Bloomberg and the Hartford Courant report that Yale plans to follow Harvard’s lead and expand financial aid for middle-class families, although the specifics of its plans won’t be announced until January.

The governing board for Yale, located in New Haven, Connecticut, met last week to discuss the enhanced program, university spokesman Tom Conroy said in a telephone interview yesterday. The change is occurring “irrespective of any other institution’s announcement,” he said. Conroy couldn’t supply details about the initiative, he said.

It is a fair criticism of Richard Levin’s tenure as Yale president, I think, that he has followed Harvard rather than led with new initiatives. In the Yale-Harvard rivalry, chalk up a big win for Harvard…..