Financial aid may play a larger role in students' college decisions this year in light of the global economic crisis, which could increase the College's yield, according to Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid Maria Laskaris. Most admitted students interviewed by The Dartmouth said the College's financial aid program will be a significant factor in their decision to attend Dartmouth.
The number of admitted students qualifying for financial aid increased by 14 percent this year, and the College will expand its financial aid budget by 13 percent, Laskaris said.
"I think this year the economy is going to be an important factor in students' decisions in terms of the colleges they choose," she said. "I think Dartmouth, with our strong financial aid program, is well positioned in terms of the financial resources that we provide."
Several students admitted to the Class of 2013 said the economic recession has forced them to be more conscious of financial aid issues than they had initially planned to be when they began their college search.
"College funds took a really big hit when the stock market crashed, so between the end of junior year and the middle of senior year, the whole perspective on financial aid changed quite a bit for me and my family," said Ben Southworth, a high school senior from Durango, Colo. who expects to matriculate with the Class of 2013.
Laura Wu, who said she was "98-percent" sure she will attend Dartmouth, also said the financial crisis has affected her decision.
"Neither of my parents have lost their jobs, but I think everything's more tense," she said. "I think everyone's just worried."
Dexter Zhuang, who is from Detroit, Mich., and was admitted early decision, said Dartmouth's need-blind aid policy was very attractive and was one of his reasons for applying.
Most of the students interviewed said Dartmouth awarded them substantially more aid than other colleges and universities.
"I heard I got accepted and saw the financial aid offer -- it was three times as much as some of the other schools," Southworth said. "It kind of sealed the deal."
Until he received his financial aid offers, Southworth was considering Dartmouth, Middlebury College and Lewis and Clark College, but he said Dartmouth's superior award set the College apart.
Wu said she had ranked the University of Chicago with Dartmouth among her top college choices, but that Chicago's lesser financial aid package ruled the university out.
"When I got their aid package, it was around $6,000 less than the grant money that Dartmouth had given me, so it didn't make sense for me to even visit there because it is far away," Wu, who is from Wayland, Mass., said.
Some students said they are still worried about paying for college even after receiving a financial award from the College. Chanon Praepipatmongkol, who is from Bangkok, Thailand, said he applied to schools in the United States as a junior after his family ran into financial troubles, which meant he could not afford tuition for his senior year at a private high school in Bangkok.
"I applied in the first place because my family had some financial problems, so they said that if I want to go to the U.S., I'll need to get a full ride to go," Praepipatmongkol said. "[Dartmouth's financial aid offer] is a bit less than I expected. I got the package on the first [of April], and I talked to my parents, and we decided to appeal for more aid because we couldn't afford the package that Dartmouth gave us."
After appealing, Praepipatmongkol said the College increased his award by several thousand dollars, but he is still unsure whether it will be enough for his family. Reed College offered him more aid, he said, and he is interested in Williams College's art history program.
He explained that he still might try to attend Dartmouth because of the Ivy League's prestige in Thailand.
Despite the financial crisis, Laskaris said the College had not seen a large increase in financial aid appeals this year. There is no limit or deadline after which a student cannot appeal a financial aid offer, Laskaris said.
"The financial aid office encourages students and families to be in touch whenever something changes in a family's situation," Laskaris said. "If something were to change for a family on the 13th of August, the financial aid office would encourage the student to be in touch. I think we would want to see what has changed that has motivated the family to ask for an appeal of their financial aid or a review of their financial aid -- we recognize that situations change all the time."
