Colleges Rescind Offers Over Racist Posts

The New York Times: "Amid a national accounting over entrenched and systemic racism after Mr. Floyd’s death in police custody on Memorial Day, at least a dozen schools have rescinded admissions offers to incoming students over instances of racism that circulated widely online, often after outraged students and university alumni demanded swift action. In this digital age, when social media posts can ricochet across the internet at furious speed, the message from those universities to the students caught posting racist sentiments online has been uncompromising: You are no longer welcome here."

"While private schools are not bound by the First Amendment and its protection of speech, public universities, as government institutions, must contend with the potential legal consequences of penalizing students for racist or sexist language ... But the First Amendment does not guarantee the right to be admitted to a state university with an admissions process that considers 'the whole person,' beyond just grades and test scores."

"In some cases, the revoked admissions offers are the results of concerted efforts by teenagers who have leveraged large social media followings and created Google spreadsheets to collect and document racist and offensive behavior with screenshots, videos and the names of those involved ... While the pushback from universities appears to have spiked in the weeks since Mr. Floyd’s killing, they are not limited to incoming freshmen. In early June, a student at Clemson University was included in an online spreadsheet that listed the personal information of young people who had reportedly posted racist content online."

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."