<p>Just to add a note about Northwestern, if the family has well-documented financial need, the school can be exceptionally generous. I know a student who had all but $3,000 grantedof COA (in other words, $50,000). It is a “meets 100% demonstrated need” school, unlike the school to which I suspect your talented step brother was accepted (which I suspect is also my son’s school, in which case, it is a very steep Out-Of-State proposition even with generous merit.)</p>
<p>So, if the family qualified for any part of the Pell, for example, your stepbrother might want to consider schools that “meet 100% demonstrated need” for the best deal. In that case, Oberlin would be another great choice – one of my son’s pals is attending there this year.</p>
<p>PS I believe, for purely anecdotal reasons, that UMich and Oberlin piano admits are roughly comparable.</p>