Stanford: No Tuiton For Low Income

Parents Forum
1

<p>Just saw the announcement by Stanford on CNN.com. The story reads partly:</p>

<p>"Hoping to encourage students scared by rising higher education costs, Stanford University is eliminating tuition for undergraduates from some of the lowest-income families.</p>

<p>"Under a new program announced Wednesday, students from families with annual incomes of less than $45,000 will not pay tuition. Those with incomes up to $60,000 will pay about $3,800, the school estimates."</p>

<p>As I cannot recall what Harvard did, do not know how this compares.</p>

2

<p>Here is the article:</p>

<p>Thu Mar 16, 10:41 AM ET</p>

<p>STANFORD, Calif. - Stanford University, worried about losing talented students to sticker shock, is eliminating tuition for undergraduates from some of the lowest-income families.</p>

<p>Under a new program announced Wednesday, students from families with annual incomes of less than $45,000 won't pay tuition. Those with incomes up to $60,000 will pay about $3,800, the school estimates.</p>

<p>"Students from low-income backgrounds are underrepresented at our nation's most selective institutions," said Richard Shaw, Stanford's dean of undergraduate admission and financial aid.</p>

<p>"Many families ... may be discouraged by the stated tuition, so we want to be more forceful with this new program in encouraging talented low-income students to consider Stanford," he said.</p>

<p>Stanford's undergraduate tuition for the next school year will be nearly $33,000. Add in other expenses, such as books and housing, and the cost averages about $47,000.</p>

<p>Stanford already provides strong financial aid. This year, students from families earning less than $45,000 paid an average $2,650, according to the university. The new program, starting for an estimated 1,100 current and new students this fall, is expected to cost the university $3 million in the first year.</p>

<p>Harvard and Princeton are among other elite universities with similar programs.</p>

<p>College costs have been rising fast nationwide. According to the latest survey from the College Board, a nonprofit association based in Washington, D.C., tuition and fees at four-year private institutions rose nearly 6 percent to $21,235 for the 2005-06 academic year from $20,045 in 2004-05, while costs at four-year public institutions went up more than 7 percent to $5,491 from $5,126.</p>

3

<p>
[quote]
Beginning in 2004, parents in families with incomes of less than $40,000 will no longer be expected to contribute to the cost of attending Harvard for their children including room and board. In addition, Harvard will reduce the contributions expected of families with incomes between $40,000 and $60,000.

[/quote]
</p>

<p><a href="http://www.admissions.college.harvard.edu/prospective/financial_aid/hfai/index.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.admissions.college.harvard.edu/prospective/financial_aid/hfai/index.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

4

<p>Hmm--Harvard covers room and board; Stanford only tuition?</p>

5

<p>I would like to see the comparative financial aid packages at, say, $80,000; $100,000; $120,000.</p>

6

<p>"Harvard covers room and board" </p>

<p>Do parents (and their children) have no responsibility to feed and house the children? Should they expect a private college (i.e., the full tuition paying students) to support them, free?</p>

7

<br>


<br>

<p>No, but they might expect the richest college in known universe, with an endowment of over $20 billion, to be willing and able to pay to feed and house the admitted students from families of very modest means.</p>

8

<p>Why again, exactly, after providing free education at such a great school, should they offer them free room and board (especially if it is paid for in part by other students' tuition)? If this is just charity, maybe their should use their wealth to provide food or health care for other Americans or Africans, perhaps, who have much less.</p>

9

<p>First, the financial aid is not provided out of other students' tuition. The cost of educating students is more than the full freight (speaking as one who pays the full freight).
Second, for students whose families make less than $45k per year, room and board at $12k per year is a very significant expenditure. If colleges are serious about wanting these students to attend, they must help them cover more than tuition.
Third, full fare students do benefit from having students from different backgrounds. It is by no means a one-way street.
Finally, universities and their students do contribute to their communities either through monetary donations or through community service. Lots of Harvard students, for example, are involved in tutoring children from some of the poorest neighborhoods in Boston.</p>

