Three-fold increase suggests change in student profile
By Jonathan Hiser
This year, the number of freshmen not receiving financial aid is up three-fold from last year's 15 freshmen students to 46.
The increase of incoming students and families paying the full tuition and fees out of pocket suggests a possible trend at UP and other major universities.
"Numbers-wise, it's not huge, but I'd say going up 300 percent in one year is pretty high," Financial Aid Director Paul Krull said.
A reason for the trend lies in the connection between higher GPA, SAT scores and a family's economic status. UP's admitted freshman class had higher-than-average GPA and SAT scores, Krull said.
"People who are wealthier have higher SATs and GPAs - it's statistical," Krull said. "They go to better schools, they have better teachers and they can hire tutors. They have the ability to not have to deal with the challenges in life."
The financial aid not extended to the 46 students was, by extension, dispersed among other incoming students, allowing for additional need-based aid to go to those who qualify.
Freshman Chann Namgung said he appreciated his financial aid package, but said he still thinks about how much his education will cost him.
"They gave me a lot of money, but it's still a lot of money to pay off," Namgung said.
Freshman Shawn McCaffery said he thought UP's financial aid package was very generous.
"I wasn't going to come here until I got my letter in the mail with my scholarship," McCaffery said.
Krull said that, despite the spike in students paying full tuition, the average amount of financial aid given would probably not change dramatically. Competition for endowed university scholarships will change, since students must file for financial aid to be considered.
The increase in students paying full tuition was not foreseen because the admissions process is need-blind, making it difficult to gauge.
Krull said he believes that as the university accepts more students who can foot the bill in full, UP will come to look more like other high profile universities.
"My gut tells me it's a trend only because the profile of the university keeps increasing," Krull said. "If you look at any other major universities like Stanford, the vast majority of their students are full-pays."
A university's profile reflects how it is viewed by the public, with statistics like higher average SAT scores suggesting a more selective institution. Krull said that this enhanced profile discourages certain people from applying while encouraging other people to apply.
"It's intentional; we want to increase our profile because it makes your degree more valuable. If our average SAT and GPA went down, your degree wouldn't be worth as much in the public's eyes."
Krull said that the measurements used to calculate the 46-student statistic does not take into account if the students apply for aid in the future. Because of the way financial aid works, Krull said that the students would get some financial aid, such as loans.
"It's not all or nothing," Krull said. "If they come back second semester and ask for aid, that's a different story."
