阿默斯特学院（阿默斯特调整招生政策）

阿默斯特学院于今日宣布，学院将结束长久以来采用的校友子女录取偏好政策（legacy admission preference），并同时宣布大幅扩大学院的助学金补助力度，进一步帮助来自中低收入家庭的学生。“双政”的实施将让学院成为美国高校教育公平的典范，有望为所有未来有志申请阿默斯特学院的学生铺平道路。

校友子女在每一届学生中的比例通常占11%，他们当中很多都非常优秀。政策从明年申请季（2022-2023）开始实施后，校友子女的标签将不被作为招生录取综合评审的考虑因素之一，这将为更多学生提供入读阿默斯特学院的机会。

阿默斯特学院院长比蒂·马丁（Biddy Martin）说道，“现在是结束这一长久以来向阿默斯特学院毕业生的子女倾斜的录取政策了，因为它无意中限制了其他学生获得进入阿默斯特学院的机会。”

“我们希望能为更多具有学术才华的学生创造更多的机会，不论他们来自何种经济背景或者是否是校友子女。毫无疑问的是阿默斯特学院所提供的世界一流教育将为所有不同收入背景的学生打开大门。” 她补充说道。

阿默斯特学院目前的助学金政策已经是美国高校中最慷慨的政策之一。学院是美国唯一一所文理学院在录取过程中对美国国籍和绿卡持有者以及国际学生采用一视同仁的“盲录政策”（need-blind admission），并在学生被录取后提供全额按需补助（meet 100% of demonstrated need）并不包含任何贷款（no loans）。在美国采用此政策的只有包括阿默斯特学院在内的四所大学。目前学院75%的国际学生接受助学金补助，平均补助金额为每人每年68518美金。

这次学院对助学金补助政策的大幅扩大是建立在上述已有政策的基础之上。提升内容包括：

将助学金补助总额提高到每年七千一百万美金（约合人民币4.5亿元），将覆盖学院60%的在校生。来自美国80%的家庭的学生（家庭年收入低于14.1万美金），通常情况下在入学后会获得全额学费减免。家庭收入低于美国家庭收入中位数（6.75万美金）的学生不仅能够得到全额学费减免，还包括食宿费减免。政策于明年实施后，学院每六名学生中就有一名会收到额外的5千多美金的补助。学院还将扩大学生紧急基金的发放力度：为学生提供更多紧急资金，包括购买笔记本电脑、冬天的衣物、找工作的开销以及其他不能预见的开支，例如医疗费用、住房租金以及紧急旅行等。学生财政补助包裹中勤工俭学的在校工作时间要求也将从每周6小时减少到4个小时，使学生能够花更多时间参与学术和课外活动，或者继续工作获得更多劳动报酬以填补日常开销。

阿默斯特学院负责招生和财政补助的主任麦特·麦甘（Matt McGann）说道，“结束校友子女录取偏好政策和扩大助学金补助政策后，我们的招生团队非常有信心能够迎来更加多元和卓越的申请者和入学新生。美国和世界上有非常多有才华的学生。我们希望所有有志用自己的理想改变世界的学生都能考虑申请阿默斯特学院。”

“双政”的英文版如下：

Amherst College to End Legacy Preference and Expand Financial Aid Investment to $71 Million

Amherst College today announced that it is ending the longstanding practice of a legacy admission preference. Paired with a new, expanded financial aid program focused on improving financial and programmatic support for both lower- and middle-income families, Amherst is sending a clear signal to prospective students that its education is within reach for all.

Legacy students—children of alumni who are academically well-qualified—have represented approximately 11 percent of each class. Going forward, legacy status will no longer factor into the College’s holistic admission process, creating greater opportunity for more applicants.

“Now is the time to end this historic program that inadvertently limits educational opportunity by granting a preference to those whose parents are graduates of the College,” said Biddy Martin, president of Amherst College. “We want to create as much opportunity for as many academically talented young people as possible, regardless of financial background or legacy status. There should be no doubt that a world-class education is within reach for students from all income groups. At Amherst, that includes a need-blind admission process that offers substantial loan-free scholarship support for the vast majority of families and a financial aid program that will expand the number of students and families who can afford an Amherst education. It will also help them, once admitted, take full advantage of their educational experience without financial pressure.”

Amherst is the only liberal arts college in the country with a need-blind admission policy for both international and domestic students, as well as a financial aid program that meets full need and does not use loans in financial aid packaging. By increasing its commitment to student financial aid to $71 million per year, the College will provide support for 60 percent of its students, among the highest proportion of any need-blind liberal arts college. The additional investment will save low- and middle-income families thousands of dollars every year and support the launch of more creative initiatives to enhance the Amherst experience for its aided students.

