CORRECTION APPENDED

International masters students at the Graduate School of Design (GSD) will become eligible this September for large-scale financial aid from the school, for the first time joining their American classmates who have long received such assistance, Dean Alan A. Altshuler announced last week.

Around half of the 160-165 international masters students estimated to arrive at the school next year will receive aid similar to that given American students under the plan, according to Altshuler. International students make up approximately 30 percent of the GSD student body. [SEE CORRECTION BELOW]

Altshuler said he hoped this initiative would be a starting point for expanding aid for international students to a goal of full parity with their American counterparts, who currently receive regular grant assistance from the school.

“We can’t move to 100 percent equality because we don’t want to reduce American student aide,” he said. “But the first step in moving to full parity is what we’re preparing to do next year.”

He added that Mohsen Mostafavi, who will replace him as dean in January, also endorsed the program.

Mostafavi said in an earlier interview that he would make financial aide a priority for his tenure.

“Financial aid is obviously one of the top priorities, partly because disciplines like urban design and architecture are not highly paid,” he said.

Mostafavi could not be reached for comment yesterday afternoon.

Altshuler said he received strong support for the program from central administrators, including President Drew G. Faust and Vice Provost for International Affairs Jorge I. Dominguez.

“The few people I spoke with in the central administration have been extraordinary enthusiastic, particularly Dominguez,” he said. “And he was among those who had been encouraging us to do this for at least six months or so.”

According to Dominguez, the GSD’s lack of a central financial program for international students was unusual for Harvard graduate schools.

“This aligns GSD financial aid policies on international students much more closely with the other schools of the University,” Dominguez said in an e-mailed statement yesterday. “Not surprisingly, President Faust enthusiastically endorsed this policy change.”

Faust told The Crimson last month that she planned to make increasing graduate student financial aide a priority of her new administration.

“We’re looking hard at ways of making graduate schools more affordable, particularly in areas that go into public service or other kinds of careers that aren’t highly remunerative,” she said.

Altshuler said a portion of the increased funding would go to fund financial aid to current international students at the school.

“We are setting aside some money for continuing students and the new dean is going to have to decide exactly how much that is,” he said.

Altshuler added that funding for the announced aid increase will come design school funds. He declined to speculate about whether university funds might be used for future increases.

“As Hillary [Clinton] would say, let’s not answer hypotheticals,” he said.

—Claire M. Guehenno contributed to the reporting of this story.
—Laurence H. M. Holland contributed to the reporting of this story.
—Staff writer Clifford M. Marks can be reached at cmarks@fas.harvard.edu.

CORRECTION

The October 11, 2007 article "GSD Launches Foreign Student Aid Program" incorrectly stated the number of international masters students estimated to start at the Graduate School of Design next year. The number is 60, not 160-165.