Presidents of Big 3 Outline Athletic Scholarship Policy

No individual should be exploited for the sake of athletic success and no athletic scholarships or special subsidies are given by the Big Three the presidents of Harvard, Yale, and Princeton said in a policy statement released this morning.

The rare joint announcement of admission and scholarship policy, the presidents said, is being made “in order to prevent misunderstanding and misrepresentation.”

In essence, the policy is “that athletes shall have the same opportunities for admission and financial assistance as other students...they shall be neither penalized nor favored for the sake of athletic success.

Athletics Purpose Is Experiences

“A student takes part in college athletics because of the value of the experience for him, and he has the same obligation as other students to assume responsibility for solving his financial and educational problems. Any other view seems to us a distortion of educational and moral values.”

Any student, the statement asserted, who accepts financial support from any source other than his college, or an organization approved by the college will suffer ineligibility.”

7 Points of Report

Specifically, the presidents set the following criteria for scholarships grants;

1. All candidates for admission are required to take the College Board examinations.

2. The three colleges agree on a common “acceptance date.”

3. The scholarship committees of the Big Three will continue to exchange information about joint scholarship candidates in order to clarify each applicant’s need and to preclude “competitive bidding.”

4. Only men who clearly need financial help will get it.

5. Besides need, scholarship awards will be based on academic record, and evidence of character and leadership. Above minimum standard grades are necessary.

6. Scholarships are awarded on an annual basis and subject to annual review.