Should Massachusetts provide financial aid to private colleges?
Massachusetts spends millions of dollars annually to help students afford the high cost of tuition at some of the wealthiest colleges in the state, sparking a debate about whether the schools should dig deeper into their own $1 billion-plus endowments to help needy residents.
About a third of the $96 million the state spent last year on financial aid grants flowed to private colleges, including $1.8 million to Boston University, $1.2 million to Boston College, and $603,000 to Harvard.
At a time when state budget shortfalls have led to cuts in public colleges, critics argue that wealthy private schools should pay for the students’ education without state help.
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