<p>First,let’s leave Curtis out of this, because they are not like the other schools listed and their criteria for acceptance makes that very clear. They are extremely selective and won’t even permit application if there is not a clear opening in a particular department, no matter how great the applicant.
violadad has pretty much said it all and given the OP’s friend some good links.
Looking at the OP’s list, there is wide variation. No matter how good the programs at several of the schools, they are not of the same caliber of other schools on the list, so that makes it difficult- comparing apples and oranges, if you will. That leaves me to work with some of the conservatories; in today’s economy, I would be very doubtful that any school will meet 100% of financial need, even though the need may be great and supported by paperwork. The info available in print and even on line may not be accurate given the financial crisis that has struck- remember, schools often invest in stocks, and they haven’t been bringing in piles of money lately! Even schools that have a balanced budget, such as CIM, want to ensure that they can continue to do so and have become more cautious with their investments and consequently, with the amount of money they give to students.
One really can’t enter into the audition process asking for 100% funding, that’s not the time to discuss it and may even work against the applicant. One can ask for a waiver of the application fee (it’s better to have the request go throug the HS Guidance Counselor) but there are a few schools who will not budge on that and the fee must be paid or no application/audition. Once everything is completed and the auditions finished, the FA awards will come out either with the acceptance letters or shortly after. At that point, things are open for discussion. Talk to the Finance Director as soon as possible and explain the situation surrounding the need. Some schools will be able to go back, look at the paperwork, talk to the commitee and come up with more (others will refuse discussion, Hartt is one of them), or may say that the aid pool has been exhausted. They may offer ideas such as part-time employment, loans,etc. The student should have ranked the schools he/she was accepted to and must decide how the aid offered meets with the desire to attend that school.<br>
From what I’ve known about this past year’s auditions and outcomes, Northwestern was very tight with money in the music department as was Julliard.I can speak from personal experience with CIM, and tell you that if they really want the student, they will do all that they can to make attendance possible. We were fortunate in that we were able to appeal the initial aid offer and more was indeed, forthcoming. But, the financial aid package was made up of scholarships, awards, loans and a work-study. My D also applied and auditioned for anything she was qualified for in our local area- that’s a great way to fund travel, music, etc.</p>