For more than a decade, Nanette Tarbouni has been the peppy and friendly face behind the increasingly daunting admissions office at Washington University.

Washington University in St. Louis announced Monday that it is joining a select group of private colleges and universities that admits students without any regard to whether they can afford to attend.

Raechel Hanson toiled through high school to build an academic transcript strong enough for admission to the College of William and Mary, the storied "public Ivy" in Williamsburg. She maintained a ...