NYU warns applicants of tuition costs

NEW YORK, April 30 (UPI) -- New York University is warning lower income applicants to think twice about attending the $50,000 a year campus, officials said.

The New York Post reported Thursday that the private school in Greenwich Village has been urging financially needy students already accepted for the fall semester to reconsider their desire to attend NYU, given the cost.

"We have these conversations precisely because we want these students here, and we handle these conversations thoughtfully and sensitively because we are respectful of families' decisions about their own finances," NYU spokesman John Beckman said.

Counselors have contacted more than 1,800 of 7,300 accepted students who qualified for financial aid, the newspaper said.

"It makes sense for the university to check up, but if that's the case, why don't they call everybody? It's a bit discriminatory," said Eli Kraicer, a 19-year-old freshman who gets financial aid.

NYU expects to distribute about $175 million in financial aid in the next school year, the newspaper noted.