Boosting Merit Aid To Non-Needy Hurts Poor Students

The University of Colorado at Boulder is one of scores of public universities that dole out taxpayer-financed "merit aid" to students whose families can afford the tuition there. A 2006 College Board study concluded that the practice is both widespread and significant. Admissions directors use those dollars to attract exceptionally bright students or unusually talented athletes who make the university look more prestigious or attractive. In flush economic times, such expenditures might be excusable. But today's tough times raise questions about giving away so much public money in the pursuit of higher rankings. Boosting merit aid to non-needy students hurts poor students the most by siphoning away money that would otherwise be available to them. Read more at:
http://blogs.usatoday.com/oped/2008/05/our-view-on-sch.html#more

Comments

[Veronica]

No and No. The perspective of this entry is ridiculous. The cut-off point for need-based aid at universities is extremely LOW, leaving MANY low to middle income students with increased student loan debt. As someone who missed the "poor student" cut-off and was left to make up tuition costs on my own, I can honestly say that merit scholarships were a LIFESAVER. Although I've still incurred significant student loan debt, the amount I'm now paying back would have been astronomical without merit-based scholarships.

Merit Scholarships certainly do not siphon money away from poor students. Rather, they help low to middle income students deal with the increasingly ridiculous cost of higher education. Let's talk about THAT instead.

[Walt Lessun]

What a country: folks complaining because scholarships are going to students most likely to excel as scholars.