Yale announces need-blind plan for admission of foreign students

Yale University announced last week that it will now admit international students without considering their financial need, joining the ranks of a small, but expanding, group of top universities.

"It will allow the admissions office to admit more top-quality students who do not have the means to attend Yale on their own," said Gila Reinstein, Yale's assistant director of public affairs. "One presumes that the result will be a more international undergraduate population."

The new policy promises that Yale will fully meet the financial needs of all international candidates targeted for admission, beginning with the Class of 2005.

While Princeton's admissions policies are not officially need-blind for international students, Provost Jeremiah Ostriker said yesterday the University began admitting international students in a need-blind manner for the Class of 2004.

"We were effectively need-blind for all students, including international students, entering this last year," Ostriker said.

He said Princeton had sufficient resources last year to include foreign students in its need-blind polices and that the practice is expected to continue.

Vice President and Secretary Thomas Wright '62 said University officials chose last year not to formally announce the process would be effectively need-blind for international students.

"Princeton is not going to issue a press release. It is not the way we normally handle matters like this," Wright said. "But we are happy to have it made public that Princeton treats international students like domestic students."

Yale's move to need-blind admissions for international students — the only sector of applicants that previously have not enjoyed this status — came after a prolonged push at that university to allow a larger base of foreign students to apply.

"It has been a long-standing goal of Yale to become more of a global university," Reinstein said.

Columbia officials are discussing a policy change similar to Yale's. Harvard and MIT already have comparable policies.

Until now, Yale — like many other universities — had been blind only to the financial needs of applicants from the United States and Canada. International students in need of aid had to vie for limited resources.

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Reinstein said the money to fund Yale's new policy still must be raised, but university officials are committed to securing the necessary funds. According to The Yale Daily News, Yale's increase in endowment in the last year created projected budget surpluses that will fund this need-blind international student aid.

Reinstein said that the move to need-blind admissions for international students is not related to Yale's recent decision to decrease the size of its undergraduate student body.