FILE - In this May 22, 2018 file photo, the spire of the Baker-Berry Library stands above The Green at Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H.

HANOVER, N.H. (AP) — Dartmouth College has begun including international students in its need-blind admissions policy.

The new policy announced Wednesday makes Dartmouth one of six U.S. colleges that offer need-blind admissions to all undergraduate applicants while also meeting 100% of their demonstrated need, regardless of citizenship, officials said.

Colleges with need-blind policies say they make admissions decisions without considering a student’s financial background. The policy is meant to prevent low-income students from facing a disadvantage in the application process.

Dartmouth officials said the change, made possible by an anonymous $40 million gift and fundraising campaign, will strengthen the college’s ability to enroll talented students from around the world.

“In a time when many of humankind’s most difficult challenges know no borders, we are proud to be a magnet for undergraduate talent regardless of citizenship and regardless of a student’s ability to pay,” President Philip Hanlon said.

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