Increasing and accepting socioeconomic diversity

As part of its goal to expand the recruitment of students from all socioeconomic backgrounds, the Admission Office has partnered with the Alumni Schools Committees (ASC) of Washington, D.C. and Boston in a pilot project targeting public high schools in those cities. The programs are based on creating longterm relationships with schools that have traditionally not yielded applicants to the University and have a large number of low-income and minority students.

As a Board, we support the program for two reasons. First, we see this as a prime example of collaborative partnerships between the administration and alumni for causes that benefit the University in the longterm. The current program was only made possible by the enthusiastic response of alumni to serve as volunteers through the National Schools Committee and the Association of Black Princeton Alumni. The leadership of Martin Gruenberg '75, Patrice Pitts '79 and Andrew Hoffman '89 among others has also proved crucial to the Admission Office's efforts to increase socioeconomic diversity in its applicant pool. We are both proud and grateful for the loyalty and contributions of our alumni that continue long past their graduation.

Second, we recognize the value of reaching out to Princeton-caliber students who may not apply to the University simply because they attend high schools where Princeton has been traditionally seen as an out-of-reach university and not even considered in college admissions discussions. It is important for Princeton to assure students from less privileged backgrounds that the University's financial aid program makes the University affordable to anyone regardless of their families' income. Not only do highly qualified students from such communities deserve the opportunity to experience a world-class education at Princeton, but the University itself and undergraduates, in particular, also benefit from a student body of wider socioeconomic diversity both socially and academically.

This is not to say that Princeton should value diversity over merit. Indeed, criticisms that Princeton has lowered its academic standards to achieve socioeconomic diversity — as reflected in lower GPAs or standardized test scores — often fail to recognize the different circumstances under which students of varying backgrounds were brought up. Students in lower-income families often have poor access to college counseling, adult mentors, test preparation services and high school alumni networks from selective colleges. They may also need to spend significant amounts of their time on part-time jobs or household chores. Socioeconomic background in itself should not be the determining factor for Princeton admissions. But neither should it be a limiting factor that prevents highly qualified students from applying to Princeton. By committing itself to attracting students from all socioeconomic backgrounds — utilizing Princeton's generous need-based financial aid policy — the University has enhanced its position as a pioneer in merit-based admissions regardless of financial situation.