With tuition--and financial aidcosts--skyrocketing, increasing scrutiny may begiven to the true financial need of applicants.

"Some minor administrative wrinkles canactually mean a difference of several thousanddollars or more," Green said.

Harvard's objective is to move away from asnapshot approach to financial need, in whichfamily assets and income are measured at a singlemoment just before the student enrolls. Thesnapshot approach may unduly penalize parents whohave saved money for their children's education.

Interschool Cooperation

Cooperation between the separate faculties onfinancial aid issues may increase, with thepossible naming of a University-wide committee tofurther study these issues.

Right now, graduate students who serve asteaching fellows at different schools are paiddifferent salaries depending on the school. Also,students applying to two different graduateprograms at Harvard may get different financialaid awards. These differences, Green said, canaffect students' career choices.

Virtually every administrator questioned thewisdom of centralizing financial aid, citing theimportance of individual contact between studentsand financial aid officers with specific knowledgeof their needs.

But Joel C. Monell, the administrative dean ofthe Education School who was involved in reviewinginterfaculty financial aid issues over the summer,said it might make sense for administrators,faculty and financial aid officers from all overthe University to take an intense look at theseissues together.

In some sense, Monell said, financial aid is anatural area for cooperation. "We all havefinancial aid programs. We all have students whohave financial need," he said