|
ANDOVER— Fresh from one of the most intense and competitive admission cycles in the history of colleges and private secondary schools, Dean of Admission Jane Fried announced today to the Andover Board of Trustees in their spring meeting that a record 75 percent of admitted students had accepted the Academy’s offer of admission. From an applicant pool of 2,348 candidates, a highly individualized Andover admission process of five readers of every application led to 452 students being admitted to the entering class of 2008. Andover admitted 19% of its applicants, reflecting the continuing trend of highly competitive applicant pools.
Under the first year of Andover’s need-blind admission program, the Academy was able to increase the number of students and the percentage of the class supported by financial aid. As anticipated, Andover has enrolled a record number of 150 new students on financial aid, which represents 44 percent of the entering class and an 85 percent yield of admitted students who were awarded scholarships. These new students were awarded a total of $4,575,000, said Fried.
“Andover’s need-blind initiative fulfills the Academy’s mission to be open to ‘youth from every quarter.’ It is an honor and a joy to admit the outstanding candidates whom the admission committee believes not only will thrive at the Academy but also possess the most potential to make a difference in their communities and the world,” added Fried.
The Academy’s need-blind admission process admits students without regard to their families’ ability to pay for their education and fully meets the demonstrated financial need of each student and the admitted pool. For the 2008-2009 academic year the financial aid budget is $14.6 million, allowing Andover to carry 42 percent of the total student body on financial aid. The average financial aid award for a boarding student is $29,200 per year, and 11 percent of the student body is on full scholarship.
The incoming class of 176 girls and 166 boys represents a median class rank in the top one percent, and a median SSAT total score of 93 percent. They will arrive on the Andover campus September 6 from 37 states, and 32 foreign countries as diverse as the Kenya, Austria, the Fiji Islands, Thailand, Vietnam, Lithuania, Venezuela and the United Arab Emirates.
Nine newly-admitted students are inaugural designees as Davis Scholars, a need-based scholarship designed to increase diversity at secondary boarding schools and colleges by selecting highly motivated, potential leaders—domestically and abroad—who have the most to benefit. Phillips Academy is one of five United States schools in this pilot program, announced last October, which offers continued scholarship support to students who graduate from these high schools and matriculate into colleges and universities that also participate in the scholarship program.
|
