Dartmouth to eliminate loans for undergraduate students

Category: Education/Family

Listening

Unlocking Word Meanings

Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.

  1. institutional / ˌɪn stɪˈtu ʃə nl / (adj.) – relating to an established organization, such as a university, bank, or church
    Example:

    Many students and teachers are calling for institutional reforms in the university.


  2. asset / ˈæs ɛt / (n.) – something a person owns that’s very valuable and can be sold to pay for debt
    Example:

    My father included our house and his car as part of his assets when he applied for a business loan.


  3. need-based / nid beɪst / (adj.) – relating to financial support for students who have limited income or resources
    Example:

    Low-income students who do not meet the grade requirement for a scholarship may apply for a need-based aid.


  4. deepen / ˈdi pən / (v.) – to cause something to become stronger and greater
    Example:

    Ron’s interest in science deepened when we went camping to watch a meteor shower.


  5. endowment / ɛnˈdaʊ mənt / (n.) – an amount of money given to an institution that a person supports
    Example:

    The company sent a large endowment to help the public library buy new books.


Article

Read the text below.

Dartmouth College is removing all federal and institutional loans from its undergraduate financial aid awards and replacing them with expanded scholarship grants, beginning with the current summer term, the school’s president said.


Currently, Dartmouth undergraduates from families with an annual income of $125,000 or less who possess typical assets are offered need-based aid without a required loan component.


Dartmouth is now removing the loan requirement for undergraduates from families with annual income of more than $125,000 who receive need-based financial aid. This will decrease the debt burden for hundreds of middle-income Dartmouth students and their families by an average of $22,000 over four years, the school said in a news release June 20.


A fundraising effort that began in 2018 called The Call to Lead has deepened Dartmouth’s commitment to make a college education accessible and affordable for the most promising and talented students from around the world and from all economic backgrounds, President Philip Hanlon said.


More than 65 families supported the campaign goal to eliminate loan requirements from Dartmouth’s undergraduate financial aid awards, committing more than $80 million in gifts to the endowment.


Dartmouth is joining Ivy League peers Brown University, Columbia University, Harvard University, the University of Pennsylvania and Yale University in adopting no-loan policies, The Dartmouth newspaper reported.


This article was provided by The Associated Press.


Viewpoint Discussion

Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.

Discussion A

  • In many countries, student loan is a common practice. However, paying for the loan can be a burden to some students and families. Do students in your country also experience debt burden? Discuss.
  • Aside from expanded scholarship grants, what else can universities and governments do to decrease the debt burden on students (ex. postpone tuition fee increase, lower the interest rates)? Discuss.

Discussion B

  • In most countries, university education is expensive. Do you think university education is worth the high cost? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • In your opinion, should the government provide university education for free? Why or why not? Discuss.