Boston Globe-Article About Merit Aid

standrews
Sun, 11 Mar 2007 23:33:24 +0000

Merit aid tends to be capitalistic in nature. Schools are competing for good students.
Need-based aid tends to be socialistic in nature putting college within the reach of those who cannot afford it, but have the intelligence and motivation to go to college.

I see a need for both. The author doesn’t. The author seems to imply that societal benefit is important and can only be obtained by eliminating merit aid. He doesn’t seem to think that a school like UofAlabama, for instance, is not only trying to improve its academics, but also trying to improve the economy of the state by attracting smart, out-of-state students with generous merit aid packages. That is deemed a worthwhile goal that has benefit to the people of Alabama by legislators/administrators. Who is the Globe reporter or the president of Tufts or a collegeboard researcher to sit in judgement? Do they think their objectives are more noble?