We, the undersigned members of the Dartmouth community, are disappointed by and disapprove of the new need-aware admissions policy for international students and the decrease in financial aid budget for internationals. We request the college administration to reevaluate its decision.

Findings from Meetings with College Officials

Several students met with President Hanlon on Sept 22nd, Provost Dever on Sept 29th, and Dean Sunde & Director of Financial Aid Mr. Koff on Oct 5th. These meetings revealed the following details:

• Although the total financial aid budget will not decrease, funds will be reallocated from international students to domestic students  
• International students have been receiving a "disproportionate amount" of aid
• The percent of aid given does not correspond to the percent international students on campus: the campus average for students on financial aid is ~45%, while for internationals it is ~80%.

• The college currently gives less competitive aid packages to domestic students compared to its peers. 

Concerns Regarding this Policy Change

Lack of transparency and failure to communicate policy change:

• The college administration did not consult the student body (especially international community), the International Student Association (ISA), ISP (International Students Programs), or the faculty at any stage of this policy change.
• The college administration has failed to effectively communicate this policy change and has yet to make an official public statement  

Potential effects of need-aware international admissions

• Fewer international students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds will apply to Dartmouth.
• Even among the international students who apply to Dartmouth, fewer students requesting aid will be admitted because of the lower financial aid budget.
• As a result of the decrease in the pool and the increase in selectivity, socioeconomic diversity among international students will decrease and Dartmouth will lose talented potential students.
• Dartmouth used to be among the only six universities in the US -- Harvard, Yale, Princeton, MIT, and Amherst – that offer need-blind admissions to international students; it will lose both its distinction amongst its peer institutions and its international prominence.   
• This policy goes counter to Dartmouth’s commitment to educating global leaders. Many lower-income international students do not have access to high quality education in their respective countries. By turning need-aware, Dartmouth is decreasing opportunities for potential world leaders. 
• Because of this policy, international students will be admitted under a different admissions criterion, making the admissions process unfair for them.   

Conclusion

International students contribute to the Dartmouth community in countless ways. Apart from bringing diversity and a different cultural perspective, international students also represent Dartmouth’s commitment to having a global presence. On average international students receive more financial aid than domestic students because the median-household incomes around the world are considerably lower than in the US. Although ~80% international students currently receive aid at Dartmouth, this 80% represents students from a variety of income backgrounds, bringing cultural and economic diversity to campus. By switching to need-aware and lowering this 80% figure, Dartmouth will not only create an unequal, unfair admissions criteria for international students but also diminish its diversity and its population of talented students.  

We are in complete favor of increasing financial aid for domestic students. However, we feel that the financial aid budget for international students should not be compromised. We request the administration to reconsider this switch to need-aware admissions for international students and to consider increasing the total financial aid budget.