“We want to make sure colleges don’t draw attention to a figure that misrepresents how affordable they are,” said Diane Cheng, a research associate with the institute.
It’s unclear whether that can be resolved without revisions to the law—something many experts believe will happen sooner rather than later. They argue that a more uniform approach to the calculators would help students make accurate, side-by-side comparisons of schools.
In the meantime, everyone is watching and wondering what sort of impact net price calculators will have on applications and college decisions.
Like many of his peers, Jim Brooks doubts price will be given much more weight on students’ college checklists. The financial aid director at the University of Missouri-Columbia is optimistic that other factors—including a school’s reputation and the quality of its programs—will continue to play key roles.
“I would hope price won’t be the only thing families look at,” he said.
Copyright (c) 2011, St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Visit the Post-Dispatch on the World Wide Web at http://www.stltoday.com/. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
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