Letters-to-the-Editor: “Trusting W&L Cost Me Thousands”

W&L’s financial aid “is a joke for middle class families who have their finances in order.”

The following excerpts are taken from comments posted to The Spectator’s website in response to “Trusting W&L Cost Me Thousands” by Sam Haines, ‘25. The comments were edited for clarity and concision.

The cost of college is not tethered to reality.

If you’re very wealthy in the top 1%, you’re okay. And, if you’re very poor, you’re going to get full aid. But, the vast middle class is just completely let down. Who can afford $90,000 annually, especially if you have a few kids?

Maybe, W&L could charge less if they didn’t have over 600 administrators!

Eric Stratton, MD

***

If you can’t afford W&L, there are countless excellent state schools from which to choose.

It’s unfortunate that their aid program is somewhat inconsistent. My question is who exactly are the students that are getting a complete free ride at W&L? It appears that the school is bending over backwards to achieve their (over) stated goal of DEI while at the same time making it increasingly difficult for students who don’t fit the description that DEI espouses.

Parent of two W&L graduates

***

For most middle class families with more than one child who might go to college, W&L is not a good option despite what it apparently promises. Despite all the alumni donations and loyalty, W&L has become a college for kids whose parents are either super rich or whose parents have not been successful, especially if the parents live in major urban or suburban areas. W&L in the 80’s actually was a pretty affordable private college compared to many Northern schools similarly situated.

As to affordability, don't believe the hype. In my opinion, W&L is less than forthcoming and leaning on lying when saying “our top-25 endowment among all U.S. colleges and universities allows us to provide need-based financial aid to the greatest number of students across the broadest range of incomes,” according to their website. They even go so far as to make a “No-Loan Commitment,” claiming that students can “graduate debt-free” thanks to their generous financial aid program. That is a joke for middle class families who have their finances in order.

80’s graduate

***

My father was Class of ‘43. He had a Mary Reid scholarship and a work study job in the old library and worked many jobs even at professors’ homes. I know exactly where the professor lived in Lexington who helped my dad get through school. My father’s brother died suddenly when he was a sophomore and he was going to quit school, but one of the professors helped him through this difficult time.

My father was a Rockbridge County native who graduated valedictorian of his beloved Palmer Schoolhouse. He always wanted W&L to give more scholarships to boys like himself who grew up here in Rockbridge County. The only way to do this is for alumni & donors to restrict designated funds. I am sorry such a billion plus endowment couldn’t have been more generous to you. In 1943, W&L helped students voraciously like my dear late father!

Ruth Parsons

***

If W&L (or any college for that matter) really cared, they would focus their resources on keeping tuition affordable instead of creating these funny games as well as bloated administration and DEI scams.

Jason Smee, ‘03

***

I attended W&L from 1994 to 1998 because I was offered an old full-tuition Robert E. Lee Honor Scholarship. I could not have afforded it without this and support from my parents. I also worked in the Writing Center as an adviser and sometimes for the university and fraternities as a driver. I waited tables at the old Spanky's and Il Palazzo in town. I worked at my local movie theater at home during breaks. I graduated with about $15,000 in federally backed loans. After 25 years in repayment/forbearance, this debt had grown to about $25,000 when it was recently forgiven by the Biden-Harris administration, by the original terms under which it was borrowed.

Alex Christensen, ‘98

***

Ridiculous. I’m sad to say I’m glad my kids went to JMU and Tech. Great schools and half the cost. You should be proud of yourself! W&L is an overpriced scam.

Chris W.

***

My son was a finalist for the Johnson Scholarship when he applied to W&L. Sadly, he was not selected, and so the decision to accept W&L's offer to attend without financial assistance came under considerable scrutiny. State schools were clearly more affordable and even offered merit scholarships and special honors programs. Another private school came through with a merit offer that would have essentially covered tuition for one full year out of the four. My son's heart was set on W&L though, so his school counselor suggested that he reach out to W&L to see if there were any other grants or scholarships that he could still consider. The financial aid office offered nothing to him and did not even seem to care. I have heard other parents share the same experiences.

Class of 2025 parent

***

This is all very disappointing. For what it’s worth, alumni are following and watching. Most I know are much less active than they would otherwise be at this stage of their lives, if they are active at all, because of the disappointing decisions and actions of the current administration and board of trustees. You need look no further than seeing The Generals Redoubt purchasing a hefty piece of property near campus to see that alumni giving is being redirected to causes that further what W&L always stood for: honor, civility, intellectual honesty, and good will.

Disappointed alumnus

***

What is described here is a classic bait-and-switch. The lowest and sleaziest end of dishonorable.

Edward McAuliffe

***

Here are some facts which may help clarify the situation:

1) W&L is ranked #20 among colleges and universities in endowment per student. It is #11 among liberal arts colleges and #2 in the South behind Rice.

2) W&L is ranked #71 in country in faculty salaries adjusted for cost of living, #28 in the South, and #3 in Virginia.
3) W&L is ranked #19 in the country for financial aid and #2 in the South, with 61% of students receiving some financial aid.

W&L's ranking on financial aid is commensurate with its endowment rating. However, the faculty salaries ranking is lower than the endowment and financial aid rankings.

Neely Young, ‘66

***

Our daughter was accepted into W&L to enter in 2019. At that time we were astonished to see that there was no aid offered when we clearly could not afford the full cost or even half. We questioned it and made an appointment with a financial aid officer. We finally got out of him that the factor was the value of our house. Our modest house, in overpriced Northern Virginia, had risen to over three times what we had paid for it. If we were to purchase such a house here today (or in 2019) we would not be able to afford it.

So, financial aid expected us to re-mortgage our house to a level we couldn't afford on our income. And they were not at all gracious or sympathetic about this. As a result, our daughter turned down a coveted spot at the school and went to another college where she obtained a great education for a small fraction of the W&L cost. It seems W&L either A) only wants students from very wealthy homes, B) has an inflated, elitist view of its value to students, or C) is pursuing a redistribution scheme from the “undeserving” to the “deserving” despite having the ability from its endowment to provide adequate aid to all.

Anonymous parent

***

W&L raises their costs every year. I was on a full scholarship through Questbridge. I am beyond thankful for that opportunity. But because W&L costs around $90,000 a year, I was taxed as if I made the $30,000 in non-tuition funds. Consequently, I paid more taxes than all members of my family every year as a student. If W&L cared for student finances, they would cut their expenses and defund the bureaucracy.

Kamron M. Spivey, ‘24

***

Another reason why I have rewritten my will to exclude W&L.

Bill