FA vs merit aid -- does it matter?

ucbalumnus
Thu, 29 Nov 2012 17:44:15 +0000

Youdon'tsay:

My question is, if they meet 100% of need, should he even apply for merit? Part of me feels like because of our financial need, his cost will be covered through FA and he doesn’t “need” the merit aid.



Does the net price calculator show non-loan financial aid greater than that of the largest possible merit scholarship he can get? If not, then there is still the possibility that a merit scholarship may result in a lower net price than the need-based financial aid.

Also, having a large merit scholarship may provide a backstop in case the college’s recalculation of need-based aid in following years is less generous for some reason (however, some merit scholarships have college GPA requirements to keep, a different risk).