NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) – Fifteen Yale students staged a 10-hour sit-in at the university’s admissions office Thursday in an effort to get the school to improve its financial aid policy.

The demonstration ended peacefully at about 7:30 p.m. when police led the students out of the building. All 15 were cited for trespassing, which carries a $92 fine.

Nearly 100 other students rallied outside the building during the sit-in. There were no reports of violence or injuries.

A group of students called on Yale President Richard Levin to reduce by half the amount of money students on financial aid are required to pay. The students say families earning less than $40,000 should not have to contribute any money.

“We plan on staying here until President Levin commits to the reforms we’re calling for,” said Josh Eidelson, a junior political science major who took part in the sit-in.

Eidelson later said that the students agreed to leave after being cited for trespassing.

The sit-in followed a student government forum on Tuesday, when Levin listened to students’ concerns about financial aid and other issues. Eidelson said many students were not satisfied with Levin’s response, saying he did not appear to understand their needs.

Yale spokesman Tom Conroy said he believes those students came away from the forum with a mistaken impression. He said Levin is well aware of students’ plight.

Levin had already promised to make an announcement soon about upcoming enhancements to financial aid before Thursday’s sit-in, Conroy said.

A Yale undergraduate education, including tuition, room, board and other fees, costs about $41,000 a year. About 40 percent of Yale undergraduates receive financial aid from the university, with the average grant being $24,000 a year, Conroy said.

Eidelson said students are forced to work too much during the school year to pay their share of tuition. Yale students working on campus make at least $10 an hour and work an average of six hours a week, not including any off-campus jobs they may have, Conroy said.

Conroy said Yale already has a generous financial aid program.

“Probably only two or three schools in the nation come anywhere near matching the extent of Yale’s financial aid,” Conroy said.

The student group that organized the protest is loosely associated with a group of graduate students who are trying to form a union.

Conroy declined to comment when asked if the students who staged the sit-in will face disciplinary action by the university.

Before the students left the admissions office, a Yale official read them undergraduate student regulations. Conroy said Yale has a long-standing policy that administration buildings close in the evening and students cannot stay overnight.

AP-ES-02-25-05 0135EST