Free Website Assists with Financial Aid

The New York Times: "To apply for federal aid, students need to fill out a Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, which has 133 questions, including difficult ones like what is their parents’ total tax-exempt interest income. That’s just for federal aid, including work-study. Applying for state aid requires more forms. New York, for example, has 22 grant or scholarship programs with different applications. Added to this, students have to consider 4,400 colleges with different financial aid policies and then 10 times that number of private scholarships with different eligibility requirements and questions."

"To simplify the process ... a free platform, Going Merry, helps students find and apply for private scholarships, college financial aid and government grants, in one place. About 350,000 students and 7,500 counselors use the service. Along with applying for assistance, students can see what aid various colleges offer to students. Stanford University, for example, shows its commitment to meet the full need to students from historically underrepresented backgrounds. The University of Virginia highlights its same commitment to ensure that out-of-state students know about its financial aid as well as those in-state. Colleges can also feature particular programs."

"A number of sites make it easier to see what aid is available. MyinTuition, for example, provides an online calculator to give students a financial aid estimate based on six simple questions. Another start-up, Fair Opportunity Project, provides free college application and financial aid guides to every public school in America."

Williams Cuts Tuition by 15 Percent

Bloomberg: "Williams College, the richest liberal arts school in the U.S., is reducing its cost by 15% for families on a one-time basis for the coming academic year and canceling sports competition and travel for the season as the coronavirus upends higher education ... Tuition, room and board for the 2020-2021 academic year will be $63,200. Family contributions for students receiving financial aid will also be reduced by 15%." Williams President Maud Mandel comments:“This reduction recognizes the fact that the pandemic and associated challenges are requiring us to cancel winter study as well as fall athletics competition and many student activities, among other opportunities that we usually encourage families to expect as part of their student’s education.”

"Schools across the U.S. are coping with uncertainty for the year that begins in August or September as it’s largely unclear whether in-person courses will be offered given the rise in Covid-19 cases. Students at dozens of schools have already balked at the full price for last semester’s tuition with months of online classes, suing for billions of dollars in refunds. A few dozen private colleges have cut their tuition charges over the years, but not typically the most elite ones."

"The move by Williams, which has about 2,100 students, may put pressure on other selective liberal arts schools to follow. Davidson College in North Carolina said in April that families could postpone their payments when the bills come in July ... The public College of William & Mary in May said it would roll back a previously adopted tuition increase for incoming in-state undergraduates and keep tuition and mandatory fees flat. The wealthiest schools such as Williams may have the most financial flexibility. The endowment at Williams was worth $2.9 billion as of June 2019, the most recent public value ... Students may opt to return to campus, study remotely or take a leave or gap year."

Sweet Briar: Small is the New Big

The Washington Post: "Sweet Briar, a private college in rural Virginia ... is marketing itself as a safe haven in the midst of a pandemic — and officials even hope that pitch might help shore up its future ... Meredith Woo, the president of Sweet Briar, contends that the biggest challenge for fall opening for any college is not testing or medical facilities — it’s keeping students apart. And Sweet Briar, a small women’s college, is a place that has never had stadiums packed with fans for football games, 700-person econ classes, or parties spilling out of fraternity houses."

"Many universities are now considering holding classes outside, to reduce the spread of the virus. At Sweet Briar, that’s always been a thing: Students study the butterflies that float around the campus and the bees busy in the school’s apiary, its bright beehives painted pastel colors. Engineering students compete in a cardboard regatta at a lake on campus, using duct tape and cardboard boxes to design boats that can get from one landing to another without sinking. Students can study sustainability at the school’s giant new greenhouse, where, on one recent afternoon, basil, lettuce and cherry tomatoes were poking up out of their dirt beds. That produce will be used for students’ meals, donated to needy families, and sold to people in the community who want to eat local food."

"Many of the school’s pastimes can be pandemic-friendly. Students ride horses, as part of the school’s nationally known equestrian program or just to enjoy the 18 miles of trails. (When they’re seniors, they get a day to ride anywhere they like, even right up to the president’s house, said Mimi Wroten, director of the riding program.) They paddle around near the boathouse. They wander campus, past the Georgian brick buildings, the pink roses that first inspired the Sweet Briar name, the vineyard, the forests of oak and chestnut and tulip poplar.