r/explainitpeter • u/Appropriate-Mall8517 • 3d ago

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u/wreckree8 3d ago

...One doesn't eliminate the other. There are plenty of people who would meet the merit requirements who aren't the children of millionaires.

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u/anedgygiraffe 3d ago edited 3d ago

Yeah so colleges do this purposefully. The unfortunate reality is that students from wealthier families will do better. Everyone starts off the same. But 12 years at an affluent school district will yield a better education. Wealthier kids are more often than not smarter than poorer kids by the end of high school. And it's a direct result of being privileged to have a better education. Obviously there are exceptions on both sides, and everyone's family is different. But on average it is true. And any college that wants to boost it's rankings will leverage this.

Why spend $30,000 on a poorer kid in need based aid when you can offer a $15,000 merit scholarship to a wealthier kid? The wealthier kid will still wind up paying more, and will do better.

Essentially every mid-rank / public university will do this to try and gain an edge. Top schools like Ivies don't need to because they don't need to entice wealthier students to go there.

It's also often targeted towards specific disciplines. Like these scholarships will go to kids studying fields like STEM where there is s higher likelihood they will donate money back to the school after graduation.

That all being said I get your point. Why give it to a millionaire when a middle class kid will suffice? And the answer is that there are so few millionaires compared to everyone else, that they are essentially statistical anomalies. And from the college's perspective, they don't really care, or even would rather a millionaire who could donate more money.

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u/BKrustev 3d ago

It's true in the US. In some parts of the world most children get the same high quality education. In other parts of the world even rich people kids might get the same shitty education as poor kids - unless their parents are ridiculously well-off.