If we judge Northwestern’s tuition by any rational standard, it justifiably attracts negative attention. Twenty-six thousand dollars a year – plus another $10,000 for housing, meals and other expenses – is a substantial investment for all but the wealthiest families. Students who are charged $100,000 or more for a bachelor’s degree are sure to question the value of their education. But in any discussion of its high tuition, NU deserves credit for its sympathetic financial aid policies.
NU’s admissions policy is need-blind, which means the university did not consider your ability to pay when they admitted you. This is a simple method of attracting a diverse student body. According to NU, 60 percent of undergraduates receive some type of financial aid.
But because financial aid is need-based rather than merit-based, even if your application barely avoided the rejection pile, your aid package is calculated the same way as those of your classmates who aced the SAT. (The exceptions to this principle are student-athletes on scholarship.) Although applicants with perfect SAT scores might be offended by the lack of preferential treatment, this policy fairly asserts that undergraduates are entitled to equal evaluation.
Associate Provost Rebecca Dixon told The Daily last week that NU is suspending its annual assumption that the incoming freshman class will be able to afford more for tuition and other expenses on average than this year’s freshman class. This is a clear indication that the administration is aware of the economy’s damaging impact and willing to assist students whose families are affected by it.
Dixon said that although the economy will be a factor in determining financial aid for incoming freshmen, it will not play the same role for current students who are renewing aid packages. This does not mean NU will refuse to modify financial aid packages for current students, but students must take the initiative to inform the Undergraduate Office of Financial Aid about current or anticipated financial problems.
Like many incoming freshmen, I thought that the financial aid package NU offered me would remain roughly the same throughout my time as a student. When my family’s financial circumstances changed, I was worried about how the financial aid office would respond. But the financial aid counselors were both professional and understanding. Their restructuring of my package proved to me that NU was just as flexible as the administration claimed it was in its glossy brochures.
In response to the secretive Lagoon redevelopment project, some NU students are threatening to withhold donations when they are alumni. Students should continue to wield the power of their purses; maybe the threats will persuade administrators to open their closed doors.
I don’t like it either when the administration plans a major project in private or nickel-and-dimes me on a measly photocopy. But I’m just not compelled to turn my back on the institution that has given me generous financial aid. NU doesn’t always exercise common sense, but it can still count on me to pay back every penny with interest.