How can we ensure access to higher education in troubling economic times?

Submitted by Niles Barnes on March 31, 2009 - 1:10pm
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A recent New York Times article caught my attention, "Colleges Accepting More Students Who Can Pay Full Fare" which discusses the struggles and decisions that admissions offices must make during trying economic times when determining who they accept into their programs. In the article it states that admissions offices "are looking more favorably on wealthier applicants as they make their admissions decisions this year".

The article goes on to explore the system of admissions that different institutions use and the fuzzy definitions that are sometimes applied to concepts such as need-blind and need-aware admissions. Institutions that are need-blind admit students without regard to what they can pay, something, the article states, only the wealthiest institutions have ever been able to offer. However, even wealthier campuses are revaluating their policies and may move away from such a system.

Although the admissions process is complex, the ability to pay is important and even more so in a time of declining endowments and economic resources. Admissions officers are walking a line between being honest with potential students and not scaring students away from applying. The Director of student financial services at Carleton College, Rodney Oto is quoted in the article,  "I do think we’d all be better off if we were honest with kids that you may not get in because you need assistance, or you need too much assistance.”
 

The article unearths many issues, one clearly being that less wealthy students may be at a disadvantage when applying to the more selective and prestigious institutions in the US. This does not come as a huge surprise; wealthier students almost always have advantages that go beyond being able to pay for tuition when it comes to applying for college (attending superior K-12 schools, hiring tutors, paying for SAT prep courses, participating in extra-curricular activities to demonstrate well-roundness, etc).

Although this article never mentions sustainability, it strikes to the core of the social and economic components that are oftentimes overlooked. How can we ensure that talented, smart students in economic need are given the opportunity to attend some of the best institutions in the country or college at all? What can campuses do to ensure that there is access for students in need while balancing the realities of a declining economy? What is being done on your campus to face this issue?

AASHE's Sustainability, Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS) contains credits related to affordability and access recognizing the role this has in sustainability. You can view the latest version of STARS 0.5 here.