<p>I am a soprano voice applicant, so I know that I should not expect money in abundance. However, I’m wondering how much is a “good” amount of money to receive, if any amount? I’ve received two monetary awards so far. $5,000 per year from one school, and $20,000 from another (16 for academic, and 4 for talent). Is receiving any money at all a good sign, or at some point is the amount so small that it is not a big deal? I’m not sure if this makes sense. Should I see the $5,000 as a good sign? This is from my top choice school that is already more affordable than most of my other options, I’m just not sure if the amount can be seen as a good sign or not?</p>
<p>Scholarship money is always a good sign! I would however look at the scholarship amount from the perspective of what percentage of tuition you are being offered in scholarship. A $5,000 scholarship out of a $40,000 yearly tuition bill is not much, really. The school may offer such an amount to everyone. However, a $5,000 scholarship offered on a $7,000 yearly tuition bill is very good, and is likely one of the best scholarships being offered from that school.</p>
<p>First of all, it depends on the school. Some set their tuition rates really high and then give a large percentage of accepted students a large scholarship. At schools like that, you need to be worried if you only get offered say $5000.</p>
<p>Some schools only give scholarship money to a select few, and possibly not in large amounts. Getting $5000 at a school like that means that they really liked you.</p>
<p>Rather than the amount of the scholarship or the amount of the tuition, you need to think about the total cost of attendance after subtracting out any form of aid that you do not need to repay. This will not only include the cost of tuition, but also room and board, mandatory fees, and other living and travel expenses. Once you know your actual cost of attendance for each school you will be in a much better position to choose among your acceptances.</p>