Work

Need-blind college admissions, financial aid and student loan programs

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: We investigate the impact of need-blind admission policy in conjunction with financial aid systems. We first show that for the need-blind admission policy to effectively promote the total enrollment of financially disadvantaged students, colleges should be able to make financial aid offers contingently on the student’s financial need level but not on their academic ability. Next, we argue that the existing federal student loan program inadvertently exacerbates the scholarship budget disparity between colleges, consequently impeding the enrollment of financially disadvantaged students. To address this problem, we deliberate on potential modifications to the student loan program and propose a supplementary matching loan scheme.

Source: Social Choice and Welfare

DOI: 10.1007/s00355-025-01625-7

Authors: Eun Jeong Heo, In-Uck Park

Institutions: University of Seoul, University of Bristol

Language: English

Topic: Higher Education Research Studies

Subfield: Education

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Reduced inequalities, Quality education, No poverty

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $2,890