Since 2015, the university has increased the number of students eligible for Federal Pell Scholarships to 13%, from 8% of total enrollment.

The WashU Pledge program was launched in 2019 to provide full scholarships to students in Missouri and southern Illinois who qualify for the Pell scholarships or have a family income of $ 75,000 or less.

“Although WashU still welcomes a lower share of Pell students than some of its peers, its significant improvement shows how an institution that has recently fallen behind can make rapid progress in expanding opportunities,” one reads. American Talent Initiative 2020 report, a nonprofit organization. focused on expanding access to university.

Schools like Washington U. should aim for 20% low-income enrollment in part to justify their tax-exempt status, according to Thomas Mortenson, senior researcher at the Pell Institute for the Study of Opportunity in Higher Education.

Removing financial status from admissions decisions could make the acceptance rate, at 13% for the freshman class, even more competitive, Martin said.

“I think there may be people who can be cranky because it will be more difficult to get into this university,” Martin said. “Our job is to find the brightest students we can find.”