Joint Statement Fall 2014

Fall 2014
Joint Statement for Candidates on Common Ivy League Admission Procedure

[intended for all applicants and included on all Ivy admission forms]
The Ivy League is an association of eight institutions of higher education, established in
1954 primarily for the purpose of fostering amateurism in athletics. Relations between the
member institutions have grown over the years, and representatives of these institutions
now meet regularly at a variety of levels to discuss topics which range from the purely
academic to the purely athletic and from fundamental educational philosophy to procedures
in admissions.
Each member institution has its own identity and character and protects its right to pursue
its own educational objectives. Thus, although the Ivy League institutions are similar in
many respects, each member institution will continue to make its own independent
admission decisions according to its own particular admissions policy. In recent years,
however, it has become clear that the transition between secondary school and institutions
of higher education has become increasingly complex and that greater efforts should be
made to simplify the process through more uniform admissions procedures. It is our hope
that by outlining carefully the procedures under which we are operating and by clearly
specifying the obligations of both the applicant and the institution, we can help students
pursue their college interests free of unnecessary confusion and pressure.
1. General Procedures
a. All contacts with students by representatives of Ivy League institutions are
intended to provide assistance and information and should be free of any
activity that applies undue pressure on the candidate. No information
referring to the admission or financial-aid status of an applicant to any Ivy
institution may be considered official unless it is received directly from that
institutions admission or financial aid office.
b. Ivy League institutions mail admission decision letters twice annually, in
mid-December and late March. Those who wish a decision in December
must apply by mid-November and complete their applications with
supporting materials shortly thereafter. A student may not file more than
one Early Decision application within the Ivy League.
2. December Notification
a. Under December Notification, an applicant may be notified that he or she
has been granted or denied admission or that a final decision has been
deferred until the early April notification date. Two plans are offered
according to individual institutional policy:
1. The College Board-approved Early Decision Plan, which is offered by
Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, and the University of
Pennsylvania, requires a prior commitment to matriculate. Financial aid
awards for those qualifying for financial assistance will normally be
announced in full detail at the same time as the admission decisions. An
applicant receiving admission and an adequate financial award under
the Early Decision Plan will be required to accept that offer of admission
and withdraw all applications to other colleges or universities. All Ivy
Fall 2014
institutions will honor any required commitment to matriculate that has
been made to another college under this plan.
2. A Single Choice Early Action Plan is offered by Harvard, Princeton, and
Yale. This plan does not require a commitment to matriculate, and
students may apply to other colleges under those colleges regular
admission programs (spring notification of final admission decision) but
not to another institutions Early Action or Early Decision program.
3. Students are urged to consult the admission literature available at each
institution for detail concerning its particular December Notification
Plan.
3. Early Evaluation Procedure
a. As determined by each institution, admissions offices may choose to advise
applicants in writing of the probability of admission (e.g., likely, possible,
unlikely). Such letters will have the effect of letters of admission, in that as
long as the applicant sustains the academic and personal record reflected in
the completed application, the institution will send a formal admission offer
on the appropriate notification date.
b. Within each institutions overall admissions process, from October 1
through March 15 an admissions office may issue probabilistic
communications, in writing, to applicants who are recruited studentathletes. (Such communications given by coaches, whether orally or in
writing, do not constitute binding institutional commitments.) An applicant
who receives one or more such written communications and who has made
a decision to matriculate at one institution is encouraged (but not required)
to notify all other institutions, and to withdraw all other applications, as
promptly as possible.
c. A coach may both inquire about a candidate's level of commitment to an Ivy
institution, or interest in attending that Ivy institution, and encourage that
interest. However, a candidate may not be required to withdraw other
applications, or to refrain from applying to or visiting another institution, as
a condition for receiving a "likely" letter, or an estimate of financial aid
eligibility, or a coachs support in the admissions process. In addition,
coaches may not request that candidates not share estimates of financial aid
eligibility with other schools.
d. An institution may send a likely probabilistic communication letter to a
candidate (whether or not the applicant is a recruited athlete) only if the
applicant has submitted all of the materials which the institution requires in
order to make an admissions decision.
e. An Ivy League school may respond at any time beginning October 1 should a
non-Ivy school offer admission to a recruited student-athlete with a reply
date prior to the common Ivy notification date.
Fall 2014
4. Common Notification Date
On a common date, usually in late March, applicants to the Ivy League institutions
will be notified of admission decisions and financial aid awards, unless they have
been notified earlier under Early Decision Plan or Early Action Plan procedures.
(Letters are mailed beginning in February for the Schools of Hotel Administration,
and Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell, and beginning in February for the
School of Nursing at Penn.)
5. Financial Aid
a. All Ivy League institutions follow the common policy that any financial aid
for student-athletes will be awarded and renewed on the sole basis of
economic need with no differentiation in amount or in kind (e.g. packaging)
based on athletic ability or participation, provided that each school shall
apply its own standard of economic need. The official award of aid may only
be made at or subsequent to the time of admission.
b. Only the Office of Financial Aid has the authority to award financial aid on
behalf of the institution, and applicants should rely only on formal
communications from these offices. No suggestion that financial aid may be
available that comes from anyone else associated with the institution is
binding on the institution. No applicant should consider or accept an offer of
financial help from an alumnus, and any such offer should be reported
immediately to the Office of Financial Aid.
6. Common Reply Date
a. Except for those applicants admitted under the College Board-approved
Early Decision Plan, which requires a prior commitment to matriculate, no
candidate admitted to any of the Ivy League institutions will be required to
announce his or her decision to accept or decline an offer of admission until
the Common Reply Date of May 1. All such candidates may delay their
commitment to attend until May 1 without prejudice. By that date all
admitted candidates must affirm in writing their single choice.
b. The preceding paragraph does not preclude students from remaining on
active waiting lists and withdrawing promptly from their original college
choice upon receiving subsequent waiting list acceptance to another
institution. However, the Ivy institutions reserve their right to rescind
acceptance decisions from candidates who make commitments to and who
hold confirmed places at more than one institution concurrently. Students
who choose to remain on an active waiting list after May 1 will receive a
final response no later than July 1.
7. Participating Institutions
Brown University
Columbia University
Cornell University
Dartmouth College
Harvard University
University of Pennsylvania
Princeton University
Yale University

Joint Statement Fall 2014

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Joint Statement Fall 2014

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Joint Statement Fall 2014

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Fall 2014

Joint Statement for Candidates on Common Ivy League Admission Procedure

You might also like