Call to Lead Campaign Supports Accessibility, Affordability

Three new Dartmouth initiatives will promote international scholarships, support for first-year students, and a push for at least 100 new endowed scholarships.

Dartmouth’s ambitious campaign goal of raising $500 million for financial aid received a major boost this spring, thanks to a series of initiatives aimed at making the College more accessible and affordable for all students, regardless of their means or nationality.

Through alumni and parents’ support for The Call to Lead: a Campaign for Dartmouth, the College will create numerous endowed scholarships for high-caliber students from the United States and around the world. At the same time, it will offer a more comprehensive suite of programs to help first-generation, low-income students transition into college life.

“Together, these initiatives are making the dream of a Dartmouth education possible for students from any part of the world, and from any financial circumstances,” says President Philip J. Hanlon ’77. “We all are profoundly grateful for the alumni, families, and friends who are stepping forward to support new generations of Dartmouth students.”

When Dartmouth realizes its full vision for these programs within the next four years, it will be one of only six higher education institutions in the United States that offer need-blind admissions to all students, including those from other countries.

Three initiatives announced in early 2019 are driving this far-reaching plan.

• The International Student Scholarship Fund will be a dedicated source of financial aid for students from outside the U.S. As Dartmouth seeks to elevate its international profile, this $90 million initiative will help the College compete for the best and brightest from around the world.
   
• The 250 for Dartmouth’s 250th initiative is an intense push to expand endowed scholarship funding in 2019, the College’s sestercentennial. With 150 endowed scholarships created since the beginning of The Call to Lead campaign, this aspiration to create 100 more by Dec. 30 reaffirms Dartmouth’s commitment to need-blind admissions and will help expand scholarship resources by nearly 50 percent during the campaign.
   
• The College has rolled out a suite of programs to support first-generation, low-income students who otherwise might struggle with the academic and social challenges of living and learning in an elite collegiate environment. Dartmouth has announced significant fundraising progress on this $18 million initiative—including a $10 million lead commitment from A. George “Skip” Battle ’66.

Learn more about all of these efforts and the campaign overall at calltolead.dartmouth.edu.