Generous Financial Aid Attracting British Students to the Ivy League

The financial aid programs established by Princeton, Harvard, and other Ivy League universities have virtually eliminated the family contribution for students who come from families with incomes of less than $60,000. The new financial aid programs also are attracting large numbers of applicants from Britain and other European nations. The average student who graduates from a British university has more than $60,000 in debt. Therefore, many students are applying to top-flight American universities that offer substantial financial aid.

In 2002 there were 197 applicants to Harvard from the United Kingdom. In 2006 there were 290 British applicants to Harvard. At Yale the number of applicants from the United Kingdom increased from 74 in 1997 to 234 in 2006.

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