"At Williams College in western Massachusetts, first-year student Daniela Corona walked backwards quickly, glancing over her shoulder so as not to trip as she guided a campus tour for interested students and their families. The daughter of Mexican immigrants, Corona is the first in her family to go to college--"quite the jump," she calls it. To land on her feet, and to meet the terms of her generous financial aid package, Corona works as a tour guide and two other jobs on campus," WBGH reports.

Last month, Williams announced that beginning next fall, Corona and more than 1,100 other students on financial aid would no longer be required to work, making the selective college in Williamstown, Massachusetts the first in the country to give them a truly free ride – with no obligations to borrow or work.

..."Financial aid officers across the country are watching to see whether the move at Williams is the beginning of a new trend.

'We celebrate any schools that are changing policies that they think will better meet the needs of their students,' said Justin Draeger, president of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators. Its member schools serve ninety percent of all students enrolled in higher education.

'Part of our ethical responsibility as financial aid administrators is this commitment to remove financial barriers for all students who want to go to college to the fullest extent that we can at our individual schools,' he said.

Coming out of the pandemic, Draeger predicts a handful of highly selective colleges will re-examine their financial aid policies, but, like Harvard, a majority will hold on to the idea that students should make some contribution to their education because it makes them a more active part of the institution 'and it increases their commitment to their educational success.'"

NASFAA's "Notable Headlines" section highlights media coverage of financial aid to help members stay up to date with the latest news. Articles included under the notable headlines section are not written by NASFAA, but rather by external sources. Inclusion in Today's News does not imply endorsement of the material or guarantee the accuracy of information presented.

Publication Date: 5/3/2022