No Frills Colleges: Bridging or Widening the Gap Between Haves and Have-Nots?

Paying for College
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<p>Cut-rate, no-frills colleges like this one (see [Cut-rate</a> campus - The Boston Globe](<a href=“http://www.boston.com/news/education/higher/articles/2009/02/03/cut_rate_campus/]Cut-rate”>http://www.boston.com/news/education/higher/articles/2009/02/03/cut_rate_campus/)), which look a lot more like the place I took drivers’ ed than where I went to college, may be good bets for adult learners who don’t have the time for (or interest in) frat parties, Frisbee clubs and other typical trappings of campus life. But are they also a good idea for traditional-aged students? They do offer a lower-cost education to those who might otherwise not have access, but will they also widen the gap between families who can spend four years on a “real” campus and those must settle for no frills?</p>

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<p>Maybe under this current economic situation UMASS will get back to focusing on education, and lay off the HUGE number of admin people promoting every imaginable PC issue. One can only hope.</p>

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<p>Ten students in an introductory class, and parking right outside the building… Sounds like a great option for students who might want to commute (living at home, eating normal food, and sleeping in a normal-sized bed without roommates) and focus only on the academics and the degree. How can it hurt to have another choice?</p>

<p>As to “widening the gap,” I could be wrong about this but I’d bet this kind of option would be snapped up by middle-class families whose kids don’t qualify for (enough/significant) financial aid, more so than the widely lamented poor, who are eligible for federal grants, institutional aid, and third-party need-only scholarships out the wazoo… when you’re paying your own bills, you tend to want more bang for your buck.</p>

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<p>seems pretty appealing actually. But I would like to point that state schools are still pretty cheap in most places.</p>

<p>Im paying about $7500 a year in tuition and fees at Oklahoma.</p>

<p>Even out of state tuition and fees is only $17400 according to the website.</p>

<p>But also take into consideration I guess that with a traditional university you are gonna be hemorrahaging cash on room and food. . . So, I just disproved my point about state schools being affordable. hmmm. . . $10000 a year still seems pricey for a sort of community college tho. idk. maybe I’m just used to everything being cheap in Oklahoma.</p>