by Maya Lowenstein

A national hike in college tuition comes hand-in-hand with a greater need for financial aid.

In “The 10 Colleges With The Most Generous Financial Aid” (March 16), Time ranked Kenyon as one of the best colleges in the nation for meeting students’ financial needs. The article reports that a Kenyon student’s average family education-related debt is $13,313 and cited Kenyon as awarding 13 percent of its students with merit awards. Other colleges that ranked include Duke University (12 percent receive merit awards) and Vanderbilt University (10 percent), respectively. Of note was the fact that most of the 10 college, were selective institutions.

Director of Financial Aid Craig Daugherty believes that this ranking accurately portrays Kenyon’s financial aid. “For 2015-2016 … the financial aid budget from Kenyon resources will exceed $30,000,000,” Daugherty said.

Darryl Uy, associate dean of admissions, believes that this recognition stems from Kenyon’s merit scholarships. “Some of our scholarships will go above need level and you might end up receiving more money than you actually need,” Uy said. Uy was not sure how Time came up with Kenyon’s average merit grant as $13,040; Kenyon’s minimum scholarship is $15,000. The average financial aid package, according to Uy, is $37,000.

Sophie, whose last name has been omitted for privacy, was recently accepted to the Class of 2019. A prospective biology major, Sophie, received a merit scholarship of $15,000 a year.  “I didn’t expect to receive any financial aid,” Sophie said “but it definitely puts Kenyon up higher on my list.”