Some schools offering less aid

Today's ailing economy has forced some colleges and universities to abandon their commitments to need-blind admissions.

Tighter budgets are making certain schools consider students' financial need during the admissions process and reject some of them because they would require large aid packages.

But UNC and most other large state schools have indicated they will continue to ignore financial need in their admissions.

Because of strong state support UNC's need-blind admissions policy shows no signs of changing said Shirley Ort" director of scholarships and student aid.

""It would be unthinkable here for us to change that"" Ort said. We start with a much stronger platform of government aid than a lot of other institutions.""

Molly Broad" president of the American Council on Education and former UNC-system president" said the N.C. legislature has continued to adequately fund the University even as enrollment grows.

""When added to the federal programs and federally guaranteed student loans" at the current time I think UNC can manage their way through the current situation" she said. I don't think it is going to be a serious problem at UNC.""

Broad said current state budget cuts for UNC-system schools would not cause them to abandon their need-blind policy.

UNC-system President Erskine Bowles has asked all schools in the UNC system to cut 5 percent with further cuts a possibility.

Broad said the cutback was probably being managed by small" one-time actions such as freezes on travel and lab equipment replacement.

Other state universities have also said they will remain need-blind regardless of the economy.

Director of Media Relations Sandra Lanman from Rutgers University in New Brunswick N.J." said whether a student has applied for financial aid has ""absolutely no effect"" on the admissions decision.

And Karen Fooks" director of student financial services at the University of Florida" said her university won't have to budge from its need-blind policy because it receives a large amount of federal money.

""We don't ask the question"" ‘Can we afford them?'"" Fooks said. ""Just like pretty much every other state university that I'm aware of"" it's tough economic times — but that wouldn't be a driver in admissions decisions.""

Ivy League schools with hefty endowments like Yale University and Harvard University also are continuing their need-blind policies.

In January" Yale announced it would cut the average cost of attendance by more than 50 percent for students with financial need and increase the number of students receiving financial aid.

Broad said school systems experiencing deeper cuts or smaller private colleges with weak endowments and few private gifts are at the highest risk for abandoning need-blind policies because they are lacking in state aid.

One such school is Earlham College in Richmond" Ind.

President Douglas Bennett said the college's board of trustees will discuss in February limiting its need-blind policy to only three-quarters of the class.

The other 25 percent will be viewed through the lens of need-sensitivity or consideration of their need for financial aid.

But Bennett said some colleges and universities have been struggling with financial aid for about 20 years — not just in the wake of the current economic crisis.

""It's something we started well before this financial meltdown"" he said though he acknowledged that the economy has worsened the situation.

But Bennett also said policies that incorporate need can be a good thing.

Need-blind policies don't necessarily give low-income students a leg up because applicants with straight As and high SAT scores, who are most attractive to admissions officers, often don't come from low-income backgrounds, he said.

It's easy to be need-blind if you aren't enrolling low-income students"" Bennett said. And that's what a lot of institutions are doing.""

He said a need-sensitive policy would allow Earlham to fulfill two of its chief goals: to enroll more low and moderate-income students and to fully meet their need.



Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.