Need-Blind是美國大學在招生時對獎學金的一種類別,主要針對本科生。采取Need-blind獎學金的大學,在錄取學生時不考慮學生的資金需求和家庭收入情況,只要符合錄取條件則給予錄取,錄取后如果學生提供的資金證明顯示家庭收入不足支付學費和生活費時,學校將提供獎學金,彌補學生家庭資金的不足。簡單來說,只要學生優(yōu)秀,被大學錄取,不會因為家庭經(jīng)濟困難而失學,因為大學會為你支付學費和生活費。這真是十足的communism思想。
當然,這種獎學金政策也是建立在經(jīng)濟基礎上的,大學需要財大氣粗才行,所以美國只有少數(shù)大學提供Need-blind的獎學金,如哈佛大學、耶魯大學、達特茅斯學院、普林斯頓大學、麻省理工學院、阿姆赫斯學院和本文提到的威廉姆斯學院等幾所大學。
然而,金融危機的出現(xiàn),不管是公立大學的政府預算還是私立大學捐贈資金,都受到很大影響,這也導致一些大學不得不修改其獎學金政策。
近日,美國著名的文理學院--威廉姆斯學院（Williams College,著名歌手王力宏的母校）鑒于捐贈資金的減少,不得不宣布放棄對國際學生Need-blind的獎學金政策。
威廉姆斯學院每年提供給國際學生的獎學金高達400萬美元,這筆開支在金融危機下對學校來說是一筆沉重的負擔,所以今年不得不宣布放棄Need-blind的獎學金政策。
那么取消Need-blind后會有什么影響呢？取消Need-blind并不意味著學校不給國際學生提供獎學金,而是學校在錄取時會關注學生的獎學金的需求,如果一個學生條件尚可,符合錄取要求,但如果這個學生對獎學金需求非常大（如需要學校提供所有學費和生活費）,則學校會權衡一下,有可能就不錄取這名學生。如果這個學生沒有獎學金需求或者獎學金需求比較少,則學校有可能錄取。但如果這個學生非常優(yōu)秀,萬里挑一,則即使學生對獎學金需求高,學校也認了,這樣的學生是稀缺資源,肯定也會錄取并提供獎學金。所以,對于國內(nèi)想申請該校的學生來說,申請時就要講究策略。如果家庭條件不錯,為了提高被錄取的概率,可以在申請時注明放棄獎學金申請；如果自身條件很好,則可以堅持需要獎學金。
附Williams College簡介：
從艾姆赫斯特學院（Amherst College）出發(fā),沿著91號高速公路向北,在麻省西北重鎮(zhèn)格林菲爾德 （Greenfield, MA）向西走上2號路,大概60公里左右就到了一所很偏僻卻優(yōu)雅的小鎮(zhèn), 威廉姆斯鎮(zhèn) (Williamstown, MA)。這個小鎮(zhèn)按照中國的看法最多是個村級單位（人口不足4000）,但是就在這個“村子”里面,卻坐落了一所無論是little ivies （小常春藤聯(lián)盟）還是 little three （小三杰）中都赫赫有名的學院。也是我們今天要講述得亂世隱者—威廉姆斯學院(Williams College)。
之所以稱其為亂世隱者。是因為威廉姆斯學院 (Williams College)不僅在藝術方面有獨到的成就,更是與世無爭。從來不費心的去參加評比和競賽或者作廣告來證明自己是美國No.1 的大學。做好自己的事情高于一切是它的宗旨。 而其校訓 “E liberalitate E.”（我自自由）也完美的闡述了它的辦學理念。
威廉姆斯學院 (Williams College)的投資創(chuàng)辦人是美國陸軍的埃菲拉姆。威廉姆斯（Ephraim Williams）上校。他出身顯貴,并在麻省西部有大片的田地。在他的遺囑中寫道,如果有一天我不幸犧牲,那么我的財產(chǎn)將貢獻給我的家鄉(xiāng),西豪薩克鎮(zhèn)(West Hoosac)。并為其建立起一所能夠教育未來子弟的學院。 當他在1755年9月8日在紐約州喬治湖（Lake George, NY）戰(zhàn)死后。它的家鄉(xiāng)為了紀念他。 將名字改為了威廉姆斯鎮(zhèn)(Williamstown, MA)。而1793年新成立的大學則被命名為威廉姆斯學院（Williams College）。
威廉姆斯學院 (Williams College)可以說出生以來歷經(jīng)坎坷。幾次面臨著財政危機,搬遷危機,以及麻省第一古老大學--哈佛大學的挑戰(zhàn)。（當時的哈佛認為,麻省需要一所大學就夠了,因此幾次向麻省政府提出取締威廉姆斯學院）甚至在1821年,他們的校長 Zephaniah S. Moore,因為試圖搬遷威廉姆斯學院不成,于是帶著自己的十五名學生棄校而走。投奔了艾姆赫斯特學院（Amherst College）,并成為了其第一任校長。 在這一次次打擊之中,威廉姆斯學院仍然頑強的堅持者。 秉承我自自由的理念。 在新校長Harry C. Payne,以及資助人Heman Humphrey的帶領下,走出了困境。自此人才輩出。（除了一名美國總統(tǒng)詹姆斯?加菲爾德以外,名單太多,不好多列,具體可以看網(wǎng)址：http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Williams_College_people）