10

<p>If my alma mater helps low-income types pay their room and board with work-study jobs or subsidized loans, fine. If any of my contributions go to free room and board for athletes, low-income types or anyone else, they have received my last contribution. If my kid's tuition goes in part to subsidizing other kids' tuition, OK; room and board, not OK. If I want to contribute to feeding the poor, there are soup kitchens with clients more deserving than future elite college graduates.</p>

11

<p>Yes, Harvard and Stanford are covering room and board for these kids. No way could parents making so little cover these costs. Room and board at colleges cover labor /utilities and other costs - not just food. I can feed my kid on 30$ a week at home, but costs are 3x that at college. What family making less than $40,000 a year could afford that?</p>

12

<p>I don't understand the distinction between helping a poor kid go to college by underwriting his tuition and helping a poor kid go to college by underwriting his dorm room. </p>

<p>Dollars are fungible. The only question is how much to give. And Harvard has chosen to give those with family incomes <$40K enough to cover a full ride -- and speaking as a full-freight payer, I'm glad they did.</p>

13

<p>If you want to contribute to the care and feeding (as opposed to tuition and maybe books, fees, etc.) of future Harvard graduates as your charitable priority, please do so. It is not my priority for charitable contributions.</p>

14

<p>
[quote]
Hmm--Harvard covers room and board; Stanford only tuition?

[/quote]
</p>

<p>I am sure Stanford wouldn't cover only the tuition and ask the low-income family to pay 12K/yr for room and board. That would be absurd. My guess is it's close to free. Stanford is adopting this new policy to compete with HYP for low-income students and I am sure their coverage for room and board would be close to HYP's offers.</p>

15

<p>It does seem from the summary provided by Dabost that Stanford covers most if not all the costs for families making $45k or less, and provides aid to families making more as well:</p>

<p>
[quote]
Stanford already provides strong financial aid. This year, students from families earning less than $45,000 paid an average $2,650, according to the university. The new program, starting for an estimated 1,100 current and new students this fall, is expected to cost the university $3 million in the first year.

[/quote]
</p>

16

<p>Dialog:</p>

<p>College: Hey, kid. How would you like to attend the best college in the world for free, including books and fees (and, say, health insurance)?</p>

<p>Kid: What's the catch?</p>

<p>College: Well, we are not going to feed or clothe or house you, just as we wouldn't if you stayed home and got a job flipping burgers instead, but we will help you with a job and a deferred, subsidized loan for room and board.</p>

<p>Kid: No way, I'm too stupid to accept that.</p>

<p>College: OK. Next?</p>

17

<p>When I was in college, practically no-one I knew worked. I was on full scholarship and was not expected to work. Nowadays, many students work in college. Work-study has exploded. Most financial aid packages include a loan component. The student is expected to work throughout the year and during the summer. </p>

<p>According to the Harvard information website, 70% of Harvard students receive aid, either from Harvard or from outside scholarships; 48% of those received some Harvard financial aid. It is possible for a family making well over $100k to receive financial aid; it depends on the number of family members and other factors.</p>

18

<p>I'm not a big fan of students working more than a minimal number of hours in jobs that distract from the academic experience. (My sister and her husband both had jobs working at the student computer or reseach help desk and it didn't do them much harm.) But, some student (or parent) responsibility for contributing, at least on a deferred basis, to room and board does not seem like too much to ask.</p>

19

<p>According to this document, 55% of Harvard students chose to work and 35% took out loans.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.fao.fas.harvard.edu/downloads/how_to_finance_college.pdf%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.fao.fas.harvard.edu/downloads/how_to_finance_college.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

20

<p>I'd be curious to know how many current Stanford students actually qualify for the new low/no tuition policy. I never see data on how many students from low-income families apply, are accepted or actually enroll in the school.</p>