Study: Well-to-do students favor public universities

By KENNETH J. COOPER

The Washington Post

WASHINGTON --- It is a suprising answer to a question that, until recently, no one had bothered to ask:

Do kids from well-to-do families tend to go to private colleges or public universities?

Answer: Public universities.

On average, students at the "flagship" universities of state college systems have higher family incomes than their counterparts at private colleges, according to a new analysis of federal survey data.

The families of undergraduates attending these universities earned a median annual income of $51,000, compared to less than $47,000 at the nation's private colleges in the 1995-1996 school year, the latest survey information available.

Just a sampling of state flagships suggests how gentrified the nation's best state universities have become. Currently, median family income averages about $56,000 at the University of California, $75,000 at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst and $80,000 at the University of Texas. For last year's graduating class at the University of Virginia, it was $94,000.

While family incomes of students at the most prestigious private colleges --- the Ivy League schools and the like --- usually exceed even this level, most of the nation's 1,500 private colleges are smaller schools little known outside their local areas --- like Trinity College in northeast Washington, where median income is $35,000.

The nationwide income averages come from a new analysis of federal figures by the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities. Although the Education Department data used is four years old, experts believe the surprising pattern continues. The results also agree with separate studies that four states --- Florida, Minnesota, Oregon and California --- conducted in the early 1990s.

In two of those states, Florida and Oregon, the pattern was even broader: Family incomes were higher not just at flagship universities, but at public colleges as a whole --- including little- known schools like the University of West Florida and Southern Oregon University --- than at private colleges.

Higher education analysts cited several possible reasons for the enrollment pattern. As the gap between tuition rates at private and public colleges has grown, more affluent families have shopped around for the best value, often relying on guides that rank different colleges by quality and encourage parents to use a consumer approach in picking one. Unlike private colleges, state universities essentially subsidize student costs regardless of income by offering low in-state tuition. And in recent years, many public universities have made aggressive efforts to court top students --- who often come from affluent families --- with offers such as merit scholarships.

"What you get is some fairly sophisticated parents who are relatively astute at evaluating what you get for your money," said Larry Burt, student financial aid director at the University of Texas.

The higher income levels at flagship universities undercuts several long-held assumptions --- for instance, the exclusive elitism of private colleges, the lower quality of public colleges and the conception of state universities as open doors to higher education.

In addition, analysts say the current situation raises hard questions about state policies that defray education costs for residents regardless of income.

"A lot of government spending --- state appropriations --- is going to subsidize the education of people from pretty high income families. But states are not doing enough with student aid to make those institutions affordable to low income kids," said Michael McPherson, president of private Macalester College in Minnesota and coauthor of the book "The Student Aid Game."

Brian Zucker, a Chicago consultant who conducted the studies in Florida, Minnesota and Oregon, called state-subsidized tuition "one of the great entitlements that exists for middle income families."

A few states are actually moving to change their scholarship policies. To decrease the financial burden on low income students, a Missouri panel recently proposed the state provide more scholarships based on financial need. Florida Gov. Jeb Bush made a similar proposal earlier this month as part of his plan to end affirmative action in the state's college admissions.

Compared to public colleges, private colleges offer more scholarship money based on need, discounting their higher tuition rates for low-income students and lowering the midpoint of family income levels on their campuses.

"The national perception has always been that private institutions are the domain of the wealthy," said David L. Warren, president of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities. "The fact is we are every bit as accessible as the publics.

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