1859年,恢復元氣的威廉姆斯和成立不久的艾姆赫斯特兩校進行了美國第一次校際棒球賽,開創(chuàng)了校際體育對抗的先河,并延續(xù)至今。威廉姆斯學院 (Williams College)還是美國第一所使用畢業(yè)典禮和學士畢業(yè)服裝的學校。 1970年,威廉姆斯學院 (Williams College)由單一男校變?yōu)槟信旌闲！?BR> 今天的威廉姆斯學院 (Williams College)是一所集人文,科學和社會科學三位一體的綜合性學院。擁有24個學術類型,31個專業(yè),以及2個碩士項目（文藝歷史學以及經(jīng)濟發(fā)展學）。與康州的密斯提克港博物館(Mysitc Seaport maritime museum)以及英國的牛津大學有緊密地關系。 其學年制度是美國獨一無二的4-1-4 制度（2個完整學期+ 一個冬季學期）。 并且有著名的威廉姆斯年度貴賓演講。 1996年曾經(jīng)邀請過前美國總統(tǒng)布什,98年是著名小提琴家馬友友,2006的演講人是著名水下攝影師Chuck Davis. 此外,學校還擁有一所全國著名的藝術館威廉姆斯大學藝術博物館,館藏藝術品價值超過20億美元。以及一個擁有15萬份音像圖書資料的圖書館,Chapin Library。
地址：Williams College, Williamstown, MA 01267
威廉姆斯學院 (Williams College)小資料：
所在地: 威廉姆斯鎮(zhèn) (Williamstown, MA)。
建立時間: 1793
2009-2010學年在校學生人數(shù): 本科生2168,研究生56人；2009年秋季錄取率：20.4%（6,017人申請,1,229人被錄?。?BR> 全職教授: 318人
在校平均一年花費 (2009-10): $49,880美元
現(xiàn)任校長：Morton Schapiro
學校代表顏色: 紫色。
學校吉祥物：紫色的母牛 Purple Cow
學校格言：E. liberalitate E (我自自由)
獎學金發(fā)放情況：
Class of 2013 Financial Aid Statistics （2009年秋季入學學生獎學金發(fā)放統(tǒng)計）
專業(yè)：
Architecture & Related Programs 建筑系
Area, Ethnic, Cultural, & Gender Studies,地區(qū),文明,性別文化系
Arts, Visual & Performing 藝術表演系
Biological & Biomedical Sciences 生物,醫(yī)藥系
Business, Management, & Marketing 商學系
Computer & Information Sciences 電腦系
Education 教育系
Engineering 工程系 （生物,機電,建筑,化學工程）
English Language & Literature 英語系
Foreign Language & Literature 外語系（中文,日文,法文,德文,俄語,西班牙文）
History 歷史系
Mathematics 數(shù)學系
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies 復合學習系
Philosophy & Religion 哲學宗教系
Physical Sciences 物理科學系 (天文,化學,地理,物理)
Psychology 心理學系
Social Sciences 社會科學系 (考古,經(jīng)濟,政治,社會學)
附Williams College 臨時校長對獎學金政策改變的公告：
To the Williams Community,
Financial aid has been much on the minds of members of the Williams community as we have thought about ways to control the growth in its cost that would align with the great value we place on having a diverse community.
