<p>More here:</p>
<p>[Reed</a> College | News Center | Reed College Eliminates its Application Fee](<a href=“In the Media - Reed Magazine - Reed College”>In the Media - Reed Magazine - Reed College)</p>
<p>The stated reason is a desire to attract a more diverse applicant pool.</p>
<p>Thats a great idea. My oldest limited her apps to 4 or 5 , because it was a big chunk of money.</p>
<p>This is why I love Reed! Kudos to them.</p>
<p>Great, but it would be even better to lower tuition . .</p>
<p>I didn’t think COA was out of line compared to other need based only schools.
They meet 100% of need, and while they are need aware, the aid package was affordable for us. If the EFC still isn’t affordable, someone who is considering Reed, is likely to be eligible for merit aid at similar colleges.</p>
<p>Lowering tuition would help only those who receive no financial aid, since Reed meets full need. EFC changes when family income changes.</p>
<p>“Lowering tuition would help only those who receive no financial aid”</p>
<p>Yes, that is some of us.</p>
<p>49% paid full price this year, about the same as in recent years.</p>
<p>$0 application fee is a bad idea. Having a nominal fee of $30 and waiving it for internationals is more reasonable. If you can’t afford the application fee, then you most certainly can’t afford to attend.</p>
<p>^ Those who truly can’t afford the application fee will have all expenses paid if admitted.</p>
<p>I think Reed is also trying to encourage those who have a BUDGET for application fees (e.g., ten schools) will additionally send one to Reed.</p>
<p>Ha ha, I’m sure it has nothing to do with the almost 8% drop in the number of applicants this year compared to last year at a time when most colleges are reporting record numbers of applicants. Plus the rising acceptance rate isn’t helping the illusion of prestige much either. Drumroll while we wait for them to eliminate the writing sample requirement.</p>
<p>“Those who truly can’t afford the application fee will have all expenses paid if admitted.”</p>
<p>By whom? Full-paying students? Private colleges are not for indigents and scroungers. Cutting the fee to $0 is a desperation move to increase applications. Full-paying applicants will choose to attend elsewhere. Reed is taking the low road here.</p>
<p>“By whom? Full-paying students?”</p>
<p>By the endowment, which also subsidizes full-paying students.</p>
<p>No way. Endowment yields are at historical lows. Much better endowed colleges (by 3x per student) like Pomona, Swat, Amherst and Grinnell are looking to change this model. They need annual funds well beyond the endowment yield. Even Cooper Union in NYC had to face the music and will no longer be free.</p>
<p>Reed’s endowment supplies 20% of the operating budget; 9% of endowment income goes to financial aid; the other 91% supports everything else, including full-paying students. That doesn’t mean that all financial aid comes from endowment, nor that full-paying students don’t benefit from endowment (full tuition doesn’t cover cost).</p>
<p>[REED</a> COLLEGE REVENUE AND EXPENDITURES](<a href=“http://www.reed.edu/ir/revenue.html]REED”>Revenue and Expenditures 2010-11 - Institutional Research - Reed College)</p>
<p>I agree that Reed is trying to boost its application numbers, though this is definitely not “a time when most colleges are reporting record numbers of applicants”–many liberal arts colleges and smaller research universities, including Amherst, Darthmouth, Pomona, etc. are reporting lower application numbers this year, many are reporting stagnant numbers, and very few are reporting significant increases. The national application pool is beginning to shrink and it shows.</p>
<p>I also think, however, that the stated commitment to providing better access to the college to low-income applicants is genuine.</p>
<p>And I can’t imagine why anyone would think providing more low-income students with full aid–or better qualified low-income students, if the point of this move is to increase competition for the same number of financial aid packages–is a bad thing. It is a noble goal and the administration has deemed it affordable.</p>
<p>A lot of competitors increased applications:</p>
<p>Skidmore +42%
Carleton +20%
Macalester + 12%
Bates +5.9%
Bowdoin +5.0%
Wesleyan +4.5%
Colorado +3.0%</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-admissions/1445310-total-applications-growth-decline-class-2017-a-25.html#post15815594[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-admissions/1445310-total-applications-growth-decline-class-2017-a-25.html#post15815594</a></p>
<p>Amherst, Dartmouth and Pomona are competitive only with Ivies and Stanford and may be loosing applicants to larger universities.</p>
<p>What’s up and what’s down among that category of schools is fashion and hype. One year or two does not a trend make.</p>