February 21st, 2008
Stanford Jumps on Free Tuition Bandwagon
My grandpa used to tell me that nothing is free. And if you happen to find something with that eye-popping four-letter word emblazoned on its surface, you’re likely to get exactly what you paid for.
A handful of private universities across the country are hoping to prove my pappy wrong. In an attempt to lure lower and middle class students through its doors, Stanford University has announced a plan to waive tuition for undergraduates whose families earn less than $100,000 per year. In addition, those whose families gross less than $60,000 will be eligible to receive free room & board. Harvard University voiced a similar plan in December, cutting tuition by almost half, and charging lower and middle class students only a percentage of their family’s annual income. Though slightly different, both Holy Cross and Clark University are offering free tuition to local students who live in low-income neighborhoods.
So how does this impact education in our country as a whole? (A recent post by our resident muse might give us a clue.) Let’s look at a couple of possibilities:
- Follow the leader. If the most prestigious colleges and universities across the country are doing it, chances are that many will follow. Sure Harvard and Stanford have a little more endowment money to play with, but no institution wants to fall behind the curve.
- Learning is contagious. If teenagers and twenty-somethings see their peers benefiting from a college education without suffering the financial pitfalls, they may decide to follow suit. Although many won’t qualify for admission to the aforementioned juggernauts of higher ed, a number of public universities, junior colleges, and online programs offer discounted tuition and other financial incentives.
Socrates once proclaimed that wisdom begins in wonder. With that said, every high school graduate should have the opportunity to pursue their educational interests at a college, university, or via an online degree program. However, I’m sure it’s easier to pursue wisdom if you don’t have to wonder how you’re going to pay your tuition. Let’s hope this ‘free tuition’ trend catches on.
Pappy? Its cool and all but you still have to get in to a Stanford, Harvard, or UVA for that matter. What Holy Cross and Clark are doing is more useful. Even more important, states in which the public colleges are hard for residents to get into need to provide this kind of assistance. The precedent private schools are setting is good, but public schools will not be able to follow suit because of current and future budget woes.
Comment by redhead — February 21, 2008 @ 6:40 pm
I definitely think this is a good idea.
Look at how incoming freshman classes at public universities have grown and grown even quicker than their ability to provide housing for them. I doubt many are strapped for cash (could be wrong though). The least that these “businesses” could do is offer the sort of tuition cuts mentioned above.
Dupe, you’re (or I hope you are) right on the “follow the leader” claim. It may take a few years for this to become the norm, but if popular enough it will trickle down to public schools.
You may be stretching it on the contagiousness of learning. I don’t think it’s money that is hindering people from applying to college. Our culture is well accustomed to DEBT. Many think nothing of debt as if it were a natural part of existence. The problem lies in kids’ minds and the conception of college as “something for someone else” or “somewhere I couldn’t get into.” If college was more accessible, then more people would take advantage of it or at least keep it as an option.
Take for instance, financial aid. Understanding these forms, procedures, and terms are extremely difficult even for the most hardened bureaucrat. This is just one of the many boundaries that probibit people from attending college.
Comment by jz — February 26, 2008 @ 9:57 am