Out-of-state students get most merit scholarships at UMass

The Boston Globe reports:

The University of Massachusetts’ flagship campus awarded $22 million in merit scholarships to out-of-state students last year, joining other public universities across the country in aggressively recruiting high-paying applicants.

The total far outstrips the $9.9 million in merit aid the UMass Amherst campus provided to in-state students, officials said.

A full 59 percent of the currentnon-Massachusetts students at UMass Amherst — or 2,926 students — received an average merit scholarship of $7,600, based on academic achievement rather than need.

To UMass Amherst chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy, the calculus is simple. With out-of-state students paying roughly twice the amount of locals — $31,000 in annual tuition and fees versus about $14,000 — handing out a $7,600 scholarship is still a net positive in terms of the tuition revenue the school brings in from out-of-staters.

The great moments of higher education.