by James A. Bacon
Somerville Munt, a recent graduate of Fluvanna County High School, was disappointed when notified in March that she had been wait-listed by the College of William & Mary. She figured there was no chance of getting in. Then, a week later, W&M contacted her again with an unexpected proposal: It would guarantee her admission in the spring of 2022 if she spent a gap semester this fall studying abroad in a program offered through Verto Education in cooperation with W&M.
Semesters abroad with Verto cost $15,000 to $25,000, depending upon location. Even so, she signed up immediately.
The Wall Street Journal recounted that story recently in an article describing how some colleges and universities are coping with enrollment uncertainties arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. No one wants to admit too many students, but no one wants to admit too few. Letting students study abroad during their first semester, an experience normally reserved for upperclassmen, gives higher-ed institutions a tool for fine-tuning their enrollments.
Here’s a question: How many lower-income families can afford the study-abroad option for getting their kids into elite schools like William & Mary? Verto says students can apply for financial aid, and the school uses donor funds to provide need-based grants of $5,000 to $10,000 for students whose household incomes are below $125,000. The WSJ article did not say how many of these grants are available.
The Costa Rica campus chosen by Ms. Munt is one of the less expensive Verto options, costing up to $15,000 for a semester. That’s actually a little cheaper than a semester at W&M, which in the 2021-22 academic year averages out to be $18,572 semester (before financial aid). Studies abroad in other locations can run as high as $25,000.
Verto, which has partnered with 65 U.S. schools overall, expects enrollment of almost 800 across its campuses in Costa Rica, Hawaii, England, Spain and Italy. In addition to W&M, the company has partnered with three other Virginia education institutions — James Madison University; James Bland, a two-year college; and Eastern Mennonite University.
Writes the WSJ:
William & Mary received almost 17,500 applications, up 23% from last year. About 37% of freshman applicants were admitted. It offered 4,700 people spots on the wait list, up from around 4,000 in 2019. It expects to admit a total of between 30 and 40 from the wait list, said Henry Broaddus, vice president for strategic initiatives and public affairs. In addition, the school expects to enroll about 100 students from its wait list for the 2022 spring semester after they spend the fall studying abroad.
“One thing that we included as an important feature for our enrollment growth strategy was to make a new point of entry for students in the spring semester,” Mr. Broaddus said.
James V. Koch, Old Dominion University president emeritus and author of “The Impoverishment of the American College Student” and “Runaway College Costs,” brought this story to my attention. I asked him for his thoughts on what it meant.
A major concern, he said, is that “apparently, one can buy one’s way to the front of the admissions line at W&M.” How many soon-to-be grads from an inner-city high school are likely to be able to afford to pay for such study aboard?
W&M ritually states that it is committed to increasing the diversity of its student body, Koch added. However, sixty-nine percent of its students come from the top 20% income quintile, while only 1.3% comes from the lowest income quintile. The study-abroad announcement is unlikely to improve those numbers, Koch suggested.
W&M does provide one affordable alternative — attending community college for a semester.
“In light of the uncertainty we are all experiencing right now, it is critical that families have more options. And having multiple paths to William & Mary for the spring semester expands who comes here in wonderful ways,” said President Katherine A. Rowe in a March 2020 announcement of the program. “Students who want the flexibility to remain closer to home may begin with a local community college semester. Those who choose a gap semester gain the flexibility to study abroad. Both bring an intrepid mindset that we value at William & Mary, and we look forward to welcoming them.”
Bacon’s bottom line: As long as W&M and other higher-ed institutions provide a community-college option, I feel like Koch’s concerns are addressed. The option is similar to the official, system-wide pathway in Virginia that allows community-college graduates to transfer to the four-year institutions of their choice.
I have a different concern. Do these alternatives dilute the value of a W&M degree? We know that community college courses aren’t as rigorous. How about these Verto courses? The Costa Rica program offers 14 courses from Spanish and Environmental Science to Spanish and Latin American history. No information about the qualifications of the instructors.
Either way, the option comes across as an elitist program for spoiled rich kids. (No offense to Ms. Munt, whose family, for all I know, is not rich at all.) From the Verto page describing the Costa Rica program:
Immerse yourself in Costa Rica’s scenery and culture as you dive into Verto’s experiential learning courses. Study Environmental Science while standing on top of a volcano, or about Latin American history while examining an ancient archeological site!
Engage with local communities through Merengue dance classes, permaculture farm work, NGO workshops, and more! You can also opt-in to exciting excursions like waterfall hikes, mountain rappelling, or white water rafting!
Just one question: Is jet fare included?
Update: This column has been edited to identify Jim Koch as the “source” alluded to in the original version.
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