Published by Inside Higher Ed
Many admissions officers, not to mention college presidents, have for years complained that prospective students focus too much on "sticker price" (stated prices of a college) rather than the actual cost to students and families (which may be considerably lower than sticker price, once aid is factored in). A new survey by the Art & Science Group and the College Board of SAT test-takers finds that the frustration is likely to remain. More than half (54 percent) of students reported that they judge a college's cost by sticker price without considering financial aid. And the survey was conducted in last 2012, after much publicity over the availability of "net price calculators," which allow those who share basic financial information to find out how much aid they would receive at a given college.