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Disclaimer: I am a grad student at Stanford (which definitely makes me low-income :) Undergrads whose families make under 60k go to Stanford for free and under

Disclaimer: I am a grad student at Stanford (which definitely makes me low-income :) Undergrads whose families make under 60k go to Stanford for free and under 100k don't pay tuition. Yes there are some students who can afford a lot more than others, but I think Stanford does a pretty good job helping out low-income students. Obviously all schools could do a better job at attracting lower income applicants, but I don't know why they're singling out Stanford.

mlinsey 18y ago
I don't know why they're singling out Stanford. Probably just because it's the SF Gate (same reason the only comparison made was to Berkeley).
- gleb 18y ago
  With articles like these, it's no surprise that Chronicle is going out of business. I was a low-income student in Staford, this article is a curious mix of misleading and plain wrong. I know that time is ripe for class warfare, but come on. * Financial aid does not cover housing during the summer because Stanford undergrad is not in session during the summer * Seeing how Stanford covers tuition and all the expenses for low-income students it's actually cheaper to go to Stanford than to stay at home. It's vastly harder for middle-income families to afford full cost of Stanford, than it is for low-income. Welcome to the modern elite college price discrimination/income redistribution. * having a car for an undergrad is unnecessary and uncommon in Stanford (it's a large and self-sufficient campus), it's a luxury or cost of doing business if you have an off-campus job. * there are good opportunities for low-income students got make a little extra money. Taking out a bit more in federally subsidized loans (reasonable if you expect your income to increase past college) and subsidized on-campus jobs which pay more than most post-undergraduate starting salaries would be good options. * so on, so on ... The lower-than-Berkeley Pell grant percentage is interesting. In addition to irrational belief that Stanford is "school for rich kids" I'd also point to the following rational reasons: * Stanford is more selective. You get drastically fewer poor kids as you move to the right of the bell curve. * Stanford practices affirmative action based on race. Berkeley is prohibited by law from using race and does it based on socio-economic status. Meaning that relatively to Berkeley Stanford discriminates against poor kids to free up space for protected minorities.
  - tokenadult 18y ago
    I was a low-income student in Staford What is the defining range of "low-income student" in this statement of yours, and in your several other comments in which you refer to other students? What is the boundary line between "low-income" and "middle-income" in your second bullet point?
    - gleb 18y ago
      When I started college, somewhere around $30k family income I think, no assets. I would have qualified for the free ride under the current rules. We were recent immigrants, my parents' income rapidly went up during my junior/senior year, so I've seen both sides of the picture.
chris11 18y ago
"I don't know why they're singling out Stanford." Probably because they are one of the most selective universities in the area. Stanford accepts less than 10% of applicants a year. That is in the same range of any ivy league school. So Stanford is a leader in higher education. When Harvard decided to give need based financial aid to every family who made $180k or less a year, other colleges began discussions on revamping financial aid. Harvard became an example. So if Stanford changes, other schools will take notice. Other Colleges react to Harvard's Financial Aid Plan:http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/11/AR2007121102248.html http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12...
tokenadult 18y ago
I am a grad student at Stanford What are typical graduate student stipends these days at Stanford? I have no idea.
- johnswamps 18y ago
  In the sciences 20kish per nine months. Presumably a few thousand lower in the humanities, but I'm not sure. It's actually not that bad. The area is expensive and I can't afford a car, but it's enough to live comfortably.
- endtime 18y ago
  I'm a CS master's student at Stanford, which means I don't get funding automatically. But with a 20 hr/week assistantship (TA or RA) I get my tuition refunded, which is about $8200, and a roughly $7000 stipend. That's for one quarter (quarters are Sep-Dec, Jan-Mar, Apr-Jun). It's enough to cover housing, food, and a little extra...but it's certainly frugal living.

mlinsey 18y ago

I don't know why they're singling out Stanford. Probably just because it's the SF Gate (same reason the only comparison made was to Berkeley).

gleb 18y ago
With articles like these, it's no surprise that Chronicle is going out of business. I was a low-income student in Staford, this article is a curious mix of misleading and plain wrong. I know that time is ripe for class warfare, but come on. * Financial aid does not cover housing during the summer because Stanford undergrad is not in session during the summer * Seeing how Stanford covers tuition and all the expenses for low-income students it's actually cheaper to go to Stanford than to stay at home. It's vastly harder for middle-income families to afford full cost of Stanford, than it is for low-income. Welcome to the modern elite college price discrimination/income redistribution. * having a car for an undergrad is unnecessary and uncommon in Stanford (it's a large and self-sufficient campus), it's a luxury or cost of doing business if you have an off-campus job. * there are good opportunities for low-income students got make a little extra money. Taking out a bit more in federally subsidized loans (reasonable if you expect your income to increase past college) and subsidized on-campus jobs which pay more than most post-undergraduate starting salaries would be good options. * so on, so on ... The lower-than-Berkeley Pell grant percentage is interesting. In addition to irrational belief that Stanford is "school for rich kids" I'd also point to the following rational reasons: * Stanford is more selective. You get drastically fewer poor kids as you move to the right of the bell curve. * Stanford practices affirmative action based on race. Berkeley is prohibited by law from using race and does it based on socio-economic status. Meaning that relatively to Berkeley Stanford discriminates against poor kids to free up space for protected minorities.
- tokenadult 18y ago
  I was a low-income student in Staford What is the defining range of "low-income student" in this statement of yours, and in your several other comments in which you refer to other students? What is the boundary line between "low-income" and "middle-income" in your second bullet point?
  - gleb 18y ago
    When I started college, somewhere around $30k family income I think, no assets. I would have qualified for the free ride under the current rules. We were recent immigrants, my parents' income rapidly went up during my junior/senior year, so I've seen both sides of the picture.

chris11 18y ago

"I don't know why they're singling out Stanford." Probably because they are one of the most selective universities in the area. Stanford accepts less than 10% of applicants a year. That is in the same range of any ivy league school. So Stanford is a leader in higher education. When Harvard decided to give need based financial aid to every family who made $180k or less a year, other colleges began discussions on revamping financial aid. Harvard became an example. So if Stanford changes, other schools will take notice. Other Colleges react to Harvard's Financial Aid Plan:http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/11/AR2007121102248.html http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12...

tokenadult 18y ago

I am a grad student at Stanford What are typical graduate student stipends these days at Stanford? I have no idea.

johnswamps 18y ago
In the sciences 20kish per nine months. Presumably a few thousand lower in the humanities, but I'm not sure. It's actually not that bad. The area is expensive and I can't afford a car, but it's enough to live comfortably.
endtime 18y ago
I'm a CS master's student at Stanford, which means I don't get funding automatically. But with a 20 hr/week assistantship (TA or RA) I get my tuition refunded, which is about $8200, and a roughly $7000 stipend. That's for one quarter (quarters are Sep-Dec, Jan-Mar, Apr-Jun). It's enough to cover housing, food, and a little extra...but it's certainly frugal living.