Macalester joins group of top colleges dedicated to expanding access to higher education

Saint Paul, Minn. — Macalester College is one of four institutions that has been invited to join The Consortium on Financing Higher Education (COFHE). Along with Emory University, Haverford College, and Vassar College, Macalester will formally join the other 35 member institutions on July 1, 2022 as part of the group’s first expansion since 2015.  

Founded in the mid-1970s, COFHE is an organization of private colleges and universities that share a commitment both to excellence in residential undergraduate education and affordability through generous financial aid programs offering significant grant aid that meets the full need of admitted domestic students. 

“I am thrilled that Macalester has been invited to join this extraordinary consortium of highly selective liberal arts colleges and universities, which are leaders in expanding access to higher education,” said President Suzanne Rivera. “The commitment of each member institution to meet the full demonstrated financial need of admitted students is consistent with Macalester’s values and practices, and resonates deeply with me personally as someone who relied on financial aid to go to college.” 

COFHE collects data and conducts research and policy analysis on matters related to access, affordability, and assessment, particularly as they relate to undergraduate education, admissions, financial aid, and the financing of higher education. Its activities are intended to inform and support institutional decision-making by its members.

Janet Rapelye, president of COFHE said, “We are delighted to welcome these new members to our consortium. These institutions offer an exceptional undergraduate education, value diversity and inclusion, support avenues of access for students from low-income backgrounds, and provide substantial financial aid that meets the full demonstrated need of enrolled students.  Their contributions will strengthen our community.”

COFHE’s main office is located on the campus of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, Mass. It also maintains an office in Washington, DC at Johns Hopkins University to track legislative issues pertaining to financial aid, tax policy, and other policy areas that promote access to higher education.   

“Joining COFHE will help Macalester to do an even better job at opening doors of opportunity for talented young people across the socioeconomic spectrum,” said President Rivera. 

The 35 current members of COFHE are Amherst College, Barnard College, Bowdoin College, Brown University, Bryn Mawr College, California Institute of Technology, Carleton College, Columbia University, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, Duke University, Georgetown University, Harvard University, Johns Hopkins University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Middlebury College, Mount Holyoke College, Northwestern University, Oberlin College, Pomona College, Princeton University, Rice University, Smith College, Stanford University, Swarthmore College, Trinity College, University of Chicago, University of Pennsylvania, University of Rochester, Vanderbilt University, Washington University in St. Louis, Wellesley College, Wesleyan University, Williams College and Yale University.