More Colleges Seek Wealthy Students

College admissions officers are working harder to recruit students from affluent families who don’t need financial aid, according to a new study cited by The New York Times.

The report, released today by the online publication Inside Higher Ed, says that more than 50 percent of admissions officers at public research universities and one in three of their counterparts at four-year colleges say they have been trying harder in the past year to find students who can pay full tuition without assistance. Twenty-two percent of the officers at four-year institutions pointed to the tough economy as the cause of their heightened interest in wealthy students.

“We’re seeing a fundamental change in the admissions process,” said David A. Hawkins, director of public policy and research at the National Association for College Admission Counseling. “Where many of the older admissions professionals came in through the institution and saw it as an ethically centered counseling role, there’s now a different dynamic that places a lot more emphasis on marketing.”

The report surveyed 462 admissions directors and enrollment managers last month and in early September.