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Undergraduates with family income below $200k will be tuition-free at MIT

(news.mit.edu)
581 points gnabgib | 14 comments | 20 Nov 24 16:59 UTC | HN request time: 0.646s | source | bottom
1. d2049 ◴[20 Nov 24 19:29 UTC] No.42197271[source]▶
When I was touring colleges as a high school senior I met someone who had gotten into MIT but whose family could only afford to send one kid to an elite college, him or his sister. He decided to go to a state school which was a lot less expensive but whose academics weren't close to the same level. This stuff matters to people.
replies(4): >>42198934 #>>42200364 #>>42200462 #>>42200591 #
2. blackguardx ◴[20 Nov 24 22:48 UTC] No.42198934[source]▶
Most students go into debt to attend college. I fell into a bracket where I didn’t get any financial assistance but my parents didn’t want to/couldn’t pay for tuition. I got personal loans for everything. I think this is a common scenario.
replies(3): >>42199915 #>>42200638 #>>42201704 #
3. accrual ◴[21 Nov 24 00:57 UTC] No.42199915[source]▶
Same here. I paid "full price" for my degree coming from a normal middle class family. Fortunately I was able to pay it all off a few years out of school with my first job.
4. akavi ◴[21 Nov 24 02:11 UTC] No.42200364[source]▶
When was this? MIT's financial aid was already very generous when I was applying (in 2008); IIRC the no-tuition threshold was 100 k$ back then
replies(1): >>42201512 #
5. seanmcdirmid ◴[21 Nov 24 02:26 UTC] No.42200462[source]▶
> I met someone who had gotten into MIT but whose family could only afford to send one kid to an elite college, him or his sister.

So they were rich enough that he didn't get exempt from tuition but still could only send one kid to an elite school?

I wonder if the guy was just pulling your leg.

replies(4): >>42200790 #>>42200974 #>>42201500 #>>42201822 #
6. ◴[21 Nov 24 02:48 UTC] No.42200591[source]▶
7. bmitc ◴[21 Nov 24 02:55 UTC] No.42200638[source]▶
The large majority of MIT undergraduates graduate debt free.
8. relaxing ◴[21 Nov 24 03:22 UTC] No.42200790[source]▶
His sister got in and he didn’t.
9. leetcrew ◴[21 Nov 24 04:02 UTC] No.42200974[source]▶
needlessly adversarial. financial aid is a best effort kind of thing, and plenty of people with unusual situations fall through the cracks.
replies(1): >>42201213 #
10. seanmcdirmid ◴[21 Nov 24 04:46 UTC] No.42201213{3}[source]▶
I don’t see it like that. People bragging about getting into MIT but not being able to go for some reason is an old meme, it always turns out that they didn’t really get in.
11. d2049 ◴[21 Nov 24 05:50 UTC] No.42201500[source]▶
I met him when I was at MIT for Campus Preview Weekend when accepted students visit the school. Is it necessary to assume things in such a cynical fashion?
12. d2049 ◴[21 Nov 24 05:52 UTC] No.42201512[source]▶
This was more than several years prior to that, I just tried to look up the financial aid of previous years and for some reason couldn't find it. If someone else finds it, I'd be curious to take a look.
13. grecy ◴[21 Nov 24 06:31 UTC] No.42201704[source]▶
* in the US.

In many developed countries higher education costs the same as high school.

14. ttyprintk ◴[21 Nov 24 06:58 UTC] No.42201822[source]▶
I wonder, too. In 1965, 3580 applied, 1532 were admitted, and only 929 enrolled. How many of that 39% had better options than MIT, knowing about the draft?