I’ll bet their bigger problem is more difficulty attracting FULL-PAY students. They can get plenty of ppl who need financial aid, but loads of parents who can pay the full freight don’t want their kid to go there.
This is an interesting article, and points up that a college or university is a business entity, which needs to have a balanced budget, has to set priorities to make ends meet, etc.
This may be an area where the “ivory tower” college administrators, get a taste of the “real world”. Their organizations do not have unlimited resources, and have to balance their budgets just as every family needs to do.
50K is sticker price. If the college won’t offer a deal for less, they don’t really want your kid, they want your money. Go somewhere else.