When I began applying for colleges last fall, I thought that getting in would be the hardest part. In reality, affording college is the real challenge, especially for middle-income families like mine. While we can pay our bills, we are unfortunate to be among those who can neither receive financial aid nor afford the full cost of college.
Don’t feel too sorry for me, however. As it turned out, I was welcomed by Yale — a university armed with a new financial aid initiative that dramatically cuts costs for middle-income families like mine. So I get to attend a great school without putting a significant financial burden on my family. Under Yale’s new policy, families with incomes up to $200,000 will see cost reductions of more than 33 percent. Yet Yale is one of few universities increasing aid for middle-income families.
So while I get my happy ending, thousands of other students are still stuck in the middle.
All through high school, I was led into thinking that a high GPA and participation in extracurriculars would pave the way to a low-cost education. When I received my acceptance letter to my first school of choice, the University of Chicago, last December, I saw myself attending classes in Gothic buildings, spending weekends at concerts downtown, and sitting on the shore of Lake Michigan. I bought a sweatshirt and spent hours on the admitted students’ website.
Then came the letter: “You are ineligible for financial aid.” The university determined my family could afford $200,000 for my four years of undergraduate education. I hid my U-Chicago sweatshirt in the back of my closet.
With college costs rising faster than most schools’ financial aid packages each year, middle- class families face are being squeezed out. At the University of Colorado at Boulder, tuition has more than doubled in the past 10 years. In 1998, tuition for undergrad residents was $2,386. It’s now $5,418.
You’re probably thinking, “Eh, five grand sounds manageable.” Think again. After tuition, room and board, fees and extra expenses, my friend Zach, a top student who will attend CU Boulder beginning next year, will pay about $80,000 over four years. He will need to borrow about half of that amount to cover the cost of his education.
“Our priority has always been low-income students,” said Gwen Pomper, director of financial aid at CU Boulder. “We have limited resources.” The university offers a Promise Program, guaranteeing students with a family income at or below 100 percent of poverty level money for tuition, fees, and books through a combination of scholarships, grants and work study. At CU, all I was offered was a $2,000 federal loan.
Is it fair that a low-income student with an average GPA can receive full tuition in aid while someone who spends hours studying and passionately pursuing extracurriculars receives no money because of his parents’ income level?
There are two types of financial aid: need-based, given according to family financial situations; and merit-based, awarded for student accomplishment. Most current financial aid policies dramatically emphasize need-based aid over merit scholarships. Shouldn’t high-achieving students get a break on college costs?
Government and private financial aid money should be used to lower tuition equally for people of all income levels and to emphasize merit scholarships. I feel fortunate to have survived the chaotic game of financial aid and look forward to incurring debt at Yale over the next few years. But out of all those unlucky students caught in the middle, I’m one of the luckier ones.
Laurelin Kruse (lbkruse@gmail.com) is a graduating senior at Alamosa High School. She will enter Yale University this fall.
