|
April 1, 2008
ANDOVER — Four hundred-and-fifty of the more than 2,300 applicants across the country and around the world who have dreamed of an Andover education are on their way. Acceptance letters went out last week to just over 19 percent of applicants. These are the first students to benefit from the “need-blind” admission initiative implemented last fall by the Phillips Academy Board of Trustees.
Director of Admission Jane Fried said that previously in the meticulous admission process, the number of financial aid students accepted often had to be limited by the amount of scholarship money available in any given year. The new need-blind policy means all of the most qualified students are now offered admission regardless of the family’s ability to pay tuition.
Unlike other schools and colleges that have announced scholarship incentives for students with family incomes below a specified threshold—generally in the range of $70,000 to $100,000 per year—Andover’s new policy sets no threshold. That means that qualified students across the economic spectrum, be they lower, middle or upper-middle class, are eligible, reflecting Andover’s deep commitment to preserving the economic diversity of the student body while also embracing its expansive multiculturalism.
Fried said that 176 students in the accepted pool have been awarded scholarships, at a total cost of $4,861,000 in financial aid. In all, 11 percent of the student body of nearly 1,100 receives full scholarships. For the 2008-2009 academic year, tuition for boarding students is $39,100 and tuition for day students $30,500.
Those accepted represent 40 states and 32 countries, and 37 percent identify themselves as people of color. The pool of 2,308 applicants is the largest in the Academy’s lengthy history.
Most admitted students ranked in the top 5 percent of their class, and also have excelled in extracurricular activities and community service. Some characteristics that define Phillips Academy’s 231st admitted class include:
- Number of applicants for whom English is not their first language: 501
- Median SSAT score among admitted students: 93 percent
- Percentage of admitted students who attend a public school: 47
- Number of admitted students who play the piano: 107
- Number of admitted students with varsity athletics potential: 184
- Number of top musicians admitted from around the world: 42
- Percentage of admitted applicants who named community service as their top extracurricular activity: 51
For more information on the newly admitted class, click here.
|
