NYU Abu Dhabi may be able to attract top students from around the globe by offering an unprecedented amount of financial aid to its admitted students.

In my previous post about NYUAD’s financials, I wrote that the cutoff for a full scholarship (including airfare both ways, room and board, books, and tuition) was a net income of about $80,000. So any student whose family made less than that would attend NYUAD for free. This number was based on Prof. Zvi Kedem’s estimate.

However, it appears that the estimate is way off base – NYU’s target is much higher.

A source familiar with the planning of the new campus said that students whose families earn $160,000 or more may be eligible for full scholarships, double what Kedem estimated. The end goal will be to ensure that every student who is offered admission (need-blind) will be able to afford to attend NYUAD without loans or financial strain.

The person I spoke with noted that the small size of NYUAD’s entering class (~100 students) will make tailored financial aid packages for each individual possible. So, for example, students whose families make $200,000 annually but have three other children in college might be eligible for a full scholarship, whereas a student from a family making $175,000 a year, but with no other major expenses, might not.

Regardless of the specific circumstances, this amount of aid is unheard of from American (based) universities. Skepticism about NYUAD’s ability to bring in the best and brightest has to diminish when the school will be able to offer such generous amounts of money. The question is: will it be enough?

Next: faculty, research, and tenure.

Photo courtesy of Flickr user michael gallacher.