Amherst College to Extend Need-Blind Admission Policy to International Students

Paying for College
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<p><a href="https://cms.amherst.edu/news/news_releases/2008/04/node/44842%5B/url%5D"&gt;https://cms.amherst.edu/news/news_releases/2008/04/node/44842&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

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Amherst College’s board of trustees has voted to extend the school’s need-blind admission policy to international students. The change, which will take effect during the 2008-09 admissions cycle, makes the school one of just eight colleges and universities in the United States to offer such a consideration to applicants from other countries. </p>

<p>“From the earliest days of Amherst’s existence, the college has recognized the value of attracting the most talented students from all over the world to our community,” said President Anthony W. Marx. “By making the admission process need-blind for all applicants—including those from other countries—we hope that we are only reinforcing the message that we welcome all students to apply, regardless of financial standing. It is in everyone’s best interest that we are doing what we can to educate the best mix of future leaders.”</p>

<p>“Need-blind” means that a school makes admission decisions without holding financial need against that applicant. Amherst also agrees to meet the full financial need of every student who is admitted. Under previous guidelines, the college was need-blind only for American citizens and permanent residents.

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<p>Old news... but yeah baby! Another great LAC made even more accessible to internationals.</p>

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<p>Excellent. Glad they've finally followed the lead of Yale, Harvard and the select few other colleges and universities that realize that students don't want to go to a college that favors rich kids in admissions. Too bad it took them so many years to do this.</p>

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<p>they were already pretty generous to international students...i doubt this will make a huge impact</p>

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<p>^^thats pretty true, but publicity-wise, it'll make a huge impact. we can prob. expect an increase in applicants.</p>

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<p>YES! Now all I need is for Stanford to become need-blind as well...</p>

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<p>I believe that Int'l students are the Next Big Thing, and will keep admissions to US colleges as strong as they are now or at least almost as strong, even after the americans' mini baby boomlet subsides.</p>

<p>One thing that we have in america as a product that beats other countries is a stellar college system.</p>

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<p>@idic5: Absolutely. The endowment in real terms of US as opposed to UK universities is bigger by about 2 orders of magnitude [except for Oxbridge; LSE and Imperial have an nonfiscal advantage but it hardly covers]. The gap is bigger with many other national averages.</p>

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<p>wait if I am on the international waitlist O.o</p>

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<p>So which are all the need-blind to international ones?</p>

<p>There's Harvard, Yale, MIT, Princeton (I presume), Amherst, and...</p>

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<p>Are there any elite Universities in places like Japan, China, or Korea that are need blind for American's?</p>

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<p>@ hoonose:
Dartmouth College, Harvard University, Middlebury College, MIT, Princeton University, Williams College, Yale University, and Amherst College.
Lifted from Wikipedia.</p>

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<p>there is going to be a pretty large boost in Amherst's international applicant pool next year...admission will get more competitive</p>

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<p>When did Dartouth become need-blind? I didn't know that</p>

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<p>^a few months back - december or january (don't remember exactly)</p>

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<p>posterX, it didn't take them so many years, they are one of only, what, 8 colleges in the country to do this? They were either the first or second in the country to become need blind for US citizens and permanent residents, way back in the 1960s...and their endowment is not high when compared to Harvard, Yale, and Princeton. Why knock Amherst? I think it is amazing.</p>

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<p>
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Excellent. Glad they've finally followed the lead of Yale, Harvard and the select few other colleges and universities that realize that students don't want to go to a college that favors rich kids in admissions. Too bad it took them so many years to do this.

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<p>Oh, puhleaze, who do you think kick-started the backdoor meetings with the president of Harvard to start similar discussions? The former president of Amherst, prior to Anthony Marx, and the president of Harvard pulled together many presidents of both Ivies and top LAC's to try to get a mutual agreement to drop ED, because it turned junior year into a massive college-admissions search, thus disfavoring poor and middle-class applicants. </p>

<p>Who started admitting U.S. minority students need-blind (Amherst), who defined the terms of encouraging middle-class kids to apply loan-free (Amherst, under Tony Marx)...</p>

<p>While every detail of my posting here can be debated, in general, Amherst is the ideological leader in all things to do with financial equity to create a diverse student body. When the Ivies implement the ideas, they get the headlines because they are the Ivies.</p>

<p>As I say, I won't defend each and every detail I just wrote, because I have a life other than extolling Amherst (Amherst parent from '05, running off to teach a course right now..so..). If you do a careful search of the financial aid initiatives from Amherst, and read Newsweek about back-door meetings held within the past years over various admissions policies related to their impact upon low- and middle- income students, you'll see that Amherst is the ideological leader in this field.</p>

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<p>Amazing? It's their money, but .... </p>

<p>Increasing financial to foreign students in any form other than 100% in loans is incredibly myopic. What's wrong with asking foreign students to repay the cost of education in full or discharging the debt with a similar number of public service? </p>

<p>While the quest for diversity by Marx and Amherst is remarkable, this latest decision represents a very unfortunate diversion from an objective that should remain domestic. And, considering its less than average contribution to programs such as Questbridge, Amherst shows signs of misguided priorities.</p>

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<p>The objective that should remain domestic? What? Such as the clearly stated objectives of diversity/"attracting the best students from around the world"? I am stoked for this initiative - internationals add a really exciting dynamic to our educational experiences.</p>

<p>Edit: what do you possibly mean by "less than average contribution to programs such as Questbridge"?</p>

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<p>
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internationals add a really exciting dynamic to our educational experiences.

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<p>If their contributions are that valuable, then the students should have no problem accepting the fact that the US does not owe them a free education, and that making it possible to gain an education here should come with the caveat that they should repay the cost IN FULL. I am ALL in favor of accepting more internationals, but at a time where most everyone is upset about financial aid, increasing international aid is nothing short of a misguided idea. An idea I hope no other college endorses anytime soon. </p>

<p>As far as Questbridge goes, simply stated, Amherst despite all its hoopla and publicity stunts has accepted far fewer college match students than its peers, making it clear how deep the chasm between talk and action is in Amherst.</p>

<p>I have often applauded Marx in the past and lauded his courage to face a Board of Trustees that views diversity through a different lens, but this initiative isn't worth much emulation, if any at all.</p>

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<p>The US does not "owe" international students a free-ride. They are not even eligible for state scholarships. Amherst, as a private college, is funding them instead. Wonderful!</p>

<p>Amherst does not only rely on Questbridge to reach out to low-income students, though it has a higher number of low-income students receiving Pell Grants than nearly any of its peers.</p>