Harvard Ponders Admission Policy

Harvard University might begin granting admission to students who break signed commitments to other universities, an idea that’s liable to irk colleges across the country.

New guidelines issued by a national admissions organization prompted Harvard this year to allow students who commit to the university during its nonbinding fall admissions round to also sign binding early commitments at other schools.

Before, the university prohibited its students from signing both types of commitments.

The change has created a vacuum in which the university does not know which applicants may have made commitments elsewhere and may be breaking those commitments if they eventually choose Harvard.

In Thursday’s Harvard Crimson student newspaper, two members of the faculty committee that oversees admissions suggested that the vacuum may be filled by allowing applicants who have accepted early decisions elsewhere to still attend Harvard.

Another faculty committee member, John E. Dowling, told the Crimson that Harvard President Lawrence Summers supports the idea and would raise the issue at a meeting of Ivy League presidents this month.

Dean of Admissions William Fitzsimmons said Thursday that no long-term decisions had been made. He also denied Harvard would change its rules to explicitly allow breaking commitments.

He added, though, that Summers was open to discussing responses to the “new environment” caused by the change in the National Assn. for College Admission Counseling guidelines.

The head of a private student counseling service criticized the university for considering accepting students who break commitments.

“If Harvard does this, it affects every single school,” said Michael London, president of College Coach in Newton, Mass. “They’re hurting all schools but themselves.”

More than 400 colleges allow students to apply early to their first college choice, usually in the fall of their senior year in high school. Such decisions are binding; Harvard also offers the nonbinding option.

Colleges use early decisions to determine which applicants are most enthusiastic and to shape their class before the regular admissions round.