5 Colleges Do Right By Low-Income Students, Study Finds (PHOTOS)

According to a recent study, only 5 colleges are doing well by low-income students, the Chronicle of Higher Education reported on Wednesday.

The study, entitled "Priced Out: How the Wrong Financial-Aid Policies Hurt Low-Income Students," was conducted by the Education Trust, an advocacy and research group, that was initially compiling a "best value" list for low income students. When, however, so few of the 1,186 schools the trust examined fit the criteria established to indicate "best value," the list metamorphized into a policy critique of sorts-- the first major examination of an outside group of federal data on college's net price according to income. The study examined information from the 2008-2009 academic year.

The Education Trust's standards were stringent. The Chronicle has more on their methodology:

Four-year colleges had to cost no more than $4,600 a year after all grants for students in households earning up to $30,000 a year. The colleges also had to have at least a 50-percent six-year graduation rate, and at least 30 percent of their enrollments had to be Pell Grant recipients.

Check out our slide show of the 5 schools that made the cut below, and then tell us, is your school a good value? Weigh in, in the comments section.

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Cal State Fullerton

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Comments

[Chris Seiter]

04:05 PM on 07/24/2011

I am disappointed in some of the comments here. Some of you are basically saying that low income people can't be good students because they don't have money. That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. Believe it or not but some of the best women students are low income and they also qualify for grants because of it. Check it out: http://scholarshipsforwomenonline.com/scholarships-for-older-women

[go2goal]

10:43 AM on 06/14/2011

From our recent experience with our 2 high school seniors:
When you are in the evaluation step of the college process, they almost all tout their financial aid programs. Then, once your kid has been accepted OR perhaps denied based on their "business decision", reality sets in.

My family is in the modest middle class and my 2 kids are very strong students....stronger than many of their peers who were accepted at NESCAC and some other highly selective schools. It's pretty obvious, that these tax free private schools for the rich evaluate students based on their ability to PAY and PAY and PAY. It is amazing to me, a business consultant, that these schools can be viewed as not-for-profit institutions.....the endowments are amazing....and how they select students based on ECONOMIC STATUS is equally amazing. The NESCAC schools......are really just schools for rich kids.....and they don't pay taxes. At a minimum, it's time for the IRS to revisit their tax status.....it's long over due.

[SJN]

02:16 AM on 06/08/2011

To some extent, the issue is not what programs are available, but whether low-income students are aware of these programs. I certainly wasn't. Despite being scouted (generally), I assumed that all ivy league schools were out due to finances, and didn't even bother talking to anyone. Instead, I attended OSU and Kent State, graduating with an almost perfect GPA (and debt).

[Natalie Willoughby]

01:45 PM on 06/07/2011

The University of New Mexico is a great bargain, especially for New Mexico residents - if you graduate from High School in New Mexico, then tuition is FREE for 4 years.

[Herm]

04:05 PM on 06/06/2011

The University of Richmond publicly states that if you are accepted, insufficient funds to pay tuition, fees, et cetera, will not prevent you from attending.

Having said that, yearly cost to attend is right up there with the highest cost institutions of higher learning in the country. We are talking around 50k/year.

[ringmaster]

10:42 AM on 06/04/2011

Maybe the headline should read "One Thousand One Hundred and One Colleges Don't Do Right".

[John Curtis Smith]

10:15 AM on 06/04/2011

American colleges are a huge ripoff when you consider the fact that International students who go to Oxford pay the same amount of money for tuition as North Carolina students who go to UNC

[SCarter0001]

04:50 PM on 06/04/2011

As a Brit, honestly Oxford does not stand a candle to the Ivy League universities of the US - the latter of which are considerably better funded and present students with many more opportunities. Financially many of them are also cheaper than Oxford given their financial aid policies at some schools.

Heck, I would considered attending even a 'Public Ivy' than Oxford, but alas I'm at the latter currently.

[Tony Andrews]

11:27 PM on 06/04/2011

You might want to reconsider your absolutely mistaken viewpoint, and allow that Britain has a population which is literally hundreds of millions below that of America.

"The study, from Times Higher Education and QS Top Universities shows that overall the UK still punches above its weight, second only to the US. The UK has four out of the top 10 slots and 18 in the top 100. But there has been a significant fall in the number of North American universities in the top 100, from 42 in 2008 to 36 in 2009."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/datablog/2009/oct/08/top-100-universities-world

[SCarter0001]

04:52 PM on 06/04/2011

The Ivy's/top US universities are also more prestigious than the likes of Oxford and LSE here in the UK too.

