Schools known for good merit aid

[katho11]

The "top" schools obviously determine their merit scholarships by individual canidates since so many have awesome scores, but a ton of universities do have cutoffs.

This is a good thread to see a few of them if you haven't seen it already: Institutional Merit Based Scholarships (Full Tuition +)

[curmudgeon]

Thanks, but most of those are full tuition not full-ride. I'm sure there are some , but most full rides I've seen at top 100 or so schools tend to be more fluid then the scholarships for less than full tuition room and board. EVEN AT THE SAME SCHOOLS. Some have academic standards objectively LOWER than the lesser , purely academic scholarships. I think it is exactly as you suggested, so that they can consider individual candidates for whatever reason they select.

[katho11]

You're right that most of them are full tuition scholarships, but getting a full tuition scholarship based on test scores and GPA isn't too shabby either.

I think six or seven of the scholarships listed were full rides, though, and there are obviously many other schools not listed with similar awards.

I'm too lazy to go look up all of the schools even in my region with black and white merit criteria, so I'm really only useful when talking about my school's two full-ride scholarships.

[AnxiousDad]

My D has a 1250 SAT with a 3.6 unweighted GPA. Will retake the SAT in Oct...hoping for at least a 1300. Any thoughts as to what Tier 3 and Tier 4 schools may offer her a good merit package? Thanks in advance.

[curmudgeon]

Anxious dad, is she looking for large Uni or small LAC? And what are your cost parameters? IOW, it doesn't do us a lot of good to suggest schools that would give her $10K when the T , R+B is $40K plus and you want to spend $10K. First thing you can do is google "scholarship + SAT + 1250" (or "1200"). There will be several to wade through.

[AnxiousDad]

I have no idea what the schools will tell me the EFC should be, but I'm looking at paying about 8K max. D doesn't have a real preference on school size but would prefer something no less than 2000 students.

[curmudgeon]

Well, if you truly have no idea what the EFC will be , then you need to go the college board site and calculate both the Fafsa EFC and the CSS Profile or IM EFC. For most parents the results you get will be fairly accurate.


$8K is less than room and board at most private schools so that means you are at least looking for full tuition scholarships and unsubsidized Stafford loan, or pretty much close to a full ride . We have a couple of current threads going that address full rides. I'd look through them if yu haven't. I'd look first at your non flagship regional publics. Sometimes their Honors Programs will come with generous scholarships.


Like everyone else searching for merit money , her scores are of preeminent importance. Keep taking the tests. The higher the ACT/SAT the more money she gets. Tell her its a parttime job.

I don't know of any automatic scholarhips at her present level for full tuition or full ride but you may check the guaranteed-scholarships website (google it). Good luck.

[Massachusetts Parent]

GW gave my daughter 20K in merit aid.

[lindalana]

Anxious Dad I understand that you willing to pay 8K but you will have to figure out what schools will expect you to pay. Put numbers from your last tax form into EFC calculators you can google or find on collegeboard and you will have some numbers what need based aid you looking for. USNews. com will have good info about fin packaging schools provide- how much of the package is loans, grants etc. It is important to know if the school you are looking into has reputation of generous school . Still some schools might like your D much better than others- due to them wanting her because of geographical diversity, EC or something else. It is a process and your D certainly has more than stats to consider.
Also many schools have their own scholarships- based on talent, like creative writing, hobby, craft etc. So portfolio of some unusual talent like building bridges from matches suprisingly might bring decent discount of COA.

[2dsdad]

Wall Street Journal, 10/11/06, page A1

e.g.:
"The University of Florida recently slashed the value of its four-year scholarships for in-state scholars who qualified under the National Merit program by 79% to a total of $5,000.

Last year, Illinois eliminated funding for a statewide merit program. Since 2004, the state of Maryland has been phasing out one merit program and flat-funding another while nearly doubling need-based college aid, to about $83.3 million a year.

Many highly selective private schools like Harvard and Stanford universities don't offer merit aid, but some colleges that do are paring back sharply.

Allegheny College, in Meadville, Pa., where annual tuition and fees total about $28,300, gave its $15,000-a-year merit scholarships to 15% of this year's freshmen, down from about 33% three years ago. To free up funding for more need-based aid, Rhode Island's Providence College scuttled its smaller merit scholarships and raised the eligibility requirements for its larger ones: A grade-point average of about 3.7 on a 4.0 scale used to be good enough; now it takes around a 3.83. Providence's merit scholarships can run as high as full tuition, which is $26,780 this year."

[Ann Grossman]

Wow, this is depressing . . . after reading how merit aid was increasing over the last several years, do you all think this is a trend in the opposite direction? Because need-based aid at most of the universities whose sites I've looked at seems so unrealistic for many families, such as, for instance, mine.

[shedevil]

If this is a trend in the opposite direction it will be shortlived - perhaps 5 -6 years. When college enrollment begins dropping (because of end of baby boom boom) there will be too many empty seats. Too many middle income kids would rather attend state u and save $120K (or more). The elite schools will always fill their seats, but there won't always be enough wealthy kids to fill all the private schools.

[PaulaWW]

Isnt it true if a student applies to a shoe in school they can tend to get good merit scholarships as well? What would those schools be?

[jmmom]

^^ A "shoe in school" ( or is it shoo-in school, I don't know) would be one where the student is in the top 5-10% of the applicant pool, imo. Whether they would tend to get good merit scholarships depends on how much merit $$ the school gives. Some do a lot with merit $$. Some don't.

So you find such schools by, first, identifying the type of school your kid wants (by size, geography, available majors, atmosphere (sports, Greek...). Second, you would look for their merit scholarships available, by checking their admissions and financial aid information. Third, you would look to see if your kid is in that top 5-10%. Fourth, you would factor in such things as geographic diversity your kid might offer, gender advantage your kid might have for a gender-lopsided school... These things would enhance the kid's chances and perhaps bring a kid who is below the top 10% on stats into the merit-possible range.

It's an art, of course, not a science. But that is all part of it.

[jlauer95]

There has been so much pressure for schools to eliminate merit aid because of the "claims" that it hurts the need-based aid. It has become so "un-PC" to give merit aid - forgetting that a school benefits overall when it can attract top performers.

Another problem is that "need based" aid is sometimes given to kids whose non-custodial parents could easily afford to pay but refuse to participate in the FAFSA process, while married parents are considered to be open wallets.

I bet that schools (LACs, etc) that have become lopsided with girls will probably still sneak some merit incentives to males to keep their numbers from further tilting.