An Ivy League Education at an Affordable Price

The main entrance of Widener Library at Harvard University.

iStockphoto.com

Thanks to Ama for suggesting we take another look at this story:

"Please highlight the Stanford, Yale and Harvard tuition story. The word needs to get out that a great education can be had at those institutions without mortgaging your future."

Last week, Stanford University announced it would waive tuition for students from families that make less than $100,000 a year. It follows similar announcements from Harvard and Yale.

It's not like these wealthy institutions can't afford to be charitable; Harvard, for instance, boasts an endowment of $34.6 billion.

For all the talk about the importance diversity, socioeconomic diversity is often overlooked at some of the nation's top-rated colleges and universities.

But the now unseen consequences may soon be felt at the nation's historically blacks colleges and universities, as top talent -- who may have considered attending a Howard, Spelman or Morehouse for financial reasons -- instead choose to attend a Dartmouth, Yale, or Harvard.

So two questions: what will be the impact of these tuition reductions/waivers, and how can HBCUs remain viable options for the nation's top students?

UPDATE (2/26/08): Brown Ends Tuition for Lower-Income

Geoffrey Bennett

Tags: Stanford University | college | higher education