Cost can also be an issue for first-generation students because the “median family income at two- and four-year institutions for freshman parents who didn’t attend college is $37,565, compared with $99,635 for whose who parents did” (Mangan). Since families with parents who went to college earn over double those who do not, first-generation students must grapple with rising tuition costs as federal grants have go down (Banks-Santilli). In 1980, “a 4-year public institution was $6, 381 compared to $15, 605 in 2010… [In 1980] Funding for federal Pell Grant and Work Study programs covered 77% of attending a public, 4- year institution in 1980 but only 41% in 2007” (Banks Santilli). Because of rising costs, first-generation families may not be able to send their child to college. We can combat this by encouraging government grants and need blind admissions; doing so would not only help first-generation students, but also all students who come from a poorer background. A school with a need blind admissions policy “is stating that your ability to pay for your education won’t be a factor in whether you are accepted, waitlisted, or denied admission” (Farah). This would alleviate the pressure for all students who come from a low socioeconomic background and make college a possibility for them. Currently, less than 150 schools out of 5,300 in the country are need blind: if we want to help first-generation students and poor students have an equal opportunity, we need to enact this at all schools (“Colleges with Need Blind Admissions”).  

Some colleges might be reluctant to enact need-blind admissions because it could mean spending a considerable amount of their endowment (Taylor), and colleges are “ an institution, but also a business” (Hoover- NYT). College admissions officers do not have unlimited money: “Diversity costs money. With … net tuition revenue steady or in decline, and more than half of America’s colleges failing to meet their internal admission targets, the compelling counter argument is that there is no money available for major diversity initiatives” (Mitchell). It is easier for colleges to admit students who can pay full tuition, but this does not mean it is right. It perpetuates a cycle of unequal opportunities, which contradicts a value that is fundamental to American society. In his 2011 State of the Union Address, President Obama said: “We may have different backgrounds, but we believe in the same dream that says this is a country where anything is possible.  No matter who you are. No matter where you come from” (Obama). Need-blind admissions is one way to help all students have a chance to succeed, regardless of financial background. In addition, urging schools to embrace this policy would also  promote diversity which has its own benefits: “numerous expert studies and reports showing that such diversity promotes learning outcomes and better prepares students for an increasingly diverse workforce, for society, and for the legal profession” (Grutter V. Bollinger, 308.c). Not only would poor and first-generation students benefit from need blind admissions, but all university students would reap the benefits that diversity can bring.