College Confidential - View Single Post - Best schools that give the most merit based aid

bandit_TX · 06-11-2005, 10:15 AM

D was offered:

Rice -- $18,000 / year (about 1/2 ride)
Mt Holyoke -- $25,000 / year (about 3/4 ride)
Scripps -- full ride
Smith -- can't remember, but ~ $10K
UChicago -- ~$10K
The rest were need based grants/loans.

Most privates also do need based aid. Many only do need based. Family income is the biggest driver, although assets like businesses and farms also affect it. There are calculators on many of the university websites to give you an estimate of your family contribution. Unless you have a simple family situation (straight income, intact family, etc), then assume it will be somewhat higher than predicted. Also, it gets re-figured every year, so if income goes up, you will pay more. Out of that need, schools package your aid as grants, workstudy, or loans. There can be a lot of variation from school to school for the same student, so look carefully at the package. We saw a range from no loans to up to $15K loans.

06-11-2005, 10:15 AM	#28
bandit_TX Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 1,822	D was offered: Rice -- $18,000 / year (about 1/2 ride) Mt Holyoke -- $25,000 / year (about 3/4 ride) Scripps -- full ride Smith -- can't remember, but ~ $10K UChicago -- ~$10K The rest were need based grants/loans. Most privates also do need based aid. Many only do need based. Family income is the biggest driver, although assets like businesses and farms also affect it. There are calculators on many of the university websites to give you an estimate of your family contribution. Unless you have a simple family situation (straight income, intact family, etc), then assume it will be somewhat higher than predicted. Also, it gets re-figured every year, so if income goes up, you will pay more. Out of that need, schools package your aid as grants, workstudy, or loans. There can be a lot of variation from school to school for the same student, so look carefully at the package. We saw a range from no loans to up to $15K loans. Last edited by bandit_TX; 06-11-2005 at 10:22 AM.
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