I am applying to some pretty tough schools and I want to know If I have any chance at getting merit scholarships. I want to know this because you have to submit a month earlier if you want any scholarships. If I won’t get any, I don’t want to submit my apps at the end of November
Applying to:
Pomona, Carnegie Mellon, Brown, Kenyon, Oberlin
-California resident
-Race: Black
ACT: Composite - 33, English - 35, Math - 27, Reading - 34, Science - 34 (I retook the ACT and hope to improve my math score)
you should run the ‘net price calculator’ (NPC) at the schools you’re interested in. If a school offers merit, they usually (but not always) have you enter stats-type info in the NPC. All NPCs will give you info on need-based aid you may be eligible for. They’re close enough to give you an idea of the ballpark for finances.
If merit is a must, you need to look at the next tier of schools that are competing to steal top students from Ivies and such (schools like Tulane, U Miami, etc).
Pretty sure Oberlin has good merit, Kenyon has some but relies more on FA, CMU is negligible, almost all FA. Others on your list don’t do merit at all.
collegedata.com is a good site to research stuff like this. see ‘money matters’ tab.
Brown gives no merit aid…not a dime. Only need based aid.
Kenyon and Pomona give mostly need based aid…no merit…might have a few merit awards.
Carnegie Mellon and Oberlin…very very few merit awards and very competitive. Mostly need based aid.
@lz57c4 where did you hear that Oberlin has good merit aid? If…and I mean IF you get merit aid for Oberlin…it might be OK…but it’s not like the school gives a ton of merit awards.
To this OP…how much merit aid do need to attend these over $50,000 a year schools? Re you also applying to any of the many fine public universities in CA?
Brown only gives need based aid. The other schools on your list give mostly need based aid, but they may have a few highly, highly competitive awards. Don’t count on getting them… if they exist they are highly competitive… and they might not be enough money…
Run the net price calculators on these schools to see if they are affordable. Are you eligible for need based aid? How much merit aid are you looking for? What can your family pay?
If you want merit aid you have to look at schools that will give it to you.
And if you are a HS senior right now…you need to get moving. Many schools that give significant merit aid offer this to applicants who apply by December 1…some earlier.
Look right now to see any DEADLINES because if you miss those…you won’t be given an extension.
Brown only gives need based aid. Pomona only gave merit to 2 freshman last year with average award of $5,000 (according to common data set) so basically no merit.
Carnegie Mellon has limited merit aid (common data set from 2016 shows 31 Freshman received average of $12K). You will need to do the scholarship apps and write a very compelling essay to get merit at this school.
I think you will get merit aid from Oberlin and Kenyon. Our experience with Oberlin was $20K for a student with a similar profile (higher SAT, but not URM). Do an interview or visit those schools so they know you are seriously considering them.
Agree with the poster who suggested adding Tulane and University of Miami if merit aid is required for you to attend.
Expand your list of schools to include some schools where you know that you will receive a solid merit scholarship based upon your current stats. There are lots of such threads here on CC in the Financial Aid and Scholarships section, though you may need to look back a year or two. It sounds like you are focused on merit scholarships so presumably don’t qualify for much FA, though you can double check this using the cost calculator for each of the schools you are interested in. Here is an example of two such threads from which you can pick some additional schools to apply to, possibly as so-called “financial safety schools.”
Have you run the Net Price Calculator for a variety of schools? If a family is not eligible for any financial aid, then merit aid awards reduce the cost of attendance. But if a family is eligible for financial aid, and the student also gets merit award, then, depending on the school, merit awards may reduce the loans or student work study, but the family’s Expected Family Contribution does not change. So understanding the financial parameters is important.
Kenyon and Oberlin give typically in the $15-20k a year merit awards, and may do so here. Depending on how much merit is needed, Denison may be worth a look as it awards up to 1/2 tuition merit awards automatically, without separate interviews or applications. Denison is another Ohio LAC, less than 30 minutes from Columbus airport, more socio-economic diversity than Kenyon and Oberlin according to the NY Times article a while back, as best I recall.
To elaborate, Pomona’s merit aid is only for National Merit Finalists. Even then, most NMF enrolled at the college don’t receive them. Only 2 were given out which rounds up to 0% of the entire student body receiving such an award, whereas Pomona has around 50-60 enrolled NMFs. In essence, they don’t really have merit aid in the traditional sense.