Brown University is rolling out a number of initiatives to attract a greater number of prospective students who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces, the school said in a release.
On Monday, the university announced the adoption of need-blind admission policies for student veterans starting in the 2020-21 academic year and making submission of standardized test scores optional for all such students.
Both measures will eliminate the admission decisions that consider applicant’s ability to pay tuition and remove the barrier faced by many veterans. The university is redirecting nearly $1.5 million to $2 million each year from a donation towards implementing a need-blind admission policy.
“The perspectives that veterans bring to our broader student body add depth and dimension to how we understand history, conflict, leadership and so many other issues,” said Brown Dean of Admission Logan Powell.
“The more we do to support and enroll student veterans, the stronger we are collectively as an institution of higher learning.”
The university will also increase financial aid available to undergraduate student veterans by providing scholarship funds and boosting Yellow Ribbon scholarship awards. It will also partner with Service to School organization that will identify talented and high-achieving military veterans for admission.
Over the next three to five years, that university is aiming to double the number of U.S. military veterans enrolling for its undergraduate programs.
“We owe an immense debt of gratitude to our veterans for the tremendous sacrifices they make and the uncompromising courage they display in defending the freedoms that we all enjoy,” President Christina H. Paxson said.
“Increasingly, Brown has become a home to student veterans earning college degrees. It’s essential to expand support and create new pathways, both to honor their service and to enhance the education of every student who benefits from the unique lived experiences and perspectives that our veterans contribute to campus,” Paxon added.