44). This early form of financial aid was seen as the beginning of an “ethic of aid,” which was carried over into the American higher education system through sponsorship, charity, and patronage (Fuller, 2014). However, poor students who attended college did not have the same privileges as those of wealthy backgrounds. While they gained admission into school, they were forced to work harder, and often received a lower quality experience than their classmates.
One may see the historical lessons of the financial aid system in relation to students of lower socioeconomic statuses in the present. The medieval financial aid system, after which the American higher education system is modeled, included an idea of charity to those less fortunate. As is the case in the present,