<p>^Is this statistic from all four years of students, or only the last two (when they were need-blind)?</p>
<p>It’s reality. No one is entitled to all this aid, people should be glad for what they get. That being said, I cannot wait till NB admissions are back again, hopefully soon… :)</p>
<p>well tufts did lose like 10% of their endowment this year in the madoff scheme.</p>
<p>Didn’t apply for FinAid, rejected Bowdoin. Rawr. I suck.</p>
<p>The quote about Bowdoin, </p>
<p>
</p>
<p>does not imply any change in policy aside from an increase in the size of the class. In common with all but a handful of need-blind schools, they were always need aware for waitlist and tranfers (and internationals).</p>
<p>[Student</a> Aid (Bowdoin)](<a href=“Student Aid | Bowdoin College”>Student Aid | Bowdoin College)</p>
<p>In fairness to Tufts, I can’t find a single statement on their web-site claiming that they are a need-blind institution. In fact, they always seem to claim it as either a goal or as something that they were able to achieve during two admissions cycles (which also happens in good years at other schools that are need-blind only at the admisisons cusp). </p>
<p>Both institutions changed their practices in response to the economic situation, but I don’t think either really ended need-blind admissions in the sense that that phrase conjured up for many posters.</p>
<p>Same here – last I’d heard was that need-blind was a goal for them.</p>
<p>Hmom5, do you know which no-loan schools have mentioned the possibility of discontinuing that policy?</p>
<p>I think it is stretching it to say that Bowdoin is ending need-blind policies. It is only considering this for an extra ten students, part of whom are transfers. Bowdoin has never been need-blind with transfers to begin with so the title of this post is misleading and untrue.</p>
<p>That title is very misleading. I think that this thread’s title needs to be changed. By saying that they are looking to add 10 more students this year who don’t need financial aid is hardly saying they aren’t need blind anymore.</p>
<p>Bowdoin prides itself on being one of only a few schools that has an endowment less than a billion dollars that is need blind and offers grants not loans.</p>
<p>So, what number of students admitted based on their ability to pay would you guys consider too many for a “need-blind” school?</p>
<p>Need blind is like being pregnant. You either are or you aren’t. You can’t say that you are need-blind except for the 10 or 50 or 100 students you admit because they can write the check.</p>
<p>My daughter applied to both of these schools in a previous admissions cycle and I had a conversation with Tufts financial aid that convinced me it was not need-blind. Additionally, it is a very popular university from our high school and the kids who do well there are generally full-pay or require very little aid. I think it may just have less $ with which to work. (I also seem to remember it takes quite a few transfers and transfers are not need-blind so again, it can control costs that way.)</p>
<p>As far as Bowdoin, it depends on how they add these students. In previous years, it accepted very, very few transfers. (For example, I believe I remember that Amherst and Tufts both accept a higher % of transfers.) And last year, it took more kids off the wait-list than usual. If it increases the number of transfers or pulls more kids off the wait-list, it could continue to say it’s need-blind. What is interesting to me is that Bowdoin is a no-loans school and decided to continue this policy.</p>
<p>“No loans” is most attractive to wealthy customers who qualify for just a little financial aid, even as little as the loan package and work study. Now, the loan package is converted to a discounted price. It’s a strong inducement to a customer who might still write a $40,000 check.</p>
<p>At last count, I think there were only 6 or 7 fully need blind colleges and universities, those that were need-blind for all transfers, wait-list students, and internationals.</p>
<p>These schools are not need-blind for one or more of the above groups, and I know that the list is very incomplete: Bowdoin, Brown, Brandeis, Columbia, Davidson, Duke, Haverford, Middlebury, Northwestern, Pomona, Swarthmore, Vassar, Wesleyan. </p>
<p>In fairness, the President’s 568 Group (a kind of club of nominally need-blind colleges that subscribes to common FA principles), defines need-blind as including only U. S. citizens and permanent residents, so being need aware only for internationals might be something close to being “a little pregnant.”</p>
<p>Link to a short article on the Tuft’s changes, with a bit more about context:</p>
<p>[News:</a> A Retreat From ?Need Blind? - Inside Higher Ed](<a href=“http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2009/04/06/tufts]News:”>http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2009/04/06/tufts)</p>
<p>I have no problem with a university saying they are first and foremost committed to those students who are already there. That should always be their first priority. Obviously, Tufts knows that the students that hope to return for the Fall of 2009 will be seeking more aid than ever in order to do so, hence the increase in the financial aid budget of 12 %. I have no probalem with that. Also, Tufts never said it was a need blind institution, only that is was a goal for them, one which they were able to reach when admitting the classes of 2011 and 2012. I am just pleased that institutions of higher learning as highly selective as Tufts and Bowdoin actually were forthright and honest about their situations.</p>
<p>How many of the senior executives in the schools took pay cuts? We all know they are bloated bastions of inefficiency. talk about underperformance! The signs of this financial disaster were written all over the road. But the so called financial money managers kept telling fairy tales to their bosses, customers and constituents…a gross negligence if ever there was one…as the tsunami grew in size and destroyed trillions in “endowments” and other long term investments.</p>
<p>Its shameful. </p>
<p>Now they ask families to “cut a check” for the bloated tuition to pay the bloated salaries of coaches, administrators and other senior executives. Shameful.</p>
<p>All endowments took a big recession related hit. Tufts got a double whammy - the recession hit plus a 10-20% hit due to investments with Madoff. On a related note needs blind Cornell is taking in 100 more applicants than usual this year to bring in revenue. You can bet that none of these additional admits checked “will apply for financial aid” on their app. Having 100 more full pays actually benefits the students receiving fin aid. Given the financial turbulence no one should fault these institutions for these decisions as long as they are being made in an honest and forthright manner.</p>
<p>I see a big difference between only being need blind for US citizens and permenant residents v. need blind for all. To each his own.</p>
<p>Only HYP, Dartmouth, Williams, Amherst, and MIT are need blind and full need for international students (might be missing some?).</p>