The process of setting the College’s price is complicated and at odds with how the world generally works. Since we live with this system every day, we tend to forget that outside of Williams and a small number of similar colleges, there may be no business or organization that charges for its goods or services only what an individual can afford to pay. That is amazing. (More so when you consider that even the top price that is charged covers only about half of what the College spends per student.)
The system has worked remarkably well. We have been able to make the benefits of a Williams education accessible to strong students from all economic backgrounds. And, while parents do make sacrifices to send their children here, when we ask them if it was worth it, 98% say yes.
As astonishing as this system already was, it became more so when a few years ago we dropped loans from all aid packages and began to admit all international students without regard to their ability to pay.
We could take those steps because our endowment had been growing at quite an amazing rate. Since that is no longer the case and apparently will not be the case again anytime soon, the College has needed to cut expenses virtually everywhere. Given the value we place on affordability, the only exception has been financial aid, which grew again this year (by about 12%) and will grow next year.
What we have explored are ways to control the growth in overall spending on financial aid that would be consonant with our commitment to broad financial accessibility. One way was to reintroduce modest loans in the aid packages of some students. Families with low incomes will still not be expected to borrow. When, beginning with the Class of 2015, we go back to something that resembles the loan program that was in place until fall of 2008, Williams will continue to be attractive to students of all incomes and we will have a wonderfully strong and diverse student body.
This will also be true as we begin to admit international students somewhat differently than we have in recent years, beginning with the class entering this fall.
Until the Class of 2006, Williams each year maintained two pools of international applicants: those who had applied for aid and those who had not. We admitted only a few who had applied for aid. All other admitted international applicants were among those who could pay the full fee. For the last several years we admitted international applicants without regard to their ability to pay. We also let the percentage of international students in the class drift up to a range of 5% to 8% (though one year it topped out at 9%); any higher would have been financially unsustainable. This enabled us to matriculate a cohort of international students with significantly more presence and diversity, to the great advantage of us all.
But as a result, the cost of international aid in the last decade rose by more than 200% (more than $4 million). In the College’s changed financial situation, that rate of growth is unsustainable. One way to reduce it would be to have fewer international students. But no one wants that and no one wants it to be the case that all of our international students are able to pay the full fee.
The way to avoid either of those outcomes is to use intelligently some form of need-awareness for international applicants. This does not mean going back to the two-pool system in place before the Class of 2006. It also does not mean that the Financial Aid Office will compute the need of each international aid applicant and the Admission Office will then admit the most desirable international applicants until the aid runs out.
The Admission Office will know which applicants have applied for aid, as it does now, but will not know the level of each applicant’s need. The office will then look at the international pool as a whole and aim to build an entering cohort that is not only academically strong but that is geographically and economically diverse and that in terms of aid approximates a rough dollar target that will begin where it is now and grow over the years at a rate slower than it has been. This new system should result in entering cohorts of international students that roughly resemble the one that we are blessed with now and at a rate of cost increase that is sustainable. When four classes have been admitted this way the increase in our international aid budget should be about $1.2 million less than it would have been. We do not expect this change to affect dramatically the pool of international applicants, which is extremely strong.