[pauldununfola]

11:44 PM on 06/03/2011

I went to Cal state long beach and graduated in 1997. It was cheap enough that I could take 2 classes a semester and then pay it off my credit cards by the end of each semester. It has no doubt gone up in price but the Long beach area has lots of cheap housing options and you can get by on just having a bike because everything is relatively close.

[TJ Logan]

04:55 PM on 06/03/2011

Sources of Stanford Scholarship aid in 2010

Stanford General Funds $25,965,664
Current Gifts-Nonathletic $16,294,682
Endowment Income-Nonathletic $72,884,923
Trademark Income $292,175
Athletic Awards $16,756,196
Department Awards $6,544,970
Federal Pell Grants $4,719,657
Federal Supplemental Grants $1,371,688
Other Federal Grants $1,404,000
State Grants $3,547,991
Other External Awards $10,304,465

Total $160,086,411

[Jambala99]

03:13 PM on 06/04/2011

Money well spent!

[TobacXela]

07:30 PM on 06/05/2011

Stanford's financial aid is great, but there's a reason it's not on this list. There portion of low-income students IS too low at Stanford (and at Yale, where I'm on a full scholarship). It's great to recognize how well our universities do when it comes to scholarships, but there is something wrong in the incredibly low portion of Pell Grant recipients, and we should acknowledge that.

[IGotBanned]

01:02 PM on 06/07/2011

The low-income students still have to get good enough grades to get in. There is nothing wrong with having few low-income students if there low-income students dont have the grades to get in. High income families also have students with grades not good enough to get into Stanford.

[Clare53]

04:11 PM on 06/03/2011

"The Only 5 Colleges That Give Low-Income Students A Good Deal." Really? The "only" ones?

[kynycmbp]

03:35 PM on 06/03/2011

Berea College in Kentucky offers 100% 4-year scholarship for low income students. A student must show economic need to be accepted to Bearea as well.

http://www.berea.edu/

[TJ Logan]

03:33 PM on 06/03/2011

You left my school out.

Since 2008 at Stanford University parents with incomes of less than $100,000 will no longer pay tuition. Parents with incomes of less than $60,000 will not be expected to pay tuition or contribute to the costs of room, board and other expenses.

[Candid One]

03:42 PM on 06/03/2011

Not many Pell Grants though, too many legacies.

[Spank05]

04:48 PM on 06/03/2011

They weren't left out, they just didn't qualify:

"at least 30 percent of their enrollments had to be Pell Grant recipients"

Is that true at Stanford? Kinda doubt it.

[lhsouthern1988]

03:32 PM on 06/03/2011

three years ago the state of washington began a program for low income students. If you were on reduced/free lunch and graduated with a 2.5 GPA you would be awarded a scholarhip to use at any community college or state university. So when my daughter graduates next year with a 3.8 gpa she will have her tuition and fees paid for. Thats not including any scholarships she will be awarded.

[King Cashaw]

11:37 AM on 06/24/2011

Good to hear, and congrats.

[adoolen]

03:13 PM on 06/03/2011

Four kids five degrees, none living at home. We can retire. Thanks UNCG for the great education you provided our family.

[hagagaga]

03:07 PM on 06/03/2011

What about the service academies? They charge no tuition, cover room and board, give salaries to the cadets and midshipmen, and graduates are immediately employed by an employer that will not have a layoff, with an above-average entry-level salary along with extremely inexpensive housing, medical care, and other things. That seems like something that should appeal to low-income students.

[Spank05]

04:50 PM on 06/03/2011

From the article?

"at least 30 percent of their enrollments had to be Pell Grant recipients"

I 110% agree with you on the Service Academies though. it is a good option, tough to get into if I remember correctly, and you have to have a mindset of living that lifestyle. But it's definitely an option.

[Rich914]

07:52 PM on 06/03/2011

Admission to any of the US service academies is extremely competitive and applicants in fact come from all levels of income. The rich cadet pays no more nor less than the cadet from a poor family. Unlike most elite private colleges, you can't buy your way in with a donation and the applicant's ability to pay high tuition does not influence acceptance decisions.