PEA Remains Need-Aware in Admissions
Most private schools in the United States pursue one of two different policies when it comes to admissions—need-aware and need-blind admissions. In need-aware institutions, admissions officers will consider a candidate’s financial background in conjunction with the quality of their application; need-blind, on the other hand, means that requests for financial aid do not factor into the decision.
Phillips Exeter, like most secondary boarding schools, follows a need-aware admissions policy. Currently, the school factors an applicant’s financial resources or ability to pay the school’s $49,880 yearly tuition into the admissions process. Any financial assistance is taken directly from a $21.2 million budget, which draws from endowments made specifically by alumni and parents for financial aid. “Our admission process is able to admit those students needing financial aid assistance up to the point at which those endowment funds and the Exeter fund have sufficient dollars,” said Tony Downer, President of the Trustees. “When all those dollars are committed to admitted students, the Academy is not in a position to admit any additional students who are in need of financial aid from the Academy.” For the current year, Exeter has over 460 students receiving financial aid; taking into account the additional number of students who receive tuition remission, the total number of supported students rises to over 515.
“For me, it’s not so much about making it need blind but what do we do with the students once they get here [...] if hanging around and getting dorm grill is the social activity in the evening, then students who are on financial aid cannot afford it,”
However, while a need-aware policy is still in place, prospective students requesting financial aid can sometimes feel like they are at a disadvantage. Any financial assistance is taken directly from a $21.2 million budget, which draws from endowments made specifically by alumni and parents for financial aid. “Our admission process is able to admit those students needing financial aid assistance up to the point at which those endowment funds and the Exeter fund have sufficient dollars,” Downer said. “When all those dollars are committed to admitted students, the Academy is not in a position to admit any additional students who are in need of financial aid from the Academy.” For the current year, Exeter has over 460 students receiving financial aid; taking into account the additional number of students who receive tuition remission, the total number of supported students rises to over 515
With its current tuition fees, Exeter is only affordable to five percent of Americans; consequentially, Downer expects that a transition to a need-blind policy would mean that the number of admitted students needing financial aid would increase significantly. “If we are correct in the belief that our moving to a need blind admissions policy would increase the financial aid needs of our admitted applicants, we need, in advance of adopting that, policies to increase materially the resources we have for financial aid,” he said.
The Trustees have actively considered a number of solutions to that problem, though each one poses its own problems. “In theory, we could redirect dollars from other expense items such as faculty/staff salaries, the maintenance of our buildings, dining, etc.,” Downer said. “Realistically speaking, that would not be a viable alternative since those expense dollars support critical and essential elements of the Exeter experience,” he explained. Another alternative is to raise the additional dollars for financial aid by increasing tuition, though such a move would inevitably also increase the number of students requiring financial aid, which would go a long way towards defeating the purpose of the tuition increase.
The Study of Boys’ and Girls’ Lives on-campus student research group that examines financial aid policies, said financial aid applicants may face more pressure and competition, knowing the school will prioritize those who can pay for full tuition and that more of the applicant pool applies for financial aid. According to Downer, over the past ten years, there have only been two years when the Academy could admit every desired candidate who had a need for financial aid.
The discussion over need-blind admissions is thus deeply rooted in a meritocratic ideal of admission to elite institutions; in the words of Downer, by “opening the doors of an Exeter education to an even broader and diverse set of capable students,” need-blind admissions would benefit each and every person at the school.”
“If our goal is to have Exeter represent the best students out there, it doesn't make sense that a strong student might be denied admission just because that student needs financial aid,” Halani said.
Though discussions about the possibility of switching to a need-blind policy have happened for a long time at Exeter, so far the only major boarding school to adopt need-blind admissions is Phillips Academy Andover. The barriers to instituting such a policy at Exeter are plenty. With its current tuition fees, Exeter is only affordable to five percent of Americans; consequentially, Downer expects that a transition to a need-blind policy would mean that the number of admitted students needing financial aid would increase significantly. “If we are correct in the belief that our moving to a need blind admissions policy would increase the financial aid needs of our admitted applicants, we need, in advance of adopting that, policies to increase materially the resources we have for financial aid,” he said.
