Written by Sylvia Woodmansee
Oberlin College, and many other small liberal arts colleges, follow a "high tuition, high financial aid model” (in the words of President Marvin Krislov of Oberlin College). The tuition for attending Oberlin is rising by around 2,500 for the coming year. Tuition rising at faster rates than inflation, and student protests against tuition rises, aren’t just happening at Oberlin, but all across the US. The Oberlin administration seems to argue in part that the cost of tuition is rising because necessities come at a cost. These necessities include student support services, health care, salaries, benefits, equipment and financial aid, to name a few. But who is left out of this high tuition, high financial aid model? Many college workers (particularly temporary workers), and the majority of the US population.
We have to question the “high financial aid model” and ask how many people it can actually serve. Many times, elite higher education institutions in the US are applauded for offering lots of financial aid to lower-income students. But how many “lower-income” students are they actually serving? It is very hard to quantify income distributions of students. However, the Pell-Grant has long been seen as good proxy for estimating the income brackets of students. The Pell Grant program provides need-based grants to low-income students to promote access to postsecondary education. The Pell-Grant takes into account student’s family income, family assets, etc. As of 2008 (the most recent statistic readily available), only about 12% of Oberlin students were eligible for the Pell Grant. Also in 2008, Oberlin supposedly eliminated loan requirements for the incoming class of Pell-eligible students. However, this elimination of loan requirements is a myth. It is hard to find hard numbers on Pell-Grant eligibility. However, from my personal experience as someone eligible for the Pell Grant, the maximum to be eligible is a family income of around $65,000 a year (this number is not perfect, so give or take 5,000). So, only about 12% of Oberlin students come from families that make $65,000 a year or less. The majority of those 12% come from families making less than $35,000 a year, according to Oberlin in 2008. More than half of US families make less than 60,000 a year, and 40% earn $40,000 or less per year. $51,939 was the average household income in the US in 2014.
For even more context on Oberlin, see this tumblr by Julia Pearlstein-Levy and Jodi Helsel: http://oberlinlikesme.tumblr.com
Sources cited:
http://www.oberlin.edu/newserv/08apr/access-faq.html
http://www.oberlin.edu/newserv/08apr/access.html
https://oncampus.oberlin.edu/source/articles/2015/04/30/affordability-higher-education
http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2013/12/04/3017861/american-families-income/
Oberlin College, and many other small liberal arts colleges, follow a "high tuition, high financial aid model” (in the words of President Marvin Krislov of Oberlin College). The tuition for attending Oberlin is rising by around 2,500 for the coming year. Tuition rising at faster rates than inflation, and student protests against tuition rises, aren’t just happening at Oberlin, but all across the US. The Oberlin administration seems to argue in part that the cost of tuition is rising because necessities come at a cost. These necessities include student support services, health care, salaries, benefits, equipment and financial aid, to name a few. But who is left out of this high tuition, high financial aid model? Many college workers (particularly temporary workers), and the majority of the US population.
We have to question the “high financial aid model” and ask how many people it can actually serve. Many times, elite higher education institutions in the US are applauded for offering lots of financial aid to lower-income students. But how many “lower-income” students are they actually serving? It is very hard to quantify income distributions of students. However, the Pell-Grant has long been seen as good proxy for estimating the income brackets of students. The Pell Grant program provides need-based grants to low-income students to promote access to postsecondary education. The Pell-Grant takes into account student’s family income, family assets, etc. As of 2008 (the most recent statistic readily available), only about 12% of Oberlin students were eligible for the Pell Grant. Also in 2008, Oberlin supposedly eliminated loan requirements for the incoming class of Pell-eligible students. However, this elimination of loan requirements is a myth. It is hard to find hard numbers on Pell-Grant eligibility. However, from my personal experience as someone eligible for the Pell Grant, the maximum to be eligible is a family income of around $65,000 a year (this number is not perfect, so give or take 5,000). So, only about 12% of Oberlin students come from families that make $65,000 a year or less. The majority of those 12% come from families making less than $35,000 a year, according to Oberlin in 2008. More than half of US families make less than 60,000 a year, and 40% earn $40,000 or less per year. $51,939 was the average household income in the US in 2014.
For even more context on Oberlin, see this tumblr by Julia Pearlstein-Levy and Jodi Helsel: http://oberlinlikesme.tumblr.com
Sources cited:
http://www.oberlin.edu/newserv/08apr/access-faq.html
http://www.oberlin.edu/newserv/08apr/access.html
https://oncampus.oberlin.edu/source/articles/2015/04/30/affordability-higher-education
http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2013/12/04/3017861/american-families-income/