Money may not be able to buy happiness, but it just might get you into college.
A survey released Wednesday by Inside Higher Ed, an online publication for higher education professionals, indicates that increasing numbers of admissions officers are taking students' financial situations into account when making admissions decisions.
Of the 462 admissions officers surveyed at four-year colleges, 22 percent said the economic downturn has forced them to pay more attention to applicants' financial statuses.
About a third of admissions officers said their universities have increased their efforts of recruiting "full-pay students" - students able to pay all of their tuition without aid. Ten percent said these students might be admitted despite lower grades and test scores when compared to other applicants.
Similarly, about 40 percent of the responders said their universities have been working harder to recruit more out-of-state students, who typically pay much higher tuition than in-state students do.
At UF, in-state tuition for undergraduates was about $3,500 for the 2010-2011 school year. For out-of-state students it was almost $25,000.
Right now, about 10 percent of students in each class are out-of-state, said Steve Orlando, UF spokesman.
The university has no intention of increasing the number of out-of-state students it admits in the future, he said.
"An applicant's financial status is really a non-issue for admission," he said, especially given the fact that about 90 percent of applicants have the majority of their tuition paid for already under scholarship programs like Florida Bright Futures or Florida Prepaid.
The total amount of financial aid distributed to UF students increases every year.
For the 2008-2009 school year, UF distributed about $501.7 million in aid, which includes employment, grants, loans and scholarships. It distributed about $540.5 million for the 2009-2010 school year.
The survey also indicated that students with money aren't the only ones with an advantage in the admissions process.
Minority students, athletes, veterans, children of alumni and men were all cited as groups who may be admitted before other applicants, even if they have lower scores.
Orlando said UF takes a holistic approach to the admissions process, meaning SAT scores and grade-point average are not the only factors.
Each applicant is evaluated individually, and factors like socioeconomic status, volunteer experience and special talents are also considered, according to the admissions website.
"We look at the whole person and what they can bring to the university," Orlando said.