The Trustees have actively considered a number of solutions to that problem, though each one poses its own problems. “In theory, we could redirect dollars from other expense items such as faculty/staff salaries, the maintenance of our buildings, dining, etc.,” Downer said. “Realistically speaking, that would not be a viable alternative since those expense dollars support critical and essential elements of the Exeter experience,” he explained. Another alternative is to raise the additional dollars for financial aid by increasing tuition, though such a move would inevitably also increase the number of students requiring financial aid, which would go a long way towards defeating the purpose of the tuition increase.
The most viable solution so far, as Downer sees it, is to seek more assistance from the Academy’s donors—alums, parent group, and friends—both through an appeal for gifts to the endowment as well as contributions to the Exeter Fund for the purpose of increasing the Academy’s financial aid capacity. “Looking ahead to the Academy’s next [fundraising] campaign, I would anticipate an appeal for additional financial aid support will be a centerpiece of that,” said Downer. Though he does believe that the end goal should be to make admissions completely need-blind, and financial aid available for “youth from every quarter,” Downer is hesitant to put a timeline on when concrete steps in the plan could be realized. Even if donors are supportive of this goal, the question that still needs to be answered is how the school will manage to ensure this continued support for the ensuing years. “Our moving to a need blind policy could introduce an element of high uncertainty – and risk – into our budget process because we would be making a commitment to provide funds for which we lacked certainty of availability,” he said.
Downer also noted that although Andover has had a need-blind admissions policy since 2008, their application pool seems to differ significantly from Exeter’s in terms of financial profile. Despite committing to provide 100 percent of the demonstrated financial aid requirements, Andovers also supports roughly 48 percent, to Exeter’s 49 percent, of the student body. Furthermore, Andover’s tuition fee, totalling at $53,900, is slightly higher than Exeter’s.
Nonetheless, students do support the idea of need-blind admissions, while still being aware that the possibility of this policy being instituted is not high, at least in the foreseeable future. Seniors and uppers who have applied or are in the process of applying to college feel that need-blind admissions policies make schools more welcoming to applicants of all racial, social, and economic backgrounds. “I think intense research should be done before Exeter goes need blind, but it should be a goal,” said Upper Isadora Kron, also member of the on-campus research group about financial aid. Meanwhile, lower Ben Holderness commented that having need-blind admission would “make the average Exonian more qualified,” since all decisions would be made “based on ability, rather than whether or not one has rich parents.”
Senior Joaquin Riojas, board member of International Student Alliance, believes that need-blind admissions would increase Exeter’s allure to international applicants. “I think need-blind admissions will boost the number of international students that apply to PEA,” said Riojas. “I know for a lot of families, the prospect of paying around $60,000 in U.S. currency when they may not be making U.S. currency is a bit daunting because of the way markets can shift and fall and currency can change directly.”
Some students felt that the school could do more to address financial equity on campus, not just the admissions process. Senior Olivia Petersen said, “In my personal experience, I have never been surrounded by as much wealth as I am at Exeter.”
Petersen noted that “team gear and dorm gear can be really expensive,” adding, “I think there are ways that the financial aid program could get more involved in student life to make campus more inclusive for students on financial aid.”
Halani said that she would like to see the Exeter experience become more equitable for students, whether that means one’s ability to participate in off-campus conferences with the Model UN club, or attend pre-season training with the hockey team. “For me, it’s not so much about making it need blind but what do we do with the students once they get here [...] if hanging around and getting dorm grill is the social activity in the evening, then students who are on financial aid cannot afford it,” she said.
Other students brought up concerns with how the financial aid application process can be overwhelming and non-inclusive to some applicants. “I do believe that the school needs to improve on the amount of help applicants get when filling out applications like tax forms for student jobs, because people who are usually on financial aid usually aren't from a background where your parents are educated enough to help you with taxes or don't even do their taxes,” Upper Josiah Paintsil said.
Instructor in History Betty Luther-Hillman believes that need-blind admissions alone, though a good first step, is still not enough. “Even need-blind admissions aren't truly need-blind, because a school can see on the application the parents' education levels and job status and the address where the student lives, and make an educated guess about that family's income,” she said. “I personally would love to see Exeter become tuition free.”