I understand how unsettling it is for many members of our community to have to contemplate altering our aid practices somewhat. Even with the changes we have adopted, however, the system by which Williams determines how much to charge aided families will still be among the most generous in the history of higher education, as it should be, and among the most amazing anywhere in the broad economy. And we will continue to serve and to benefit from a wonderful and diverse community of students.
With regards,
Bill Wagner
Interim President
當然,這種獎學金政策也是建立在經(jīng)濟基礎上的,大學需要財大氣粗才行,所以美國只有少數(shù)大學提供Need-blind的獎學金,如哈佛大學、耶魯大學、達特茅斯學院、普林斯頓大學、麻省理工學院、阿姆赫斯學院和本文提到的威廉姆斯學院等幾所大學。
然而,金融危機的出現(xiàn),不管是公立大學的政府預算還是私立大學捐贈資金,都受到很大影響,這也導致一些大學不得不修改其獎學金政策。
近日,美國著名的文理學院--威廉姆斯學院（Williams College,著名歌手王力宏的母校）鑒于捐贈資金的減少,不得不宣布放棄對國際學生Need-blind的獎學金政策。
威廉姆斯學院每年提供給國際學生的獎學金高達400萬美元,這筆開支在金融危機下對學校來說是一筆沉重的負擔,所以今年不得不宣布放棄Need-blind的獎學金政策。
那么取消Need-blind后會有什么影響呢？取消Need-blind并不意味著學校不給國際學生提供獎學金,而是學校在錄取時會關注學生的獎學金的需求,如果一個學生條件尚可,符合錄取要求,但如果這個學生對獎學金需求非常大（如需要學校提供所有學費和生活費）,則學校會權衡一下,有可能就不錄取這名學生。如果這個學生沒有獎學金需求或者獎學金需求比較少,則學校有可能錄取。但如果這個學生非常優(yōu)秀,萬里挑一,則即使學生對獎學金需求高,學校也認了,這樣的學生是稀缺資源,肯定也會錄取并提供獎學金。所以,對于國內(nèi)想申請該校的學生來說,申請時就要講究策略。如果家庭條件不錯,為了提高被錄取的概率,可以在申請時注明放棄獎學金申請；如果自身條件很好,則可以堅持需要獎學金。
附Williams College簡介：
從艾姆赫斯特學院（Amherst College）出發(fā),沿著91號高速公路向北,在麻省西北重鎮(zhèn)格林菲爾德 （Greenfield, MA）向西走上2號路,大概60公里左右就到了一所很偏僻卻優(yōu)雅的小鎮(zhèn), 威廉姆斯鎮(zhèn) (Williamstown, MA)。這個小鎮(zhèn)按照中國的看法最多是個村級單位（人口不足4000）,但是就在這個“村子”里面,卻坐落了一所無論是little ivies （小常春藤聯(lián)盟）還是 little three （小三杰）中都赫赫有名的學院。也是我們今天要講述得亂世隱者—威廉姆斯學院(Williams College)。
之所以稱其為亂世隱者。是因為威廉姆斯學院 (Williams College)不僅在藝術方面有獨到的成就,更是與世無爭。從來不費心的去參加評比和競賽或者作廣告來證明自己是美國No.1 的大學。做好自己的事情高于一切是它的宗旨。 而其校訓 “E liberalitate E.”（我自自由）也完美的闡述了它的辦學理念。
威廉姆斯學院 (Williams College)的投資創(chuàng)辦人是美國陸軍的埃菲拉姆。威廉姆斯（Ephraim Williams）上校。他出身顯貴,并在麻省西部有大片的田地。在他的遺囑中寫道,如果有一天我不幸犧牲,那么我的財產(chǎn)將貢獻給我的家鄉(xiāng),西豪薩克鎮(zhèn)(West Hoosac)。并為其建立起一所能夠教育未來子弟的學院。 當他在1755年9月8日在紐約州喬治湖（Lake George, NY）戰(zhàn)死后。它的家鄉(xiāng)為了紀念他。 將名字改為了威廉姆斯鎮(zhèn)(Williamstown, MA)。而1793年新成立的大學則被命名為威廉姆斯學院（Williams College）。
