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U. of Dayton Adds Free Textbooks to the Admissions Equation

August 16, 2011, 5:09 pm

By Eric Hoover

The University of Dayton is offering a new incentive to prospective members of its 2012 freshman class: Applicants who visit the campus and complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (Fafsa) form by the university’s March 1 application deadline will receive four years of free textbooks.

Dayton officials describe the offer as a way of encouraging visits during a tight economy—and as a way of nudging families to complete the federal-aid form, especially those who may not think it’s worth the trouble. Moreover, Sundar Kumarasamy, Dayton’s vice president for enrollment management, says the grants will demonstrate the institution’s commitment to students.

“Books are the hidden costs that students and parents aren’t thinking about—it just doesn’t hit home,” Mr. Kumarasamy says. “We don’t want to just tell them about value; we want to show them value.”

Students who fulfill the above requirements will receive up to $500 per semester for textbooks purchased at the campus bookstore. Mr. Kumarasamy expects about three-quarters of freshman class will receive the grants, which are expected to cost the university about $1.5-million annually.

Seventy-five percent of Dayton’s incoming freshmen have visited the campus. Of those who visited before the May 1 deposit deadline, 84 percent had done so before March 1.

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  • Guest

    It is time to phase out HCBU’s — and soon. While no one can claim they didn’t serve a useful purpose at one time in the past, no one in touch with the performance evidence can suggest that they serve a positive purpose today. Their performance is an embarrassment to all involved. I have no problem should some of these institutions wish to preserve themselves but they need to do so without the exceptional public largess that now makes their existence possible.

  • marktropolis

    Let’s be careful about throwing accusations of racism around. First off, diversity initiative have been, and continue to be, related to increasing diversity in institutions that have been historically white. HBUCs don’t have the same problem.

    When you have an example of a white student being denied admission to an HBCU, call me. I know for a fact that many HBCUs have in fact expended institutional resources to increase their diversity. So, in reality, your accusation is false, both in terms of what I will call it’s “baiting” quality, but also because you don’t have the facts.

  • marktropolis

    I think you need to check your data. Your critique (related to graduation rates and loan defaults) are the same one’s aimed at the for-profit sector. Secondly, apart from places like Morehouse and Spelman, HBCUs have historically been some of the cheapest places to go (in terms of student costs). And most of your critiques have more to do with the fact that these institutions *are* under-resourced.

    And I didn’t see Gasman “pretend it isn’t there” but rather attempt to make a case that HBCUs should be supported – in better and different ways.

  • marktropolis

    I agree – phase out HBCUs, as soon as HWI are phased out. When students of color have as good a chance to get into any of the top 50 colleges in this country as white students, I’ll shut up.

    And please define “exceptional public largess.” Last I checked, the CEOs of the largest for-profit universities are making over $10M annually, and 90% of that income comes from federally guaranteed student loans and Pell Grants. I’d call that “exceptional public largess.”

  • betterschool

    Here are the loan repayment rates and average debt load for higher performing HBCU’s:

    Coppin State University, 23, $11,958.00
    Morgan State University, 23, $14,765.00
    U of Maryland, Eastern Shore, 31,$12,433.00
    Bethune-Cookman, 15, $12,890.00
    South Carolina State, 17, $15,583.00
    Savannah State, 20, $12,511.00
    Delaware State, 21, $15,316.00
    North Carolina Central, 22, $20,367.00
    Norfolk State, 24, $13,325.00
    North Carolina A&T, 27, $12,036.00
    Howard, 32, $31,789.00
    Florida A&M, 32, $18,804.00
    Hampton, 42, $17,377.00

    >> Average percent Repay and Debt Load – 25%, $16,088.77

    Large for-profits (recall, of the 1,000, some serve only elite and specialized audiences. Capella University, for example, has a default rate of less than 4% — better than 90% of state universities and private colleges).

    Strayer, 25, $14,908.00
    Kaplan, 28, $7,458.00
    ITT Education, 32, $10,608.00
    DeVry, 35, $13,373.00
    Career Education, 36, $10,775.00
    Apollo Group, 44, $13,324.00

    >> Average percent Repay and Debt Load – 32%, $11,034.29

    This post is really for interested parties. You seem to be driven more by ideology that facts.

  • kopernikus

    Of course they are segregated. Any physical separation is segregation. The author does not want to admit this because segregations became a bad word due to our peculiar history. The HWI schools still have segregated Greek organizations. Students segregate themselves in countless ways: race, money, drugs, sports, course major. If Black students want to immerse themselves in their own culture, then so be it.

