Why It’s So Hard to Calculate What You’ll Pay for College
2017-18 school year, unless noted
OF MERIT AID RECIPIENTS
4.08 grade point average,
758 critical reading SAT, 726 math SAT
3.36 grade point average,
Smith did not disclose
“Do we leverage this and say, ‘This is who we are, and everyone is going to get something based on academic performance’?” he said.
Stephen Burd’s 2013 mini-history of merit aid in The Washington Monthly is essential reading for any family trying to understand the system, and it highlights one fundamental problem with merit aid: By giving discounts to families
that might otherwise pay more, there may be less money for lower-income students who truly cannot afford the school.
“At some point, it’s just kind of icky not to admit it.”
Simmons does not disclose the average credentials for merit aid recipients on its merit aid website page in the same way
that Mount Holyoke does, but Dr. Dolan said he was considering adding them
In addition to offering financial aid based solely on what a family can afford, many
colleges offer grants or discounts based on academic or other qualifications.
