It's been said that Dartmouth’s new financial aid initiative is a "distinctively Dartmouth" offering. What makes this different from recent financial aid announcements from Harvard, Yale, and other schools?
Two aspects of the initiative are specially tailored to the Dartmouth experience.
Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid Maria Laskaris says that the College will no longer take into consideration what kinds of financial resources international applicants can contribute to their education. Dartmouth is now one of just a handful of American colleges and universities that are fully need-blind, making admissions decisions for all students – including international students – without regard to a family’s ability to pay.
In addition to need-blind admissions for all students, the initiative addresses off-campus study, one of the major aspects of undergraduate life at the College. According to Director of Financial Aid Virginia Hazen, there’s high demand from Dartmouth students to take part in off-campus service programs and internships, many of which are unpaid. Those unpaid internships, combined with previous leave term earnings expectations, represented what Hazen calls a “double whammy” for students in terms of their ability to fund their Dartmouth education. The additional leave-term scholarships will enable students to take part in community service, volunteer activities, or research and study during summers and leave terms without the worry over earning money to contribute to their Dartmouth education.
In combination, Laskaris says these parts of the initiative will make Dartmouth a more diverse, global institution, allowing current students to continue to take advantage of study opportunities around the world and bringing some of the most talented students from all nations to the College.
