The New Admissions Arms Race

Syracuse’s $200,000 Gamble and Its Ripple Effects

Last week, this New York Times Article caught my eye - for a multitude of reasons. The article outlines an aggressive and unorthodox late in the admission cycle strategy from Syracuse University. Syracuse, one of the most well-known private universities in the US began contacting students who declined their offer of admission offering them additional aid to sweeten the pot - some of the offers were in excess of $200,000 over four years. An eye-popping amount of merit aid for sure. What makes Syracuse’s tactics more interesting was the timing of these offers: after May 1. The reporter does an excellent job interviewing families who were dumbfounded by these seemingly desperate communications that touted “limited slots” which would be awarded on a first come first served basis; with many families interviewed describing the process as confusing and likened it to “used car sales” tactics, feeling pressured and uncertain about whether to trust initial offers or wait for better deals.