Consider merit scholarships

With last week's $5 million challenge grant to provide more financial aid to minority undergraduates, perhaps it is time for the Office of Financial Aid to begin thinking about offering merit awards to its most talented applicants and students.

Unlike many schools, Tufts calculates financial awards based solely on the students' and parents' ability to pay (the only exception to this is a small award for National Merit finalists). While this ideally gives accepted students enough financial support to be able enroll here, it is often not without major personal sacrifices on the part of students and their families.

The University expects all financial aid applicants to contribute a significant percentage of their summer earnings, if any, as well as to maintain a part-time job for the duration of their time on campus to help offset the cost of attendance. Although there is certainly nothing wrong with this expectation, its universal application may prevent the University from attracting high-caliber students that find more lucrative financial aid offers elsewhere. Additionally, using the donation to create merit scholarships would make the University more attractive to bright minority students.

Merit-based scholarships can help provide additional aid that would reduce loan debt or the need to work at school. These are not small issues for high school seniors when choosing a school to attend; at Tufts, for example, it is not uncommon for loan borrowers to graduate with over $16,000 in debt.

Of course, the ability to meet the minimal financial need of every student at Tufts must come before funds could be allocated for merit-based purposes. Given the state of today's economy and the skyrocketing growth of college tuition (which continues to outpace the national inflation rate), the strain on financial aid offices must be greater now than ever before.

Nevertheless, the University is now investigating the implementation of a need-blind admissions policy, which would separate financial need from admissions decisions. The extra funding required to support such a policy would not make a merit-based scholarship system possible. Instead of jumping to need-blind admissions, it would be worthwhile for Tufts to examine which option would better increase the quality and diversity of the student body.