Scholarships not in line with rising tuition

Tuition increases from year to year, yet one thing stays the same: the amount of money awarded for academic scholarships.

Academic scholarships at Fairfield have remained monetarily stagnant since 2004, when each of the three awards was raised by approximately $3,000, with the premier award capping off at $15,000. However, tuition – including room and board – has since increased from $37,200 to $43,770.

With continuous increases in the amount it costs to attend Fairfield, scholarships that once appeared competitive may soon be little more than superficial.

Affording a private college education is increasingly problematic for many families, with the median American family income a mere $6,000 more than Fairfield’s tuition, according to the 2006 US Census Bureau. Thus, scholarships – in addition to financial aid loans and grants – are often essential for many students, but Fairfield’s top award now composes barely one-third of the total cost of attendance. The base award of $10,000 does not even cover a quarter.

The office of Financial Aid said that while there are no plans to increase merit scholarships, more money is being directed to the financial aid fund, which helps all students, not just those of recognized academic caliber.

“We recognize that the dollar value of merit-only scholarships has not increased in the past several years, but our top priority has been to enhance need-based financial aid to support students and families who need assistance,” said Judy Dobai, director of enrollment management. She also noted that the financial aid budget has increased by $6 million in the past two years.

However, the lack of increase in merit scholarships has placed Fairfield behind other schools of similar academic standings.

Providence College in Rhode Island, whose $37,855 tuition is less than Fairfield’s, offers full tuition scholarships, in addition to two lower scholarships worth $21,000 and $15,000. This changed in 2006, after previous years had been offered scholarships between $6,000 and $22,000 and full tuition awards.

Loyola College in Maryland, whose tuition is currently $41,550, has a system that increases scholarships in tandem with tuition increases.

“There’s an automatic driver in our model that will increase the scholarships available [when tuition goes up],” said Loyola Vice President of Finance John Palucci. Loyola College, like Providence, also offers full tuition scholarships.

And while Fairfield’s dedication to financial aid is commendable, the decrease in importance of merit scholarships coupled with Fairfield’s awards being less than those of other similar universities may have detrimental consequences.

Merit scholarships are often used to lure students away from other competitive schools, therefore helping increase Fairfield’s academic reputation.

But if scholarships are small compared to the overall price of tuition, prospective students may not be intrigued.

Chair of the sociology department Kurt Schlicting, who studies admissions trends, said that there is a constant balancing act between the amount students are willing to pay and the amount a school is able to give. And while there are many factors that go into deciding which school to attend, the financial factor is significant.

“We will lose some students to institutions who offer more substantial scholarships,” he said.

Aimee Trainor ’08 agreed.

“I got into more competitive schools, but came to Fairfield because of my scholarship. But unfortunately the money isn’t worth as much as it was then, so I don’t know if it would still be a deciding factor,” she said.