Brown switched to a need-blind admission policy four years ago, Miller said. About 41 percent of the university’s 5,750 undergraduates receive an average aid package of $24,000, he said.

“Now that we have a need-blind policy, everybody comes through the front door,” Miller said. “The family’s ability to pay doesn’t influence admissions decisions.”

Brown is not alone. Ivy League schools are receiving a record number of applications this year.

The number of U.S. high school graduates may rise 10 percent to 3.2 million in the 2013-2014 school year, up from 2.9 million in 2001-2002, according to U.S. Department of Education statistics.