I don’t know what you mean when you say the title and the authors are “uniformed”. Are they wearing uniforms? It doesn’t make any sense.
The article clearly states its purpose and methodology and shows the results in context, and then gives its conclusions. I don’t think an Econ professor would bring an axe to grind like you have and judge the article outside of its stated context.
The authors clearly state in two different places that financial aid would be an important variable, just not one they are considering in this analysis. They state: “We’re also not accounting for financial aid, which would mitigate the cost for many students …” and “That shows how difficult the math behind college accessibility can be — and why financial aid is such a difference-maker.” It seems like you didn’t even read the article.