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Policy Eliminates Student Loan Debt
The Board of Trustees at Davidson College, consistently ranked in the top ten liberal arts colleges in the country by U.S. News and World Report, has voted unanimously to fund students' demonstrated financial need entirely through grants and student employment, allowing students to graduate without loan debt.
Companion Reading
:: Davidson at a Glance
:: Losing Ground: A National Status Report on the Affordability of American Higher Education
:: Less Affluent Families Losing Ground in Access to College
Discussion
- What were some of the factors Davidson's leadership considered in creating this new policy? How do those factors compare with issues raised in the "Losing Ground" report?
- Could the Trustees' decision be considered a moral choice? Why?
- Would you consider attending Davidson, since the college will fund any demonstrated financial needs you may have? Why? Would you have considered Davidson before this new program was announced? Why?
- In a letter to alumni, Davidson President Robert F. Vagt wrote, "It is our hope that [other liberal arts colleges] will follow a similar course, making affordable to any qualified student the kind of educational experience that changes lives." How might Davidson's decision put pressure on other schools to follow its lead?
- What colleges or universities would you apply to if cost were not a consideration? Consider writing a letter to those schools' departments of financial aid, explaining Davidson's new policy and encouraging them to follow suit.
Jennifer Holladay is Teaching Tolerance's interim director. She graduated from Davidson College in 1993.
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