The Rich-Poor Gap Widens for Colleges and Students

By JEFFREY SELINGO and JEFFREY BRAINARD

As in the country as a whole, class distinctions have always existed in higher education.

The Harvards, Michigans, and Grinnells have long snagged the big gifts, posted large endowment gains, hired star professors, and attracted top-notch students, mostly from well-off families and elite suburban high schools. The Clarkes, Keukas, and Mansfields have labored for attention and money, kept a tight rein on expenses, and worried about filling beds each fall with students, many of them from