Financial aid to UA students tops U.S. average, data show
August 28, 2006 - Posted in Education News, Financial AidThe portion of University of Arizona students receiving financial aid outpaces the national average, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the UA financial aid office.
Figures released Thursday by the Census Bureau show that nationwide, 11.2 million students, or about 65 percent of the total number of college students, receive some form of financial aid to pay for their education.
At the UA, about 78 percent of students receive some money from an outside source, said John Nametz, director of student financial aid.
“Our students compete very well for scholarships that come from within and outside the university,” he said. “My guess is we have more merit-based than most places.”
The census data didn’t distinguish between need-based and merit-based financial aid, but Nametz said about half of UA students qualify for merit-based aid and about 40 percent are eligible for federal need-based aid.
The census data put the average annual tuition, book costs, and room and board at $10,560 for full-time students. The average amount of aid received by full-time students was $6,291.
Average student costs at the UA range between $7,138 and $21,922, depending on whether a student lives on campus or off, and whether a student is from Arizona or out of state.
Nametz said there is no calculation for average financial aid received by UA students because of the wide range of aid received by students and the wide variety of sources of aid.
“An average is just flat meaningless,” he said.
The portion of U.S. college students receiving financial aid has risen steadily in recent years. A study on financial aid for students in the 1990-91 school year found 51 percent of college students received an average of $2,919 in financial aid.
Copyright © 2006 The Arizona Daily Star.