Whitman College Caps Tuition at 10 Percent of Family Income
Source: NYT > Business (paywall)
Whitman's income-based pricing model cuts through the financial aid bureaucracy that has made college affordability opaque for families. It's a direct competitive move against peer institutions still using need-blind admissions. The shift suggests elite colleges are moving from opaque "need-based" aid formulas toward transparent, income-indexed pricing. This addresses affordability anxiety and simplifies enrollment marketing as demographic headwinds shrink the traditional college-bound pool. If other selective institutions follow, educational pricing expectations could shift, forcing the financial aid industry to justify its administrative overhead.