Dartmouth trustees announce 1998-99 tuition and fees

Posted 04/16/98

Continuing a strategy aimed at reducing tuition increases, Dartmouth trustees have approved the lowest such increase in 32 years.

At their winter meeting Feb. 13-14, the board approved a 3.9 percent increase in undergraduate tuition charges to $23,790 for the 1998-99 academic year.

Total charges for tuition, mandatory fees and room and board will increase 3.9 percent to $30,822. Within room and board charges, the three-term room rate will increase 4.5 percent to $4,047, while the three-term board rate will increase only 3 percent to $2,865.

In approving the tuition increase, the trustees reaffirmed Dartmouth's need-blind admissions policy, which ensures that all admissions decisions at the college are made without regard to the financial circumstances of applicants and guarantees that one hundred percent of a student's demonstrated financial need is met for all four years of enrollment. This policy results in scholarship/grant support for 41 percent of the student body. For the 1998-99 academic year, Dartmouth expects to distribute $27.8 million in scholarships, an average scholarship of approximately $16,000 per aid recipient.

Acknowledging that a number of universities have recently announced changes in their aid programs, Dartmouth officials underscored several important aspects of the financial aid program at the college:

For quite some time, Dartmouth has recognized that the needs analysis formula, commonly used by selective institutions to determine eligibility for financial aid, often results in unrealistic contributions for middle-income families. Several years ago Dartmouth began adjusting the formula, particularly as it affects assets, to make expected family contributions more realistic. For many families, this means that home equity has either been eliminated or reduced or that the contribution from all assets has been decreased.

Karl Furstenberg, dean of admissions and financial aid, noted that "this case by case approach, based upon the economic circumstances of individual families, affects approximately 37 percent of financial aid students at Dartmouth and adds $1.3 million to the scholarships awarded."

Dartmouth has had a long-standing policy that recognizes the burden loans place on low-income students and their families. Therefore, the loans for these students will be reduced by up to $1,000 per year. Typically, families with incomes below $35,000 have received this reduction and will continue to do so.

The enrollment of international students has been an admissions priority at Dartmouth for many years. Although Dartmouth is fully need-blind for admitted American and Canadian students, scholarship funds for international students have been limited. The scholarship budget for first-year, international students will increase 6 percent this year to $460,000.

Finally, Dartmouth will encourage families to realize the full benefit of the Hope Scholarship, part of the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997 recently passed by Congress and President Clinton. "We anticipate that many families may use this additional resource to further reduce loans," commented Virginia Hazen, director of financial aid.

Tuition at Dartmouth's Thayer School of Engineering will increase 3.9 percent to $23,790, while tuition at the Amos Tuck School of Business Administration will increase 4.8 percent to $26,100 and tuition at Dartmouth Medical School will increase 3.8 percent to $24,860.