  • marktropolis

    Yeah, I hate facts. Please cite the source for your data; I’m curious how you define “higher performing HBCU’s” and if you used the same definition for your list of for-profits.

    One of the reasons HBCUs have such bad numbers tracks back to the lack of resources. As the Education Sector has pointed out, when “default aversion” strategies are employed, HBCUs have significantly lowered their default rates (see http://www.educationsector.org/publications/lowering-student-loan-default-rates). But, “Their story is one of teamwork, collaboration, and relationship-building and proves that when institutions are armed with the tools, resources, support, and commitment needed to lower default rates, they can do so successfully.” Meaning, if the support is there (Gasman’s argument) those numbers start to look better.

    But to suggest that HBCUs shouldn’t be in business because their students struggle to pay off their loans? Is that your argument? If it all hinges on “double standards, polite winks, and outright hypocrisy” then perhaps you should take a look at Wall Street. Or maybe the GOP.

    The point is that HBCUs have, and continue to, serve an important function – a function important to African Americans. And accusations of segregation are ill-informed, and ignore the history and function of race in higher education access and success.

  • Guest

    MARKTROPOLIS – I don’t know if you are willing to pay betterschools to educate you but, as you probably say to your students, sooner or later, you need to learn to do your own digging.

    All of the above data betterschools refers to and much more is available from NCES and other ED departments. BTW: The data below (or above) reflect 2-year models, 3-year models are in the works. Let me know if you need help. I can link you to the detailed ED spreadsheets. They are easy to sort and read. From your perspective, it looks like you have a rude awakening in store. These data seem to go out of their way to avoid the really bad HCBU’s and do not mention that the majority of the for-profits are much lower than the big ones represented here.

    But I guess we all know HBCU’s are terribly inefficient. The question is, do we need them in spite of how much they are costing us? Let’s see . . .

    - HBCU’s have high loan default rates (which may or may not result in a net cost to the taxpayer – the jury is still out and contested), are inefficient, get hundreds of millions in property, sales, and use tax breaks, are handed large numbers of federal grants, are eligible for state student incentives, and pay no income taxes.

    >> Yet, we can make a case that we need them nonetheless because they serve a disadvantaged sector of the underclass.

    - For-profits, have high loan default rates (which may or may not result in a net cost to the taxpayer – the jury is still out and contested), are highly efficient, pay billions in property use, and sales taxes, are handed no federal grants, are not eligible for state student incentives, and pay billions in income taxes.

    >> Yet, we can make a case that we need them nonetheless because they serve a disadvantaged sector of the underclass.

    What would impartial, well-informed minds say about this? Those who have their minds made up will change the subject or pick on an immaterial side issue.

    Public universities have been good to me. I love them. But I think we are obligated to rise above our self-interests, material or petty.

  • jffoster

    Desperation?

  • dale1

    Dayton is sweetening the pot, and I think many institutions that are tuition-driven like this one will provide other incentives. Remember, the program will cost roughly $1.5m a year.  It will bring in several times that in revenue, and it will also lower the amount of institutional aid that Dayton has to provide.  Would I rather give a student up to $4000 over 4 years and get $25-35,000 a year in tuition, fees, and housing expenses?  Absolutely.

  • hawaiifiveo

    Hmmm… higher academic profile and consecutive years of record enrollment without giving away the farm on discount rate.  Dayton seems much more entrepreneurial than desperate.

  • http://twitter.com/JoVonLachey JoVon Lachey

    Right…higher education institutions are businesses!

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Morris-Bayberry/100001305968750 Morris Bayberry

    This is a pretty cool idea. I hope more universities follow suit. But in the meantime for those of us not fortunate enough to go to Dayton textbooks are still a hefty expense every semester. But there are ways to combat these exorbitant prices. We as students can fight back. The universities makes a killing from their campus bookstores. So I say avoid the campus bookstore. Go online if you want cheaper textbooks. As long as some people are still paying retail prices the publishers are not going to be compelled to end their monopoly on student’s wallets. Go online and search for used books, international editions, older editions, rentals, and even e-books to combat the high prices. The only problem with this solution is that there are so many places online promising cheaper books. That’s why I use http://www.bigwords.com They are a textbook price comparison search engine that searches all the  online retailers and rental site to find you the best prices, no matter which format you are seeking.

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