Are Ivy League colleges targeting smart, middle class students to scam them?

Ivy league colleges have big endowments, high tuitions, and wealthy alumni, all of which are better ways for them to get money than an uncertain number of $75 application fees. They also have big budgets for which a million is generally a drop in the bucket. Plus, processing all those applications takes a lot of staff, who require salaries and benefits. So no, I wouldn't expect it's to be in that business as a revenue-producer.

They do, however, generally make some outreach efforts in the name of racial or ethnic or geographical or financial diversity in the applicant pool, so that might explain your letters (assuming they actually came from the college and not some third-party organization trying to scam parents)

Unless you're going to college to become a doctor, lawyer, CPA, etc, all college really teaches you is to research and how to continue learning and it shows you put forth the time, effort, and expense to get a degree. After the establishment of the US Department of Education, college tuition went up in price significantly. In the 70's it cost about $600 a year to attend Harvard. Now its over $36,000 a year. The colleges charge more to provide things like rock climbing walls and little extras that have nothing to do with education. Maybe it is to limit who can even get in because few people can work their way through college anymore. There are over a trillion dollars in outstanding loans owed to the government. These young people graduate and get the same jobs kids used to get right out of high school. How will they ever pay those loans back? Most people don't dream of becoming rich. They just do the basics so they can live a decent life.

You know, this is actually a very good question, and I have half of a hypothesis.

I'll be back with the other half after I research if my theory is true, but I do know that many colleges, even Ivy League colleges, are offering free online classes for undergraduates.

I am wondering if this is how they are funding them.

I will research.

But I also do know that there is always an application fee for every application.

If I recall correctly, it's in the $25-$50 range though.

Be right back.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

uh-oh.

I think I may be wrong.

well, joke of the day:

what has two thumbs and is slightly suspicious of everything that's "free" ?

<-------- DIS GUY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am a girl , but Dis Girl just doesn't sound as cool as Dis Guy .

They certainly won't call it that but with the thousands that are spent on applications and there prep, this too has gotten out of hand. The cost of higher education has risen faster then anything else and coincidentally corresponds to the ease and availability of government backed student loans. Highest profit margin, that seems to have been recession proof. Higher education is a must but currently, they are no better then any other large corporation.

very confusing step. check out with bing and yahoo. that will might help!