Education: you're in — and so are Mom and Dad

"Why should we send our child to Duke instead of our perfectly good public university?" It's a legit question — Duke costs about $44,000 annually — but not one a particular parent's asking. Duke poses it in a new Q&A on the school's admissions Web site for parents. (Answer: "The value of a Duke education far exceeds its price tag.")

This justification comes as parents, faced with huge tuition hikes, have begun keeping a closer eye on the investment in their child's future. This, in turn, has spurred colleges to pay more attention to the people who will be footing the bill. Much more. A soon-to-be-released report by the National Association for College Admission Counseling shows that 43 percent of about 580 schools surveyed had online resources for prospective students' parents in 2005; 13 percent even offered a separate campus tour.

The appeals can be much more direct. Starting last year at Lehigh, in Bethlehem, Pa., parents of admitted students got letters from the university president offering his personal services if parents had questions. Princeton invites parents to join alums now in Congress for receptions. Elon University, in Elon, N.C., sends parents their own acceptance letters. And Washington University in St. Louis has parents of current students send letters to parents of prospectives. Next? Michael Mills, admissions head at Northwestern in Evanston, Ill., says marketing experts are looking to target a third generation: grandparents.

•	Education: you're in — and so are Mom and Dad Newsweek, Monday, March 20, 2006 Byline: Robert Stein