<p>east coast crazy, I suspect that if you looked at the average private school - below the most selective anyway - you’d find the percentage of scholarship recipients much higher. Based on our admittedly limited anecdotal experience, at many private schools the sticker price is just for show, and almost everyone gets at least some so-called merit aid.</p>
<p>I know someone who got GW to guarantee their kid’s tuition wouldn’t go up for the 4 years he was there (no scholarship of any kind involved) and I also know someone who got more financial aid from Georgia Tech after they showed them what UMich offered.</p>
<p>Does anyone have any statistics on how many or what percent of all college students are using college offered merit/athletic scholarships each year? </p>
<p>I’d be interested in the totals through out the country. Not at a few LAC’s but in total. Not need based, but merit based. Is that compiled anywhere?</p>
<p>Most kids I know were offered some merit money at at least one school they applied to, but most ended up at a “better” school that didn’t offer them any money. I say this based on what is printed in our high school’s graduation program: lots of scholarship money offered, not much accepted. But I’m no expert.</p>
<p>emily, GW does that for everyone (at least they did when my D went there).</p>
<p>Son’s school will let us prepay all 4 years at the current rate, but the money is in a 529 and it would be difficult. Not sure how it would work with his annual scholarship renewal either.</p>
<p>Eastcoast in 2009 my S did not get a single offer of merit money with pretty handsome grades & SATs. In 2011 my D got 5 merit offers out of 10 acceptances, higher GPA lower SATs. All merit awards netted at about the same of $32K. </p>
<p>I would not say there are a ton of awards out there. </p>
<p>Just heard what has changed the most in college admissions in the last year is 1. the ability to pay and 2. those who can pay – there willingness to pay (full price). </p>
<p>BTW - go to Coach Factory online for big discounts on their handbags! They send me additional coupons all the time for the online store…</p>
<p>“emily, GW does that for everyone (at least they did when my D went there.)”</p>
<p>That wasn’t how I took what she told me so I must have misunderstood.</p>
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<p>Often even the top schools will match a rival’s better aid package if asked.</p>
<p>east, the first article I linked and quoted gave this figure: “On average, nearly 13 percent of undergraduate students who demonstrated no financial need received merit awards during the 2010-2011 academic year, according to data reported by 1,077 schools in an annual survey by U.S. News.”</p>
<p>Since it says “demonstrated no financial need” I’m not sure it includes kids who have a package including both merit and need based aid. It’s also unclear if by “received” they mean “accepted and using” or “offered”.</p>
<p>But this is higher: "Among students at private nonprofit 4-year institutions in 2007–08, those at moderately selective institutions received merit aid more often (56 percent) than their counterparts at both more and less selective ones (35 percent and 28 percent) (figure 6). At public 4-year institutions in 2007–08, the percentage of students receiving merit aid at very selective institutions was lower (13 percent) than that at moderately, minimally, or nonselective institutions (19 percent, 20 percent, and 18 percent, respectively). "</p>
<p><a href=“http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2012/2012160.pdf[/url]”>http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2012/2012160.pdf</a></p>
<p>“The colleges were competing for the right to rent my kids”</p>
<p>-Did not look this way in regard to my kids. We were feeling very lucky that both got accepted to very competitive programs. So, while we paid full price for the oldest (with great appreciation), it was not that much at state school many years ago. When younger got into program that had only 10 spots, we appreciated that a lot. In her case though, she also got full tuition Merit at the same place, which was just a cherry on top.<br>
Basically, I am saying that depending on your goal, you might feel that college should appreciate your kid or you might feel great appreciation for your kid being accepted.</p>
<p>With S1 we asked for and were given additional merit aid. I was surprised, $2000 a year extra is a great gift.</p>
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<p>I agree that there’s only upside in asking. But its unlikely that Harvard will be matching “merit” awards from other schools that are given to kids from higher income families. One of the reasons that schools don’t like the merit scholarship idea is that it opens up competition for students. Its not in the schools’ interests.</p>
<p>Harvard doesn’t give merit at all so if they’ll match a package it would be a need-based package.</p>
<p>Colleges are in competition for good students already. It’s why many schools do offer merit aid, of course, and also perhaps why some don’t offer it - the pool of great students is already large and most great students accepted will come. Some don’t do it because they believe aid should only be for students who can’t afford college, too.</p>
<p>Harvard is not the only one. Why would any college give additional money to student who was accepted to program with very few spots. Acceptance alone is a great privilige, at least that is how accepted kids feel. They might have 800-1200 applicants for 10 - 15 spots. Would anybody in right mind ask for additional money in this situation? You can “earn” additional money by performing greatly in college and applying for Returning Students Merit scholarships (but these are not available at every place), you can continue to perform very well and apply to Departmentals that are mostly for seniors (with limited amount for juniors) and not in every department. You can be absolutely at the topsy top and get some awards that are specifically designated to the very top.
