Yale Institutes Need-Blind Admissions for International Students

Yale University announced yesterday that it will now admit foreign students without regard to their financial need, becoming one of the first colleges in the nation to make international student admissions need-blind.

"From now on, when students from any part of the globe have the intelligence, dedication, thoughtfulness and creativity to be admitted here, Yale will make sure they can afford to come," Yale College Dean Richard H. Brodhead said.

This change in policy is designed to attract a more diverse student body and help Yale to net qualified applicants who cannot afford the high costs of an Ivy League education.

Yesterday's changes include a promise to meet what the university determines is a candidate's full financial need. Harvard already has a similar policy.

In recent years, about eight percent of Yale students have come from outside the United States, according to Yale President Richard C. Levin. Yale spends $30 million annually on financial aid, with 40 percent of its undergraduates receiving aid.

Yale, like many other colleges, had been need-blind in admitting only American and Canadian applicants. Assistance for other foreign students was limited, with large awards going only to the most sought-after candidates.

"I have traveled internationally with Yale admissions officers and it was difficult for them; they had a tight limit on what they could offer students," said William R. Fitzsimmons '67, Harvard's dean of admissions and financial aid.

It costs a university more to provide financial aid for foreign students because they are not eligible for federal and state aid programs, and they tend to have higher travel expenses.

MIT has a similar need-blind program for international students.

This equal treatment of foreign applicants has attracted many students to Harvard who otherwise would not have been accepted because of their financial needs, Harvard officials said.

"There has been a significant increase in applications from abroad. One reason is need-blind admissions and the fact there are no quotas. We've had generous financial aid for international students," Fitzsimmons said.

Students agreed need-blind admissions and a commitment to meet an applicant's full financial needs are important factors in selecting a college.

"The idea of applying to an American university is prohibitive because of the costs," said Hunter A. Matts '04, who is lives in France and attended school in Great Britain.

Several international students said yesterday they applied to Harvard because of its need-blind policy.

Yale's financial move may alter the playing field in the competition for top international applicants.

Other universities, in the ongoing quest to diversify their student bodies, have begun testing similar policies.

Columbia University is currently considering a plan similar to the one Yale has instituted. Princeton University was need-blind last year on an ad hoc basis and may continue the policy this year, The New York Times reported.

Yale altered its admissions policy as part of a larger international initiative, including instituting a World Fellows Program for emerging leaders of other countries and a multidisciplinary international professorship.