Wesleyan University has opted to discontinue its participation in the Posse program for veterans. For those not familiar with the Posse Foundation, “The Posse Foundation identifies, recruits and trains individuals with extraordinary leadership potential. Posse Scholars receive full-tuition leadership scholarships from Posse’s partner colleges and universities.” Schools that partner with Posse include Babson College, Boston University, Brandeis University, Case Western Reserve University, Colby College, Cornell University, Middlebury College, Northwestern University, Oberlin College, Pomona University, George Washington University, University of Michigan, University of Notre Dame, University of Virginia, Vanderbilt University, Vassar College, Villanova University, and Wellesley College, among several others. However, only three institutions are members of the Posse program that’s specifically targeted for veterans of America’s military: University of Virginia, Case Western Reserve University, and Texas A&M Universities.

So why is Wesleyan discontinuing its participation in the Posse program for veterans? Is it that the school no longer wishes to admit veterans? Of course not! The school likely just just doesn’t want to commit to offering admission to an entire cohort of veterans when they can instead select each veteran based on their individual merit. Veterans, after all, are a coveted group in highly selective college admissions — including at Wesleyan. As Scott Jaschik reports for Inside Higher Ed in a piece entitled “Wesleyan Leaves Posse Program,” “Wesleyan released this statement about its decision: ‘Wesleyan University has ended its veteran recruitment partnership with the Posse Foundation because the university believes it will more successfully recruit military veterans outside the foundation’s framework. This change will have no impact, financially or otherwise, on the incoming or current Posse students, as both Wesleyan and the Posse team are committed to their ongoing success on campus and as lifelong alumni. Wesleyan has enjoyed working with Posse and is proud of the students’ collective accomplishments in the military, at Wesleyan, and beyond. While Wesleyan has ended Posse recruitment, the university is actively pursuing other partnerships to ensure it can continue to enroll and support veterans who seek a pragmatic liberal education. Wesleyan remains committed to expanding opportunities that will foster an inclusive environment that includes veterans.'”

As loyal readers of Ivy Coach’s college admissions blog know all too well, we are committed to helping select veterans of America’s military — on a pro bono basis — earn admission to America’s elite universities each and every year. This year will mark no exception. Our pro bono services are in fact reserved exclusively for veterans of the five branches of America’s military: the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, and Coast Guard. As most of our veterans apply as transfers since they have typically completed some college (often at a less prestigious school), we encourage veterans to reach out to us in early January for assistance with their cases for admission.