威廉姆斯學院 (Williams College)可以說出生以來歷經(jīng)坎坷。幾次面臨著財政危機,搬遷危機,以及麻省第一古老大學--哈佛大學的挑戰(zhàn)。（當時的哈佛認為,麻省需要一所大學就夠了,因此幾次向麻省政府提出取締威廉姆斯學院）甚至在1821年,他們的校長 Zephaniah S. Moore,因為試圖搬遷威廉姆斯學院不成,于是帶著自己的十五名學生棄校而走。投奔了艾姆赫斯特學院（Amherst College）,并成為了其第一任校長。 在這一次次打擊之中,威廉姆斯學院仍然頑強的堅持者。 秉承我自自由的理念。 在新校長Harry C. Payne,以及資助人Heman Humphrey的帶領下,走出了困境。自此人才輩出。（除了一名美國總統(tǒng)詹姆斯?加菲爾德以外,名單太多,不好多列,具體可以看網(wǎng)址：http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Williams_College_people）
1859年,恢復元氣的威廉姆斯和成立不久的艾姆赫斯特兩校進行了美國第一次校際棒球賽,開創(chuàng)了校際體育對抗的先河,并延續(xù)至今。威廉姆斯學院 (Williams College)還是美國第一所使用畢業(yè)典禮和學士畢業(yè)服裝的學校。 1970年,威廉姆斯學院 (Williams College)由單一男校變?yōu)槟信旌闲！?BR> 今天的威廉姆斯學院 (Williams College)是一所集人文,科學和社會科學三位一體的綜合性學院。擁有24個學術類型,31個專業(yè),以及2個碩士項目（文藝歷史學以及經(jīng)濟發(fā)展學）。與康州的密斯提克港博物館(Mysitc Seaport maritime museum)以及英國的牛津大學有緊密地關系。 其學年制度是美國獨一無二的4-1-4 制度（2個完整學期+ 一個冬季學期）。 并且有著名的威廉姆斯年度貴賓演講。 1996年曾經(jīng)邀請過前美國總統(tǒng)布什,98年是著名小提琴家馬友友,2006的演講人是著名水下攝影師Chuck Davis. 此外,學校還擁有一所全國著名的藝術館威廉姆斯大學藝術博物館,館藏藝術品價值超過20億美元。以及一個擁有15萬份音像圖書資料的圖書館,Chapin Library。
地址：Williams College, Williamstown, MA 01267
威廉姆斯學院 (Williams College)小資料：
所在地: 威廉姆斯鎮(zhèn) (Williamstown, MA)。
建立時間: 1793
2009-2010學年在校學生人數(shù): 本科生2168,研究生56人；2009年秋季錄取率：20.4%（6,017人申請,1,229人被錄?。?BR> 全職教授: 318人
在校平均一年花費 (2009-10): $49,880美元
現(xiàn)任校長：Morton Schapiro
學校代表顏色: 紫色。
學校吉祥物：紫色的母牛 Purple Cow
學校格言：E. liberalitate E (我自自由)
獎學金發(fā)放情況：
Class of 2013 Financial Aid Statistics （2009年秋季入學學生獎學金發(fā)放統(tǒng)計）
專業(yè)：
Architecture & Related Programs 建筑系
Area, Ethnic, Cultural, & Gender Studies,地區(qū),文明,性別文化系
Arts, Visual & Performing 藝術表演系
Biological & Biomedical Sciences 生物,醫(yī)藥系
Business, Management, & Marketing 商學系
Computer & Information Sciences 電腦系
Education 教育系
Engineering 工程系 （生物,機電,建筑,化學工程）
English Language & Literature 英語系
Foreign Language & Literature 外語系（中文,日文,法文,德文,俄語,西班牙文）
History 歷史系
Mathematics 數(shù)學系
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies 復合學習系
Philosophy & Religion 哲學宗教系
Physical Sciences 物理科學系 (天文,化學,地理,物理)
Psychology 心理學系
Social Sciences 社會科學系 (考古,經(jīng)濟,政治,社會學)
附Williams College 臨時校長對獎學金政策改變的公告：
To the Williams Community,
Financial aid has been much on the minds of members of the Williams community as we have thought about ways to control the growth in its cost that would align with the great value we place on having a diverse community.
