The Financial Aid Office at Whitman College has long played a crucial role in supporting students’ access to higher education. The office’s historical records, which span from 1907 to 2000, document the college’s evolving efforts to make a Whitman education more financially accessible. These records trace the development of scholarship programs, tuition assistance, and student financial planning throughout the 20th century. Initially coordinated through administrative offices such as the Dean of Faculty, financial aid efforts gradually formalized into a standalone office that addressed the growing need for structured and equitable support. By the late 20th century, financial aid became central to Whitman’s strategic enrollment goals, with new policies and data-driven approaches emerging in the 1980s and 1990s.

Today, Whitman offers over $42 million annually in scholarships and grants, a commitment shaped by decades of financial aid policy development. The materials in this collection offer a detailed look at how the college balanced educational ideals with financial realities. The collection also highlights national influences, such as the Higher Education Act of 1965, that expanded aid opportunities for students across the country, and to which Whitman responded by strengthening its own institutional aid programs.