Aid Makes College Possible for Everyone

When parents worry about their children, what are some of their major concerns? That the children will become crime victims or lack health care? Yes. But topping both of these, according to a recent survey by the American Council on Education, is college costs. Parents fear that they cannot afford to send their children to college.

Two facts will help relieve their minds. The first is that college costs much less than they think. People often think that a year of college costs $20,000 and up, including room and board. In fact, that’s true of only a small number of colleges--about 300 of the country’s 3,600 colleges and universities.

Three of four full-time undergraduates attending four-year colleges face annual tuition charges of less than $8,000. More than half attend institutions that charge less than $4,000 in tuition. On-campus room and board costs on the average an additional $5,000 a year, and students who live at home can lower that cost considerably. What’s more, none of these totals takes into account financial aid.

The second comforting fact is that financial aid is not only available, it is plentiful and easy to come by. Seven of 10 full-time undergraduates receive some form of financial aid. It may consist of grants, which are outright gifts of money; low-interest loans, which must be paid back after graduation; work-study programs, which provide paying, part-time jobs; or some combination of the three.

Nationwide, a total of $60 billion is available to students each year in the form of grants, scholarships and low-interest loans. On the average, full-time students receive a financial aid package that covers 40% of their total costs.

This year my own institution, Cal State Northridge, will award aid packages totaling $90 million to our students. This figure has risen dramatically. Thanks to increases in federal and state grants, it is twice as much as we had available as recently as 1993-94. It will benefit 15,000 of our students--50% more than in 1993-94.

The aid goes not only to straight-A students, as some parents believe, but to students with a wide range of academic backgrounds. Students whose high school grades are only average may be eligible.

Aid goes to students whose families are so poor they believe that college is utterly out of reach. The majority of our aid recipients come from families whose adjusted gross incomes are less than $25,000 per year. One of our students is the first in his family to go to college. His father is a gardener whose adjusted gross income last year was just under $23,000. This young man qualified for a full financial aid package and is now majoring in business.

Aid also goes to middle-class students who may think they are not poor enough to qualify. Our Financial Aid Office recently received a heartfelt “thank you” card from a returning student who believed she was ineligible because she made $35,000 last year. This woman, who wanted to finish her degree and is considering a career in teaching, said, “I didn’t think this [financial aid package] would be possible. You and your staff have really made a difference.”

To make a difference for the many other families who believe college lies beyond their means, Cal State Northridge sponsors an annual program, “Financial Aid 101: College Is Possible.” This half-day program, which attracts hundreds of students from local high schools and community colleges (as well as their parents), covers the basics: What is financial aid, how do you apply for it, and how do you budget for college? In short, it takes the mystery out of financial aid.

Although financial aid can contribute a sizable part of a year’s college expenses, parents and students have to do their share. All parents, whether rich or poor, are expected to contribute toward part of the costs, and students are expected to work. But no one should be discouraged from applying.

Today and in the years to come, financial aid puts college within the reach of virtually all motivated, academically qualified students and their families. College is possible even for students whose families think they can’t afford the costs. In fact, today, more than at any other time in our history, college is possible for more and more young men and women.