Students Are Not Customers

Abstract

The relationship with undergraduate students is responsible for the primary opinions that the public has about higher education. Popular culture creates an image that all college students are eighteen years old, live in residence halls, and are recent high school graduates who pay the full tuition rate. In reality, many college students are adult learners, do not live on campus, and most get significant financial aid. Recent economic studies show that there are large numbers of unserved college students in the United States who do not know that they can attend excellent colleges and that low-income students who do attend excellent colleges graduate at a very similar rate and achieve financial status that is very similar to wealthier students.