Posted on 02/23/2020 5:00:35 PM PST by L.A.Justice
USC will eliminate tuition for families earning $80,000 or less annually, part of an effort to increase access for middle and low-income students, the school announced Thursday.
The new policies were announced in a statement by USC President Carol Folt.
As part of the plan, the school will no longer consider home equity in financial aid calculations for applicants.
"We really want this to be an institution where great students can attend regardless of their financial background," Folt said in an interview with the Los Angeles Times. "Education should be the great bridge across income that really is the equalizer and makes our talented, hardworking students able to make real contributions."
Removing home equity from the equation will help many Californians who have seen their home values increase, but little change in their incomes, Folt told the Times. The home equity might be what prevents some parents from putting their children through school, she said.
"Financial barriers should not be a deal-breaker for students with the merit and motivation to attend a top-tier research university like USC," said Trenton Stone, the USC undergraduate student government president. “This plan will help make our incredible university community more accessible to a wider range of individuals from diverse financial, geographical and cultural backgrounds."
The two new policies will be rolled out in phases with the first-year students enrolling in fall 2020 and spring 2021. About one-third of each class will benefit, USC said in a statement.
"We’re opening the door wider to make a USC education possible for talented students from all walks of life," Folt said. "This significant step we are taking today is by no means the end of our affordability journey. We are committed to increasing USC’s population of innovators, leaders and creators regardless of their financial circumstances. Investing in the talent and diversity of our student body is essential to our educational mission."
Undergraduate aid will be increased by more than $30 million annually, the school said in a statement. Once the plan is in full swing, stronger financial assistance will be available to more than 4,000 students every year, according to USC.
Folt is a former chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill who became USC's president last year as the university dealt with a series of major scandals, including the college admissions bribery case.
Do they mean free as in no money changes hands or do they mean free as in other Californians pay the tuition for them?
In related news, tuition for families earning above $80,000 has just doubled.
I have a son who is a freshmen in college. Luckily, he got a full tuition scholarship, however it is still not cheap. These colleges are like country clubs now. It is absurd.
California is going to need another Gold Rush in order to sustain Newsome.
USC is a private school.
“California is going to need another Gold Rush in order to sustain Newsome.”
What does Newsome have to do with this?
We sent Carol Folt packing from the Univ of NC. You guys need to do the same.
“ California is going to need another Gold Rush in order to sustain Newsome.”
Nope! They will just continue to expect other states to foot the bill. I think a law should be enacted that a state cannot pull back more federal dollars that the taxpayers of that state contributed. Why should poor Alabamians pay to send some snot nosed surfer or second/third generation illegal to get a degree in gender studies?
“ Nope! They will just continue to expect other states to foot the bill.”
It does not appear that any state is footing the bill for this.
It’s private money.
It’s how schools compete for students as education quality, or lack there of, matters far less than partying, or socializing in comfort.
It’s been going on for decades.
Years ago I signed up for the Florida Prepaid College Tuition program, but the Democrats, who controlled the state then, but raised the mandatory fees to where it cost more overall than before.
California pays far more into the Federal System than it takes out. Has been that way for years.
There’s plenty of nutty things about California but that isn’t one of them.
“Eliminate tuition for families earning $80,000.”
Unreasonable and unethical. Here is a better plan: every student should get a tuition decrease. Make USC attractive again.
Arte Moreno decreased the price of beer at Angels stadium when he became owner. Every Angel fan appreciated the gesture. Then Moreno traded for Pujols and lost respect by some Angel fans.
FYI, USC is a private school, so the state is not picking up the tab.
The University of Southern California is a leading private research university located in Los Angeles — a global center for arts, technology and international business.
I look forward to their bankruptcy.
First you have to bribe your way onto a team for a sport you don’t play, however.
Many colleges and universities are so heavily endowed that they do not need to charge tuition yet they are the ones that charge the most.
The College Of The Ozarks charges no tuition, students must work for it.
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