<p>Spyderman, I’m not going to apologize for UVa’s student body. Since there isn’t a prestigious nationally-known private university in VA, it is the first choice in VA among those with brains or money. (If you live in VA and you’re smart, most likely you’re going to go to UVa. UVa has around a 70% yield among in-state students). If Virginia attracts both those types of people, and those are the people who apply, then how could UVa admit kids who aren’t applying? </p>
<p>What UVa is trying to do is to actively reach out to everyone, make sure an excellent education is not out of reach for those who can’t afford it, and say, “Hey, everyone’s welcome here.” Being a very involved alumnus, I meet groups of kids who are socio-economically, racially, and geographically diverse, and they love it at UVa. I personally know students who don’t have that much money, and they feel that UVa’s been there for them financially.</p>
<p>Keep in mind that UVa isn’t just looking after the poor, it’s also reaching out to the middle class. UVa caps the amount of loans that its middle-class students will have and offers them grants/scholarships beyond that. Berkeley and UCLA do not. I don’t know of any other public school doing that. </p>
<p>Also UVa doesn’t force its students into work-study programs, because it realizes that time at college should be spent studying and discovering rather than working. I don’t know any other public school doing that either.</p>