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Williams College is the first in the country to switch all financial aid to no-payback grants

Graduates from various institutions toss their hats in the air in Philadelphia, May 20, 2011. (Matt Rourke/AP)
Graduates from various institutions toss their hats in the air in Philadelphia, May 20, 2011. (Matt Rourke/AP)

With pressure mounting on colleges to address skyrocketing costs that leave some graduating students hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt — and others unable to even consider higher education — one college is taking an unusual step.

Williams College, a small private liberal arts school in Massachusetts, is eliminating loans and work study programs from its aid packages and replacing those with grants that do not have to be repaid. It’s the first college in the country to take this step.

Here & Now‘shost Scott Tong talks to Williams College President Maud Mandel about the new policy.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

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