Brandeis has launched a new fellows program as an incentive for high-achieving students to attend the University as opposed to competing universities that can offer much more generous financial aid packages, Senior Vice President for Students and Enrollment Jean Eddy said.Last year, Brandeis' competitors such as Harvard, Yale, Dartmouth, Princeton, Brown and Tufts announced sweeping changes to their financial aid programs, dropping the formulas they had been using before, Eddy said.

The New York Times reported last December that Harvard would generally charge students from families with incomes between $120,000 and $180,000 tuition equal to 10 percent of their family income and would be offering grants instead of loans. Harvard no longer charges a family contribution for families with incomes below $60,000.

Brandeis is not able to compete with those universities on such a scale, Eddy explained, because Brandeis has a smaller endowment and is a much younger institution. The University currently offers merit awards, which are based on a student's academic profile, and need-based financial aid based on a federal formula. The Office of Student Financial Services calculates a student's expected family contribution based on the information students provide in the Free Application For Student Aid. About 60 percent of each class receives some form of financial aid, Eddy said with about 10 percent of each class receiving merit aid.

"We have used merit awards on our campus to highlight Brandeis as an institution of choice for people who are considering the Ivy League," she said, explaining that in the past, Brandeis had done a good job using merit aid to attract a high caliber and a wide range of students.

Eddy said it became clear to her after this year that merit awards are not as effective as they used to be as a result of the changes. The merit awards have less clout because all students receive generous financial aid packages from other select schools.

Last year, Brandeis brought in 63 students who had SAT scores above 1500, she said, which amounted to 23 percent of the incoming class. This year 41 students, or 15 percent of the class, have scores that high, evidence of the effect the financial aid changes at other universities have had, she said.

To continue to attract highly qualified students, Brandeis has been developing fellows programs for undergraduates who are selected by the University to participate, Eddy explained.

Student fellows will participate in one-on-one mentoring with a faculty member in their disciplines, special cultural and social events such as plays and baseball games and dinners with faculty, Eddy said. After their first year, they will continue to have special seminars and do a senior capstone course. "This is what will get students' attention . . Those are the kinds of things that interest really gifted students."

Students in the fellows programs do not necessarily receive financial aid: The new fellows programs are not dependent on money, Eddy said. "The attraction was the fellowship."

Eddy said the University began a pilot program in the life sciences last year spearheaded by Prof. Michael Rosbash (BIO), who learned of a similar program at the University of Pennsylvania. This year and last year, around 10 selected students participated in a yearlong University Seminar taught by Rosbash.

One of the requirements of the Life Science Scholars program is two summers' worth of paid research on campus. Over the course of the seminar, students also receive instruction from other researchers. "This is a way for them to meet early on the movers and shakers on campus," Rosbash said.

This year, there is also a yearlong class for students selected to a physical science scholars program. For students studying in other fields, trustee and board member Jeanette Lerman-Neubauer '69 and her husband Joseph Neubauer funded a new fellows program that aims to encompass all disciplines, Eddy said. The Lerman-Neubauer program started with politics, history and economics majors this year. In total there are 30 students in the sciences program and 11 in the Lerman-Neubauer program.

Eddy gave an example of a student applying to Brandeis and to Harvard who is not needy according to the federal formula and who has a very impressive academic record. Brandeis would offer the student a non-need-based merit scholarship of about $30,000. At the same time, she added, Harvard only requires the student to pay $18,000 a year against a $50,000 bill regardless of merit, meaning Harvard students would receive $32,000 in compensation.

Eddy said that Brandeis is still offering merit aid, but is focusing more on meeting students' financial need and enhancing financial aid packages in addition to the fellows programs. "The effective use of merit aid is becoming less and less clear to me," she said.

For many Life Science Scholars interviewed, the opportunity offered to do research was very attractive. "I thought it would be really great way to assure myself a spot at research on campus rather than having to fight for it with all the other people," Alexandra Dainis '11 said.