There are ways, but simply asking will nor produce results in very competitive situation.</p>
<p>True. Going to the topic question: "Shouldn’t We Be Able To Negotiate On College Tuition? "</p>
<p>I think the answer is: many people can, many people do. Not only compare prices but some even negotiate once offers are made.</p>
<p>But the more in-demand the school, the more leverage it has, and the more in-demand the student, the more leverage s/he has. The best deals for students are likely to be where the scales are tipped in his/her favor and not the school’s.</p>
<p>Ohiobassmom, thank you for walking me through those statistics.</p>
<p>It seems to confirm my own observations among the graduates of our public high school, based on what is published in our graduation program each year. Many kids are offered merit money by some of the colleges they apply to, but most of them end up attending a high ranked college that offered no money.</p>
<p>^This is exactly “negotiation” and some simply do not apply where they will get nothing. They apply only to places where they get subtantial awards. Honor colleges at state publics are filled with valedictorians from private and public HSs. They negotiated the price for sure, they used their stats instead of talking.</p>
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<p>I know there have been cases where a top ivy has upped and matched the need-based aid package of another top rival after the accepted student asked and indicated it was their first choice. It’s all about yield and, I suppose, not being seen as less generous than their direct competitors.</p>
<p>I like the handbag analogy but it misses an important point. If the elite handbag (Hermes?) can get included in the swag bag for Oscar night celebrities on the red carpet, they would give them for free in a heartbeat. Because it is elite, it can afford to be picky about who it gives handbags to for free. Jennifer Aniston can certainly afford to pay for the most expensive handbags, but she would get hers for free because of her status.</p>
<p>A huge drawback in this analogy however, is that colleges have been given tax-exempt status as providers of a service to the public. Many have endowed of BILLIONS of dollars that generate tax free income every year . The institutions receive contributions in part because the donors receive tax write-offs for giving the money. They generally do not pay property tax on their vast campus holdings. These tax benefits are given with the assumption that the university will make society a better place. With their outrageous pattern of tuition hikes, even during recession, a reasonable person would question whether they should continue to receive these tremendous tax advantages.</p>
<p>It is all demand/supply. If number of applicants is way below number of spots, they have to bring the price down to attract more buyers. Dosn’t any home owner who cannot sell, lowers the price? Why all of a sudden it does not apply to selling education?
The only way to lower average tution or stop them from going up so much is to lower number of applicants per one spot. Otherwise, it is just a wishy talk, nothing else.<br>
However, on a personal level, yes, the hardest working top students recieve disproportionate amount of financial help. But if colleges do not do that, state publics will not attract these top kids and it is not good at all for the rest of student body.</p>
<p>rmldad - in most cases those endowments are used to pay the tuition for students who have financial need. It is precisely because they don’t give out merit awards that they have more money available for those students with high need. If you have EFC of $0, and get into Harvard, you don’t have to turn the offer down, because they have that endowment to cover your costs.</p>
<p>As for the article, any student can try to negotiate, they just have to note their position in the negotiation. With the handbag, if they only made 50, and you are asking for a discount, the salesman is going to consider whether there might be somebody else willing to pay full price. If so, he won’t offer you that discount. If they made 5 million, and the’re not selling, you’ll get your discount. </p>
<p>Colleges are the same way. You want a better aid package - how much does the college want you? What do you have to offer that they can’t get anywhere else? It may be something you offer right now, as in the case of a star athlete, or an oboist when the current one is graduating; or it may be your potential to offer something in the future.</p>