<p>There is a school on my sons list that he falls in the lower end of accepted student stats. </p>
<p>He could pay full tuition. I assume that may increase his chances. How do we inform a school that he could be full pay. Here is the thing the school gives merit money to students who are very good at something he is very good at. Would this mean he would not be in the running to get this talent/merit money.</p>
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<p>That could be, but it isn’t true for all colleges and universities.</p>
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<p>By not applying for need-based financial aid.</p>
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<p>This, too, probably depends on the practices of the particular college or university. I know nothing, for all practical purposes, about merit awards for talent (I assume we’re talking here about things such as music and chess, and not academics or sports), but when it comes to academic scholarships, there are certainly universities at which some or all of the so-called merit awards are available only to students who also have demonstrated need. They tend to be universities that are pretty well known, pretty well regarded and pretty highly ranked, but not so competitive that they can get away with eliminating merit aid completely.</p>
<p>Thanks Sikorsky.</p>
<p>Does that mean we do not fill out Fasa? I will have to ask if you need to fill out Fasa for a merit award. The award would be for talent in the performing arts. </p>
<p>How do I find out if this college is one of the ones full pay increase your chances types? </p>
<p>His starts are within range and his involvement with the performing arts could be viewed as a hook. So maybe with this so called hook and full pay it could help him. I suppose we will see.</p>
<p>Once again, the FAFSA question depends on the practices of the university or college.</p>
<p>In 2011 my daughter applied to one university that required the parents to file CSS PROFILE in order for an applicant to be considered for merit aid. What we didn’t fully appreciate while we were answering a bunch of nosy financial questions on PROFILE was that the university in question was in the process of changing its aid policies so that merit aid would be available only to students who qualified for need-based aid. Big waste of our time and our filing fee, and I never would have given all that information to the university if I’d known about the impending change.</p>
<p>But I think this is a good rule of thumb: if you don’t need to file FAFSA or PROFILE to be considered for merit aid, then it’s available to anyone, regardless of the family’s financial situation; if you have to file FAFSA or PROFILE in order to be considered for it, there’s a significant chance that the merit aid is offered only to students who also have financial need.</p>
<p>That’s fantastic advise Sikorsky and easy to find out from the school!</p>
<p>My son received a performance merit award based on his audition. It was not need based. Our EFC exceeded the cost of attendance by thousands of dollars. The school REQUIRED even merit scholarship recipients to complete the FAFSA and Profile for all incoming freshmen in order to finalize the performance award. We completed the forms. Believe me…if it had been need based, the school would have rescinded the award.</p>
<p>What I am saying…you need to check with the school regarding THEIR policies. YMMV.</p>
<p>Re: being a full pay…if the school is need blind for admissions, they will not know, nor consider, your financial well being or not in the admissions process.</p>
<p>If you don’t plan to apply for aid, just check the box that says you are not applying for aid. However, check to make sure that you will still be considered for merit awards if you do this.</p>
<p>Ha, thumper! You make me glad I hedged by using such phrases as “rule of thumb” and “significant chance.”</p>
<p>For once, I followed my own advice: any time anybody tells you, “Colleges do _______,” be skeptical. There are just too many colleges and universities, dealing with too many different kinds of students, for them all to be doing the same thing.</p>
<p>We had a similar situation to Thumper. DD1 received a NMF merit package and we had to file FAFSA her freshman year to get that. IMO it was to see if any other federal grants would apply and it’s easier for the school to just mandate it.</p>
<p>there are definitely schools that REQUIRE you to fill out the fafsa form if you want to be considered for scholarship money. NYU is one of them. They are not a CSS school, but you can’t get any scholarship money if you don’t submit a fafsa, no matter if your efc will be 0 or 99999</p>
<p>NYU became a Profile school this year, I believe.</p>
<p>well, thank goodness I don’t have to deal with that!!</p>
<p><a href=“Forms”>Forms; </p>
<p>yup. it did. I don’t even want to look at what the tuition is now.</p>
<p>Thumper the school in question is NYU so would you say since they are now a Profile school they do not consider if a student is a full pay?</p>
<p>From the NYU website:
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<p>Thanks Erin’s Dad. You cleared that up.</p>
<p>NYU has a reputation for being stingy with their own money. HOWEVER, they DO give out significant money if they really want the kid. </p>
<p>My son, NYU College of Arts and Science graduate in May 2011 received $125,000 in scholarship money from NYU. His total Perkins/Stafford loans were under 30K and I figure I kicked in about $60,000 over the 4 years (my EFC was 11-13K each year)</p>
<p>His salary now exceeds the amount of money I paid for his education</p>
<p>It’s so difficult trying to come up with a rational chart or list as to how to procede with financial aid. The schools do not help as they are not particularly forthright with the relevant information.</p>
<p>Most schools are need blind for admissions. They also do not tend to meet financial need for most of their students. But even the schools with the widest discrepancies when taking all students into account, in terms of need and money given to meet it, will likely have SOME students for whom they will meet full need. And they may well define that need far more generously than other schools that are overall better about meeting the needs of their students. What it comes down to, is that it really doesn’t matter how generous a school is, overall, but how generous it is to you.</p>
<p>On top of all of this, things change quickly. Suephilly has a student at NYU. Never needed to file PROFILE. Now it’s required for that school. Don’t know if NYU will ask for NCP info on PROFILE or will take home equity into account. Those two differences can make a huge impact on the awards given. Friends of ours have a son who got his best package by far from NYU. Their house was not included in the assets which made a nice dent in the EFC. Others with a NCP issue will do better at a school that simply does not require that info if that NCP has income and assets that will affect the need.</p>
<p>I have found that when asked directly, the admissions directors will answer honesty. Ask each school if it is need blind in admissions. Also ask if simply checking “yes” on the financial aid square on the app would put the applicant in need aware pool. There really are not that many need aware schools for freshman US applicants. </p>
<p>Merit money is usually awarded by the admissions office when it is pure merit. When it is merit within need, the fin aid office awards it. And knowing many kids who got merit money without filing a FAFSA or having need, I would say that most merit awards are just what they say, for merit. They are trying to attract the kids they want most. Many times, schools will also have some code for those kids who are accepted and are asking for financial aid, so that the better, grant filled packages go to those rated as highly desired, as opposed to those who get mostly self help. It’s not a straight forward thing.</p>
<p>If you do not feel you will get financial aid (or know pretty much for sure), you can fill out the FAFSA later and not check the financial aid square on the app. The Staffords, work study and parent loans are from the government and the school does not have to be in on this during the admissions process, though the policies and chances for work study might be affected. At some schools, if your EFC is below that of COA, you can get work study as long as jobs are available. At some, where the jobs are very limited, you won’t get to select anything until all those awarded the jobs in their fin aid package are accounted for. It’s very confusing that schools that use PROFILE and FAFSA, have two Family Contribution numbers, one generated for their own funds and the FAFSA EFC which is for government money.</p>