The process of setting the College’s price is complicated and at odds with how the world generally works. Since we live with this system every day, we tend to forget that outside of Williams and a small number of similar colleges, there may be no business or organization that charges for its goods or services only what an individual can afford to pay. That is amazing. (More so when you consider that even the top price that is charged covers only about half of what the College spends per student.)
The system has worked remarkably well. We have been able to make the benefits of a Williams education accessible to strong students from all economic backgrounds. And, while parents do make sacrifices to send their children here, when we ask them if it was worth it, 98% say yes.
As astonishing as this system already was, it became more so when a few years ago we dropped loans from all aid packages and began to admit all international students without regard to their ability to pay.
We could take those steps because our endowment had been growing at quite an amazing rate. Since that is no longer the case and apparently will not be the case again anytime soon, the College has needed to cut expenses virtually everywhere. Given the value we place on affordability, the only exception has been financial aid, which grew again this year (by about 12%) and will grow next year.
What we have explored are ways to control the growth in overall spending on financial aid that would be consonant with our commitment to broad financial accessibility. One way was to reintroduce modest loans in the aid packages of some students. Families with low incomes will still not be expected to borrow. When, beginning with the Class of 2015, we go back to something that resembles the loan program that was in place until fall of 2008, Williams will continue to be attractive to students of all incomes and we will have a wonderfully strong and diverse student body.
This will also be true as we begin to admit international students somewhat differently than we have in recent years, beginning with the class entering this fall.
Until the Class of 2006, Williams each year maintained two pools of international applicants: those who had applied for aid and those who had not. We admitted only a few who had applied for aid. All other admitted international applicants were among those who could pay the full fee. For the last several years we admitted international applicants without regard to their ability to pay. We also let the percentage of international students in the class drift up to a range of 5% to 8% (though one year it topped out at 9%); any higher would have been financially unsustainable. This enabled us to matriculate a cohort of international students with significantly more presence and diversity, to the great advantage of us all.
But as a result, the cost of international aid in the last decade rose by more than 200% (more than $4 million). In the College’s changed financial situation, that rate of growth is unsustainable. One way to reduce it would be to have fewer international students. But no one wants that and no one wants it to be the case that all of our international students are able to pay the full fee.
The way to avoid either of those outcomes is to use intelligently some form of need-awareness for international applicants. This does not mean going back to the two-pool system in place before the Class of 2006. It also does not mean that the Financial Aid Office will compute the need of each international aid applicant and the Admission Office will then admit the most desirable international applicants until the aid runs out.
The Admission Office will know which applicants have applied for aid, as it does now, but will not know the level of each applicant’s need. The office will then look at the international pool as a whole and aim to build an entering cohort that is not only academically strong but that is geographically and economically diverse and that in terms of aid approximates a rough dollar target that will begin where it is now and grow over the years at a rate slower than it has been. This new system should result in entering cohorts of international students that roughly resemble the one that we are blessed with now and at a rate of cost increase that is sustainable. When four classes have been admitted this way the increase in our international aid budget should be about $1.2 million less than it would have been. We do not expect this change to affect dramatically the pool of international applicants, which is extremely strong.
I understand how unsettling it is for many members of our community to have to contemplate altering our aid practices somewhat. Even with the changes we have adopted, however, the system by which Williams determines how much to charge aided families will still be among the most generous in the history of higher education, as it should be, and among the most amazing anywhere in the broad economy. And we will continue to serve and to benefit from a wonderful and diverse community of students.
With regards,
Bill Wagner
Interim President