACT 30+. That’s a significant change. </p>
<p>By increasing the number of high scoring students, it pushes the right side of the middle quartile higher and higher…which means that the uppper quartile starts at a higher number. .</p>
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This says to me that if you’re one of those high-scoring students thinking of going to Alabama, you should do some research to find out if there are enough honors courses to keep you from having to take a lot of courses with students in the bottom quartile. There’s going to be a big difference in achievement and preparation between the top and bottom students there.</p>
<p>At the same time, if merit aid keeps the higher performing in-state kids in Alabama, but causes lower performing students to seek their education out-of-state</p>
<p>??</p>
<p>I don’t see how that’s likely going to happen. Lower performing students aren’t likely going to get accepted to the OOS schools that give the best aid to cover the higher OOS costs. </p>
<p>Plus there are about 25 universities in the state. It’s not as if Bama is the only option for “lower performing students.” There’s a whole bunch more that give merit for lower stats. It’s very likely that their cheapest option will still be instate.</p>
<p>This says to me that if you’re one of those high-scoring students thinking of going to Alabama, you should do some research to find out if there are enough honors courses to keep you from having to take a lot of courses with students in the bottom quartile</p>
<p>lol…are you serious? </p>
<p>Do you really think that high stats students are spread evenly across the various majors? Uh, no. High stats students are generally found largely concentrated in about 8-10 majors. Those in the lower quartile aren’t in those majors…or at least not longer than maybe a semester.</p>
<p>I may be rusty on my stats, but if scores change, it would cause both sides of the "middle 50% to shift.</p>
<p>Actually, states do have the problem of losing those students who don’t make the cuts for the flagship school and rather than go to other state schools will go OOS. I know a lot of PA kids went to Miami of Ohio, UWV, and other state schools when they did not get into the Univesity Park campus of Penn State. They wanted that flag ship big state school atmosphere and would rather get it OOS than go to a state school that was not of that type of school. Happens all of the time. </p>
<p>I think that having strong OOS kids in state flagships enhances them. It’s a reason why our SUNYs don’t have the name recognition. I wish we did get more OOS takers. But it s a narrow line to walk for these schools.</p>