Please share strategies and successes regarding negotiating merit

Paying for College
41

Email to the department issuing the merit package, it is usually funded by the certain program, in other words, you need to know which “bucket” merit $$$ are coming from. Usually, it is not the financial aid people you need to contact, but they can direct you to the right person/place. Some merit packages are set as a Scholar or Special Merit program that could not be negotiated, but Merit team can often advise on financial aid process so your kid would have additional funds added to their Merit Aid, if qualified for both. Sometimes there is an appeal process you follow, search on school the website, it depends on the school.

Some of the schools our D23 applied to were conservatories and this is an actual email we used to negotiate financial aid:

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Dear Y,

I think we met during Student’s audition day at KLMNOP - thank you for making families of auditioning students feel so welcomed and comfortable! KLMNOP space is stunning, and we were lucky to attend a concert the night before the audition.

Our Student is accepted into Professor X Studio and is very excited about opportunities KLMNOP offers to students interested in double major education. KLMNOP School of Music is one of Student’s top choices at the moment, so we would be interested to learn if her merit scholarship package (currently $00,000) could be expanded. Is there a certain formal review or appeal process we need to follow? What information is required? Who should we have this conversation with?

Professor X recommended reaching out to you first, providing the list of schools Student was accepted to and information about some of the merit scholarships offered to her.

She was awarded:

ABC Scholarship at ABC School of Music at ABC University - full tuition, value of $000,000. “As a ABC Scholar, you will receive a full-tuition (up to 18 hours per semester) scholarship for four years (eight semesters) of undergraduate study, plus a stipend of up to $0,000 to be used for an approved immersive experience, summer study abroad, research investigation, or other approved experience following your sophomore or junior year.”

XYZXYZ Music Scholarship at XYZ University - “XYZXYZ Scholarship provides full tuition, fees, room, meals up to 8 semesters of undergraduate study at XYZ University - an estimated value of more than $000,000. As a member of the XYZ Scholars Program, you will also benefit from specialized scholar advising, priority registration, and activities designed to connect you to other scholars and the wider XYZ community. XYZ scholars are also eligible for additional funding to support summer experiences such as study abroad, research, and internships at home and abroad.”

List of Schools Student was accepted to:

We would appreciate your guidance and advice! Please let us know if you need additional information or want to connect via phone.

Thank you for your help!

Student’s Parents

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42

I am not the original poster, but am inna similar boat and your advice seems helpful. My daughter received a merit scholarship from her number one school, but it is the bottom tier amount whereas the NPC consistently projected the highest merit amount based on gpa/SAT. We will have difficulty affording at the lower level of merit if the NPC is accurate for need. We have a chance to attend a regional admitted students day this weekend. I am wondering whether to speak with someone then, call admissions or have D24 drop an email to her AO to ask about the process. I am also wondering how much information to include in the initial contact. Thank you.

43

My daughter got a merit award from her school but it was also at a lower level than the chart on gpa/ACT predicted. So I called and found out they had some wrong information (an old ACT school). We got that straightened out and her award went up.

So you might want to call and just ask if it is correct (I was very good at playing dumb, as I really wasn’t acting). You can also ask if there are any other awards your daughter would be eligible for as she’d really like to attend but the cost is just too much for your family.

44

When I had the ability to negotiate awards, it was with grad students, so I only spoke with the students. But for undergraduates, there is no problem with a parent talking with the school themselves in this case. If the alternative is that your child will not be able to attend without an increase in aid, it’s absolutely fine for you to be the one to discuss your finances with them. Maybe start by having your child email the AO to ask who the parent can discuss finances with either before or at the admitted student day. If they are told that aid decisions are final, you should then contact them yourself. (Just saw the post above mine - good advice as a place to start.)

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45

Thank you! I appreciate the suggestions and reassurance.

46

Thanks for sharing. My first reaction was that a mistake had been made as kids with similar stats have been posting full merit awards. I will give it a try. :crossed_fingers:t2:

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47

At least it gives you a reason to call. “I don’t understand the amount of the award. I put in the stats for my daughter into the NPC and I got the results of $XXX, but the amount on the awards letter was $ZZZ. Can you help me understand this?” And then ask about the possibility of other scholarships or grants.

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48

I just wanted to pop back on here and say thank you now that I’ve had time to process everything. It was very good advice to have both parent and child reach out to admissions as this gave us two pathways for understanding. Admissions encouraged us to have our child write all appeals letters and advocate for herself, but also invited us to ask questions as needed. I am not sure how much FAFSA factored in, but the AO really gave my child reason to believe they were going to do anything possible to help her afford the school. We, separately and together, had countless conversations via phone and email over the course of a month. In the end, we did not receive a final merit offer before decision day and a deposit was nonetheless encouraged. I finally called the AO and said that we could not afford the deposit unless we knew our appeal was likely going to be approved, and informed them we were going to lose scholarships at our second choice school. At that point, and only then, did they tell us my daughter was likely to get an increase by appeal but not the full amount due to the competitive major she chose and the deep waiting list. I believe private schools are well within rights to do this, but was really upset that no one told us this when we appealed and my daughter was encouraged to hang in there. It led to some real heartbreak and education for all of us. If both my child and I had not engaged in the process, we would not have seen the big picture. I still think the school was in a difficult position due to FAFSA and things might have gone differently with more time, but as it is, this was our experience. The second choice school was thrilled to have her and provided a large scholarship, so I am hopeful it will work out. Thank you for the help!

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49

Thank you for the detailed followup so that others may learn from your experience. I just wish your D and you had not had that additional stress added at the end of an already difficult process.

I hope your student embraces the school she is attending and remembers that they really wanted her and made it affordable so that she would want them. Best wishes!

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