Brown Switches to Need Blind Aid

Like all other Ivy League schools, Brown University will soon consider all of its applicants for college admission without looking at their ability to pay full tuition.

The Brown Corporation, the university’s highest governing body, approved University President Ruth J. Simmon’s $78.8 million Proposal for Academic Enrichment at a meeting Saturday.

This plan will go towards hiring 100 new faculty, expanding support for both faculty and students and, in particular, mandating “need blind” admission starting with the Class of 2007.

In the past, Brown was unable to accept 5 to 10 percent of its applicants due to inadequate financial resources, according to Michael Bartini, the director of financial aid at Brown.

“This is a positive thing for the university and a positive thing for the students,” Bartini said. “It will diversify the economic diversity of student on campus. It will place Brown in the company of its peers.”

The plan will not apply to international students.

Simmons’ proposal also includes a measure ending the requirement that first-year students who receive scholarships must also earn at least $2,000 through employement during the school year.

The new need-blind policy will require about $1.3 million in its first year, which will be covered by a one-time increase in student fees and increased funding from the endowment.

—Staff writer Jeslyn Miller can be reached at jmiller@fas.harvard.edu