Why It’s So Hard to Calculate What You’ll Pay for College<br />2017-18 school year, unless noted<br />OF MERIT AID RECIPIENTS<br />4.08 grade point average,<br />758 critical reading SAT, 726 math SAT<br />3.36 grade point average,<br />Smith did not disclose<br />“Do we leverage this and say, ‘This is who we are, and everyone is going to get something based on academic performance’?” he said.<br />Stephen Burd’s 2013 mini-history of merit aid in The Washington Monthly is essential reading for any family trying to understand the system, and it highlights one fundamental problem with merit aid: By giving discounts to families<br />that might otherwise pay more, there may be less money for lower-income students who truly cannot afford the school.<br />“At some point, it’s just kind of icky not to admit it.”<br />Simmons does not disclose the average credentials for merit aid recipients on its merit aid website page in the same way<br />that Mount Holyoke does, but Dr. Dolan said he was considering adding them<br />In addition to offering financial aid based solely on what a family can afford, many<br />colleges offer grants or discounts based on academic or other qualifications.
