According to Bowdoin's financial aid website, the College has been need-blind for the past ten years. With the exception of the Posse and National Merit Scholarship programs, financial aid at Bowdoin is completely based on students' need.
However, Bowdoin has been offering 100 stipends worth $3,000 to accepted students on the basis of "talent" rather than financial need for the last two years.
The award system, known as the Faculty Scholars Program, was developed in 2001 and is run by the admissions office. Each year, a committee selects 100 accepted students and offers them the $3,000 stipend should they choose to come to Bowdoin.
President Barry Mills said that the program was a response to action taken by other schools competing for the same students Bowdoin admits. "It's a program that is in many respects required because of the competitive nature of admissions," Mills said. "I would prefer that we didn't have to do it, but the reality of the world is that we have to put ourselves in a position to compete for these students."
William Watterson, Edward Little Professor of the English Language and Literature, was the first to mention this program to BCN's Pat Rockefeller.
"I don't know whether they are a successful recruiting device or not, but $3,000 doesn't seem like much of an inducement given the price of four years at Bowdoin," Watterson said. "But perhaps for at least a few students on financial aid the Faculty Scholar Program could be a swing factor."
According to Dean of Admissions Jim Miller, the committee chooses recipients on the basis of academic and personal achievement. "Academic achievement is most important, but we also look at character and extracurricular activities," said Miller. He added that the award is given to a group of students that the admissions committee "finds very attractive."
Recipients can use the award any time over their four years at Bowdoin. The stipend can fund things such as internships and language-study travel, but cannot be used to subsidize the cost of tuition.
Students must clear plans for how they will use the money with Assistant Director of Career Exploration & Internships James Westhoff, but according to Miller, requirements for what students are allowed to do with the stipend are fairly broad.
Bowdoin is among a very small number of schools that offer financial aid strictly on a need-blind basis. Many other schools try to entice talented students by offering stipends and scholarships on the basis of merit.
"Only a handful of (about ten) schools award aid strictly on a need-blind basis," Mills said. "Many schools are giving aid to people who don't need the money or are giving them larger awards than what they deserve on a need basis. Other schools have made a decision that in order to compete with Ivy League schools, they need to give money to people who don't need it."
Mills made it clear that this does not mean Bowdoin is heading down the path towards increased merit aid.
"Bowdoin will never be the leader in moving towards more merit aid. Not that there's anything immoral against merit aid, it's a question of resources," he said, adding that if merit aid is offered, it will deplete financial resources available for need-based aid.
In an interview on BCN, Mills stated it is his intention to keep Bowdoin's need-blind admissions policy for as long as possible. "I think it is very important for Bowdoin to remain among the very, very few schools in the country that are in a position to allow all students to come through the same door regardless of their financial needs. Now, that's not to say that that will be true forever. I certainly hope it will be true as long as I am president of Bowdoin."
Many competitive schools such as University of Chicago, Duke, and Washington University in St. Louis offer merit aid for talented students. Before coming to Bowdoin, Miller helped establish the Dean's Summer Program at Harvard. Miller noted that he saw how effective Harvard's program was, and when he came to Bowdoin, he began working towards setting up a similar system.
Although these scholarships may seem out of the ordinary because they are awarded to students based on academic record and talent rather than need, they are not entirely uncommon at Bowdoin. The College participates in the National Merit Scholarship program, meaning that students who do not demonstrate financial need receive a renewable $1,000 award from the National Merit Corporation.
Additionally, there are over 50 fellowships of at least $3,000 awarded to enrolled Bowdoin students each year. These competitive fellowships are available to students involved in summer research or public interest oriented internships. Internal committees and the CPC determine which students will receive these stipends.
What makes the Faculty Scholars Program unique is that the admissions office offers these awards before students demonstrate their skills and abilities at Bowdoin. According to Mills, "In a way, the Faculty Scholars Program is a presumptive summer fellowship based on the high school record students bring to college. But once you come, there are plenty of other opportunities available."