Tuition Exchange for Fall 2026 (Class of 2030)

ProfMom444
Tue, 14 Apr 2026 11:56:23 +0000

Posting for future families–

Here are the results for D26. I may be forgetting something because she applied to 19 schools, including many non-TE options.

Occidental: Denied TE in admissions letter but received the equivalent in merit/grant. They only have 4 or so TE scholarships per year.

LMU: Denied TE but received more in merit/grant. They notified around April 1. Only 4 TE offers.

GWU: TE waitlist and received 55k in merit/grant (another Presidential scholarship. I didn’t realize that a lot of schools use the same names for merit).

American: TE in admissions letter in mid-March. Set rate. No stacking.

Pratt: TE on April 1. Set rate plus stacked with merit for full tuition. (I really like Pratt and would have been happy to have her in Brooklyn if the first choice did not come through)

Emerson: TE waitlist with a high number listed in the notification, which was nice. Solid merit but not quite the TE rate. I have heard that they stack though. Withdrew application shortly after admissions decision. Didn’t prefer Boston over other urban choices.

Drexel: TE waitlist with almost the exact (within 700 dollars) in three merit scholarships

Temple: TE full tuition. Notified April 1.

Howard: TE denied. Listed in portal without notification. Never heard back from TELO upon inquiry. Received 1/2 tuition merit.

PITT: TE denied. Missed the Dec 1 deadline.

Fordham: Withdrew after financial aid offer since they do not stack and so expensive to live there. Did not wait for TE.

Pepperdine: TE denied in portal. Almost equivalent in merit. Withdrew soon after notification.

USC: TE notification on 4/13. Stacks with Presidential scholarship up to 8k for housing. Her first choice for several years. Very happy!

All I can say is that it is a long journey with a range of approaches to the process from the institutional perspective. This is my second child with full tuition covered (son was at Syracuse when they allowed stacking), so I have no business complaining, but it was stressful with no guarantees. I told D26 not to “fall in love” with any outcome, but this is close to impossible once they feel connected to an institution. It has been said before, but students must apply widely. There was an interesting pattern that merit offers were usually as good or better than TE, so institutions with very limited TE offers may try to make up for it. Also, stacking rules are not always clear, so you may be pleasantly surprised (and should inquire). Without stacking, TE is not usually enough to make a lot of places affordable for many families, but the good part about it is that it is not income-driven and vulnerable to decreases in the second year and beyond. Good luck to future students!