Freshmen Must Apply Summer Pay to Tuition

Freshmen on scholarships entering college this fall will be expected to contribute at least $700 from summer earnings toward their first year’s tuition, and $900 in subsequent years.

The figure is determined by the College Scholarship Service and American College Testing Service, which consider the amount in a standard application for college financial aid.

College Cost Planner, a Washington-based monthly publication, reports that this “hidden contribution” surprises many families. Parents are expected to make up for what the students cannot contribute. College tuition, which has been steadily rising in recent years, varies from $3,000 to $16,000 per year.

“Students and families have the first obligation to meet college costs. As a matter of routine, we expect that incoming freshmen will contribute $700, and that upperclassmen will contribute $900,” said Dennis Martin, financial aid director at Washington University in St. Louis.

Students entering Ivy League or high-priced private colleges must plan to earn more than $700 during their pre-freshman summer. Yale and Harvard expect a $1,150 contribution from their freshmen. Nearly all schools add $200 or $300 to the “summer earnings” contribution for upperclassmen.

“Hard luck” cases, Martin said, will have to be convincingly argued by students who are not able to meet the required contribution. Schools with active alumni networks will draw upon these to help students find jobs with higher pay.

The April College Cost Planner contains a work sheet on how to budget summer earnings. For example, a student who expects to earn $2,000 over the summer must save $150 of each weekly paycheck in order to put aside $1,200 for the tuition contribution.