LANHAM, Md. (CBSDC) — A report in The George Washington University’s student newspaper, The GW Hatchet, says the school has admitted to wait-listing undergraduate applicants who can’t afford to pay tuition each year simply due to their financial constraints.
Administrators now tell the paper that financial need has always been factored into admissions, but the report says that contradicts what has been said by the admissions and financial aid offices in the past.
Until recently, officials from those offices had claimed that the school had a “need-blind” policy, or one in which an applicant’s financial status is not a factor in admission, according to the Hatchet.
Laurie Koehler, the associate provost for enrollment management at the school, tells the paper that the initial round of sifting through applications consists of choosing prospective students based on merit. But then, the admissions department must consider the school’s financial aid budget.
After that, applicants needing more financial support from the school can be shifted from the “admitted” pile to the “waitlisted” pile and wealthier students who may otherwise have been placed on the waitlist slide into those spots.
To read the full GW Hatchet report, click here.
