Grinnell College will maintain its need-blind admission policy for domestic students. Previously, the College’s Board of Trustees routinely reviewed the policy for reapproval every three years. Now, financial support for the policy will be considered during the College’s annual budget review, cementing need-blind admission as high priority.
The decision comes as need-blind admission was being reconsidered as part of the College’s fall 2024 cost-cutting measures, aimed at reducing endowment spending from 4.5% annually to 4% by 2029.
Grinnell College is among the most endowment-dependent institutions in the country, with its endowment accounting for 60% of annual revenue. However, compared to its peer institutions, it has one of the lowest annual giving rates per student.
“The biggest long-term strategy, the one that will make an enduring difference in our capacity to be a need-blind institution – philanthropy through our upcoming campaign,” wrote President Anne Harris in an email to The S&B. “In this framework, for example, need-blind has emerged as a signature program of the College.”
Many students tell The S&B that Grinnell’s need-blind admission policy was crucial in their decision to apply and attend. “It was a big factor,” said Lily Freeman `27.5. “I made the decision together with my parents, but it was definitely one of my highest priorities.”
Brianna Hinds `26, admitted through the Questbridge program, which matches low-income first-generation students with colleges and universities, echoed that sentiment. “The amount of financial aid they gave me was definitely something that I considered when I was going here,” she said. “If they were to change that, I think it would change the type of people at Grinnell. So it wouldn’t be as diverse of a school.”
Harris wrote that socio-economic diversity is a pillar of Grinnell’s admissions. However, she added that “need-blind admission by itself is not a guarantor of socio-economic diversity” but rather “other factors and efforts are active at Grinnell, including how and from where high school students are recruited to join our community.”
She added that preserving need-blind admission could also lead to revenue shortfalls, as current data suggests. Harris wrote that data reveals that Grinnell receives the least student tuition revenue among its need-blind peer institutions.
“That low student revenue is connected to the high amount ($77M) in financial aid that Grinnell makes available for college access,” she wrote. “And the fact that the majority of financial aid (85%) is for need-based aid.”
The need-blind policy does not extend to international students, a practice consistent with most American higher education institutions. Currently, only 11 institutions in the U.S. offer need-blind admission to all applicants.
“The primary barrier to expanding need-blind admission to international students is financial,” said Harris. “I say this with all focus on our upcoming campaign, philanthropy would be the greatest force to remove that barrier.”
