"If they are admitted, we'll cover their costs." That’s the message Richard Shaw, dean of undergraduate admission and financial aid, wants students from low-income families to hear. Parents whose combined income is less than $45,000 per year will not be expected to contribute to their children’s educational costs at Stanford. Previously, their parental contribution averaged $2,650 per family. The expected contribution for middle-income families earning between $45,000 and $60,000 will be cut in half, to an average of $3,800 per year. The changes apply to an estimated 1,100 new and continuing students, and are expected to cost the University $3 million next year. The goal, says Shaw: “encouraging talented low-income students to consider Stanford.”
The total cost to attend Stanford in 2006-07 will be approximately $47,000, including tuition, room, board, books, transportation and personal expenses. About 46 percent of undergraduates receive some form of need-based financial aid from the University.
