As a second-year student at Miami Dade College, I have started my search for potential transfer universities. While narrowing down my list of dream schools, I stumbled across a clause, hidden on most universities’ websites, that states they conduct “need-aware” admissions.
The phrase means they take into account a student’s ability to pay for their education in determining their acceptance.
While it may sound like schools are acknowledging a student’s financial situation to give the student a fair chance at admission, the opposite occurs.
In this case, if two students are evenly matched, the wealthier student is accepted to save the school money.
We can’t completely determine how wealth affects need-aware admissions, but the simple fact that a family’s low-income status makes it more likely for a student to be rejected is unethical.
And it’s just not private schools that employ this practice. Need-aware admissions policies are also present at some public universities. Access to an education should not be comparable to the access one might have to the VIP section of a luxury club or a high-end restaurant.
Having access to high-quality education can change lives. Education often serves as the only way for low-income students to break the cycle of poverty. By discriminating against students who can’t afford an education, social progress is being hindered.
In my personal research, I noticed that the number of need-aware admission schools grew when I applied as a transfer student as opposed to when I applied as an incoming freshman. This is upsetting because a lot of students who attend community colleges do so because of their financial need.
Universities shouldn’t be run like businesses simply aiming to capitalize on profit. Instead, they should educate and provide personal advancement for everyone who is motivated and intellectually capable.
When schools hurt a citizen’s ability to obtain a quality education, they hurt society as a whole.
Click here to subscribe to our bi-weekly newsletter, The Hammerhead. For news tips, contact us at mdc.thereporter@gmail.com.
