Tuition costs have prevented some graduating high school seniors from attending the college of their choice, according to a recent study.
A study by the National Association for College Admission showed that as the nation’s economy continues to struggle, many new college students were forced to cut corners.
The study noted, “One in six [college students] indicated the impact of the recession forced a change in their college plan.”
One of the changes that prospective college students have made is choosing public universities or community colleges that are close to home over private or out-of-state schools.
Edmond Chen, an incoming freshman at UT, was accepted to the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor but said he declined the admission offer because he would have to pay out-of-state tuition, which is three times more than in-state tuition.
“Without any financial aid or scholarship, it was going to be hard for my family to afford,” Chen said.
Chen also said that he had a couple of his friends choose UT over private schools.
“Right now, not a lot of families can afford the cost,” he said.
Thomas Melecki, director of UT Student Financial Services, said the number of applicants for financial aid during the 2009-2010 school year has increased 1 percent from last year and 4 percent since two years ago.
The Financial Services office has noticed a growing interest among Texas-resident students to transfer to UT due to the impact of the nation’s struggling economy.
“We are hearing … that students who have attended the out-of-state colleges and private colleges are now looking at UT-Austin,” Melecki said. “They feel like it’s a really good bargain. The quality of UT education is very high, just as high as the private schools, but quite a bit less expensive.”
Kedra B. Ishop, UT associate director of admissions, said that although she has seen a decline in the number of out-of-state applicants, the overall number of applicants has increased.
“We’re not significantly up or down,” Ishop said. “We know the economy has had an effect on us. We just don’t know what it is.”