This increased investment in Amherst’s financial aid program will make a debt-free liberal arts education more accessible to middle-income families, as well as to families most in need. The College’s enhanced financial aid program is transparent, easy to understand and even more comprehensive, providing meaningful support beyond tuition, housing and meals, to include expenses such as books and travel.

With this enhancement, students from 80 percent of U.S. households would typically receive a scholarship that covers full tuition, if enrolled at Amherst. Further, students from families earning less than the median U.S. household income will typically receive a scholarship that covers not only full tuition, but also housing and meals. This corresponds to annual household incomes of $141,000 and $67,500, respectively. The average aid package is expected to increase to $63,570. One in six members of the student body will see their grant jump by more than $5,000 when the new policies go into effect next year.

In addition, the College announced enhanced grant programs that:

Better support high-need students by providing them annual access grants. The additional funds can be used to help purchase items like laptops and winter coats, or to cover job search expenses and other items to support their Amherst experience.Reduce the work-study expectation to four hours per week from six hours, providing more time for students to enjoy their college experience, study or, if they choose, earn money for themselves.Formalize the availability of a Student Emergency Fund to cover unexpected needs such as unforeseen medical costs, financial stress around housing, and emergency travel.

“The most significant change in policy reflects how the College determines financial need as we calculate the amount of income families have available to contribute toward education,” said Matthew L. McGann, dean of admission and financial aid. “Our new data show families have less available income for education than we previously understood. The change we have made benefits those students who come from low-income households, as well as those from middle-income families earning between $100,000 and $200,000.”

The policy changes announced today continue Amherst’s longstanding position among the nation’s leading financial aid programs and its commitment to attracting the most talented students from all backgrounds. For more than a decade, the College’s admission process and need-blind financial aid support for all students, regardless of citizenship, has meant that a family’s ability to pay for college cannot be a consideration in admission decisions. Additionally, in 1999, the College introduced an aid program that replaced loans with grants for its lowest income students and, in 2008, extended that no-loan policy to all students, meaning that all Amherst students can graduate with little or no debt.

“Our admission team is confident that by both ending legacy preference and clearly showing that most students can experience an Amherst education with significant scholarship support, we will see a further increase in both the diversity and excellence of our extraordinary applicant pool and, ultimately, in the enrolled student community on campus,” added McGann. “There are so many talented students in the country and on this planet. We hope that any student who wants to use ideas to make a difference in the world will consider applying to Amherst.”

Amherst College prepares students to use ideas to make a difference in the world. Since its founding, in 1821, in Western Massachusetts, Amherst has demonstrated steadfast confidence in the value of the liberal arts and the importance of critical thinking. Today, its financial aid program is among the most substantial in the nation, and its student body is among the most diverse. Small classes, an open curriculum and a singular focus on undergraduate education ensure that leading scholars engage daily with talented, curious students, equipping them for leadership in an increasingly global and complex world. The College is marking its bicentennial in 2021.

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（阿默斯特学院校园）

(阿默斯特学院科学中心)

（科学中心夜景）

（曼荷莲山脉）

阿默斯特学院创建于1821年，是美国最富盛名的私立文理学院之一。学院坐落于美国东北部麻萨诸塞州西部的阿默斯特，风景优美，视野开阔。学院拥有1,800名本科生，10%为国际学生，以及200多名各领域最顶尖的教授、850门课程和41个涵盖自然科学和人文社科的专业供学生选择，师生比1：7。阿默斯特斯特学院拥有独特的开放性课程(Open Curriculum)，学生可以在导师指导下选择任意感兴趣的课程学习。学院也与周围四所高校（麻州大学阿默斯特分校、曼荷莲女子学院、汉普郡学院、史密斯学院）共同组成了五校联盟(Five College Consortium)。学生可以免费跨校选课，课程总量超过6,000门。在助学金方面，阿默斯特学院是美国最慷慨的高等院校之一。学院是美国唯一一所文理学院在录取时忽略申请者（无论国籍）的家庭支付能力(need-blind)，并在录取后提供全额按需补助并不包含任何贷款(meet 100% of demonstrated need, and no loans)的政策。在美国四千多所高等院校中，只有其他三所院校采用与阿默斯特学院相同的财政补助政策。学院著名校友包括美国第三十任总统柯立芝，摩纳哥亲王阿尔伯特二世，作家大卫•福斯特•华莱士，《达芬奇密码》作者丹•布朗，希腊两任前总理乔治•帕潘德里欧和安东尼•萨马拉斯，肯尼亚现任总统乌胡鲁•肯雅塔，五名诺贝尔奖获得者以及摩根士丹利亚太区联合主席孙玮等等。