Vanderbilt University's Benefits for All

Vanderbilt University's Benefits for All

Outreach, preparation and financial aid for low-income students

Vanderbilt University has undertaken a campus-wide effort at to recruit, prepare and finance a Vanderbilt education for students from low-to-middle income backgrounds. The university started with the goal of increasing the number of students from low-income families. It researched the issues involved, created outreach and early awareness programs, modified its financial aid policies, and monitors progress.

The team for this program includes: Douglas Christiansen, vice provost for enrollment and dean of admissions; Thomas Golden, associate director of the Office of Undergraduate Admissions; Richard Iannelli, associate director of the Vanderbilt Institutional Research Group; David Mohning, executive director of Student Financial Aid and Undergraduate Scholarships; Cindy Nash, special assistant to the vice provost for enrollment and dean of admissions; Brent Tener, associate director of Student Financial Aid and director of Undergraduate Scholarships.

Overview of the program

The chancellor and trustees of Vanderbilt University recognized that having a diverse community on campus provided benefits to everyone. A study of enrolled students showed that despite a financial aid effort beginning in 2001 and a capital investment in the financial aid program, the percentage of freshman receiving aid had declined from 46 percent to 41 percent in 2007-08. The chancellor did not want the university to lose talented students from low-income families because they could not afford it—or because they did not know that aid was available. The university's admission and financial aid staff embraced this goal, and in the summer of 2007 convened a Low and Middle Income Task Force.

The Task Force's major goal was to ensure that students who have the ability to attend Vanderbilt are not barred from entrance because they cannot afford to attend or do not know that financial aid is available. The group researched issues and barriers to enrollment by low-income students, and it studied what other universities were doing to address them. It recommended a number of solutions and created a detailed plan that included outreach, communications strategies and assigned roles to the staff members responsible for each project component.

The two major areas of focus were to greatly expand the set of access and early awareness programs for outreach to these students, and creative financial aid solutions. The university provided professional development for its admission and outreach staff to ensure that everyone recognized the value of these students from low-income backgrounds.

Early awareness and access programs

The Task Force research showed that Vanderbilt had issues with both perception and preparation. Qualified students, even from middle class families, did not believe they could afford the school and many were not prepared to navigate the admission and financial aid process. Affordability is central to the entire recruitment and admission process, not just for low-income students. Vanderbilt uses the College Board's Student Search Service to identify promising low-income students early in the admission process and give them extra information and opportunities to experience the school. Some of the efforts include:

Communications: Students are identified in a number of ways, and receive university communications beginning in the ninth grade. Vanderbilt made a strategic decision to give an educational focus to its outreach communications, which include fee-waiver information and locker posters. There is a dedicated website for access-related information.

Application training: Based on student feedback, the university's financial aid awareness program gradually became an application program, training students in areas such as writing a successful personal essay, filling out the Common Application, and completing financial aid forms.

Access & success pilot: More than 25,000 potential students have been identified through a pilot program with the College Board. These students have received seven communications targeted specifically for them.

The diverse VU program: This year (in November), Brent Tener, director of undergraduate scholarships and Lyn Fulton-John, director of honor scholarships presented information regarding the financial process at Vanderbilt (and in general), along with a mini writing workshop to help students begin to think about how to write effective essays for both admission and scholarship purposes. This approach is different than the standard financial aid conversation normally held in such a setting; it provided information to help students be more competitive in a very competitive admission environment.

Vandy Fan-for-a-Day: The university hosts students in grades nine-12 from the greater Vanderbilt area (encompassing a four-state region) for a day. After the students participate in small group workshops on academic, admission and financial aid issues, the day's highlight is attending a Vanderbilt football game.

Community partnerships: Vanderbilt's Office of Undergraduate Admissions has a long-standing tradition of proactive partnerships with many community-based organizations focused on increasing college participation and persistence. This tradition continues today as Vanderbilt maintains strong relationships with the Posse Foundation (with which Vanderbilt was the original partner university), the Arkansas Commitment Program, Chicago Scholars Program, Ranier Scholars Program, Camp College, and dozens of other similar organizations.

Prospective student communications: The admission office modified its communications strategy to increase the diversity of its applicant pool. The university had previously provided prospective students information primarily about Vanderbilt. This was changed to include useful information about college preparatory behaviors and strategies, and practical advice about navigating the admission process.

Financial aid programs

The financial aid reform that was undertaken in 2001 included a need-blind admission policy and a commitment to meet 100 percent of demonstrated need through a combination of grants, work-study and student contributions. The goal was to limit graduating student debt to $20,000 or less. This was, however, not enough to attract the talented low-income students the university wanted.

The university instituted a no-loan initiative in fall 2009, in which need-based loans normally included in undergraduate financial aid awards for new and returning students were replaced with Vanderbilt grants and scholarships. In an article in the university's Arts and Science Magazine, Chancellor Nicholas S. Zeppos said "This underscores Vanderbilt's commitment to the belief that ability, achievement and hard work—not a family's financial status—should determine access to a great education. When financial barriers to a Vanderbilt education are reduced or eliminated, Vanderbilt becomes a more dynamic environment for everyone. Every student benefits from the enriched community composed of highly talented and qualified students of all economic, cultural and geographic backgrounds."

One of the first goals of the financial aid department was outreach to show more students that they should be applying for aid. The effort has been successful, and the percentage of students who receive aid has steadily risen over the past several years to 46 percent. The second goal is to allow students who need aid to graduate with no debt. The office increased promotional efforts in terms of merit-based scholarships, with additional emphasis placed upon increasing the pool of candidates for the Chancellor's Scholarship. In 2009, a total of 530 students applied for the Chancellor's Scholarship; this year, the total is 691 student.

Monitoring progress

Admitted Student Questionnaire (ASQ): The financial aid office monitors the ASQ results each year, as well as anecdotal information. The ASQ is used to predict the relationship of financial aid to matriculation; there has been a substantial increase in the importance of cost in students' enrollment decisions.

Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP) Freshman Survey: The survey shows a seven percent increase in students reporting that receiving financial aid is very important in their decision to attend Vanderbilt. There has been a five percent increase in the number of students reporting that the overall cost of attending the college is a very important factor in their decision to attend.

Applications: The university monitors and reports on the number of:

• Minority and low-income applicants in all stages of the application process
• Enrolled students receiving Pell grants; and
• Transfer students who apply for need-based financial aid

Anecdotal evidence about the admission and financial aid program: This includes letters to the chancellor, vice provost of enrollment management, financial aid officers, and other university staff. It also includes conversations with admission staff during recruitment and outreach activities.

Benefits for everyone

Vanderbilt was founded to "contribute to strengthening the ties which should exist between all sections of our common country," and this new commitment to student debt-reduction, need-blind admission and early recruitment efforts is expected to bring lasting benefits to the university. The increased economic and social diversity that the program brings adds vitality to the campus by allowing the best students to enroll. At the same time, it enhances Vanderbilt's efforts to prepare its students to be leaders in an increasingly diverse 21st-century United States. The initiative has required both hard work and difficult choices, and the administration and admission team are solidly on board, as are the faculty and students.