Graduates with heavy debt less likely to contribute to their universities

[nancylebov]

http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/07/09/colleges_fear_debt_puts_damper_on_donations/

A survey of more than 300 young graduates that was released last month found that those who left school with no loans were twice as likely to donate to their alma mater. And those with loans below $20,000 were much more likely to give than those with higher debt, according to the study by two sociologists that was commissioned by American Student Assistance, a Boston-based nonprofit involved in the loan industry.

Link thanks to xiphias.

Comments

[bradhicks.livejournal.com]

Causality on that one seems backwards to me; it's the people who come from rich enough families that they can pay for tuition out of cash who are the ones most likely to engage in major philanthropy.

[madfilkentist]

I agree. Those who have more donate more. No surprise.

[nancylebov.livejournal.com]

The article mentioned this--the *big* contributions come from very wealthy grads, and I agree it's likely that they have family money. However, there are also the more modest (under 1K) contributions that are likely to never happen if the a person graduates with a lot of debt.

Unfortunately, the article doesn't say anything about what proportion of total contributions come in as what size gift.

[xiphias.livejournal.com]

I don't think that's all of it.

Why should I donate to an organization which made me go into debt to go there? They charged me what they could get away with charging me. Okay, fine, that's their right -- but, they charged me for the service, I paid the fee, now we're quits.

I don't owe them shit.

Now, on the other hand, if I got a degree from a place, and the value of what I got was greater than what I paid, sure, I'd feel gratitude, and could donate then, because I owe them something.

But, if they've charged me so much that it already hurts to pay them just what I need to pay them, then I don't feel any gratitude to them. It's a pure business relationship. I pay 'em, we're done. Why should I pay them more? I already paid 'em.

[xiphias.livejournal.com]

They're talking, by the way, at least partially, of donations on the order of $25. Not $25,000.