Why apply to an Oberlin/Kenyon/Grinnell

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Acceptance rate at Colby and Bowdoin - 9%
Acceptance rate at Hamilton - 14%
Acceptance rate at Bates - 17%

Acceptance rate at Kenyon and Oberlin - 35%
Acceptance rate at Grinnell 11% but fewer east coast applicants than the ones you asked about.

This may be part of your answer.

Colby and Bowdoin - no merit aid
Hamilton - no merit aid
Bates - no merit aid

Kenyon and Oberlin - merit aid available
Grinnell - merit aid available

There you have your answer.

Colby may not give merit aid but they have committed to being one of the most affordable small colleges in the country. Families that make less than $150K (which is a lot outside of the DC bubble) pay no more than $15k per year and more than 70% of families receive financial aid. Plus, the facilities are extraordinary. It does have the drawback of being in the middle of nowhere.

That is irrelevant for families in the donut hole. For them, it's all about merit aid.

This seemed false and it is. 46 pct of Colby students receive need based aid in line with most of these schools. Colby’s financial aid is typical among SLACs. https://afa.colby.edu/apply/college-profile/

You are out of touch. I know that the financial aid is typical among SLACs - I have put three kids through LACs.

For families that neither qualify for need-based aid, nor can pay $80,000 per kit per year, the options are in-state public schools or private schools that give merit aid. That's the reality.

I don’t disagree. I merely corrected the false statement that 70 percent of Colby kids receive aid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Acceptance rate at Colby and Bowdoin - 9%
Acceptance rate at Hamilton - 14%
Acceptance rate at Bates - 17%

Acceptance rate at Kenyon and Oberlin - 35%
Acceptance rate at Grinnell 11% but fewer east coast applicants than the ones you asked about.

This may be part of your answer.

Colby and Bowdoin - no merit aid
Hamilton - no merit aid
Bates - no merit aid

Kenyon and Oberlin - merit aid available
Grinnell - merit aid available

There you have your answer.

Colby may not give merit aid but they have committed to being one of the most affordable small colleges in the country. Families that make less than $150K (which is a lot outside of the DC bubble) pay no more than $15k per year and more than 70% of families receive financial aid. Plus, the facilities are extraordinary. It does have the drawback of being in the middle of nowhere.

That is irrelevant for families in the donut hole. For them, it's all about merit aid.

This seemed false and it is. 46 pct of Colby students receive need based aid in line with most of these schools. Colby’s financial aid is typical among SLACs. https://afa.colby.edu/apply/college-profile/

Looks like someone doesn’t know what the donut hole is.

Colby says: "Colby College meets 100% of demonstrated need without student loans. Families with a total income of up to $75,000 with typical assets can expect a parent or guardian contribution of $0. Families earning $65,000 to $150,000 with typical assets will have a parent or guardian contribution of $15,000 or less. In recent years, more than 95 percent of families with a total income of $200,000 or less have qualified for financial aid."

The say the annual cost is $86k and it looks like a donut hole family would end up paying $35-50k, which is not terrible considering that lots of "affordable" options are still $40k per year.

A donut hole family is a family that doesn't qualify for aid. They get zero aka a donut hole. Usually refers to a family that is just above the threshold.

A family like mine, with three kids and $225,000 in annual household income, gets zero financial aid. We cannot pay $85,000 per year, times three kids, for undergraduate education. It's not possible.

And meanwhile…

Retirement looms,
Costs skyrocket,
Elderly parents need staggering support,
And so on.

The situation is absolutely untenable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Acceptance rate at Colby and Bowdoin - 9%
Acceptance rate at Hamilton - 14%
Acceptance rate at Bates - 17%

Acceptance rate at Kenyon and Oberlin - 35%
Acceptance rate at Grinnell 11% but fewer east coast applicants than the ones you asked about.

This may be part of your answer.

Colby and Bowdoin - no merit aid
Hamilton - no merit aid
Bates - no merit aid

Kenyon and Oberlin - merit aid available
Grinnell - merit aid available

There you have your answer.

Colby may not give merit aid but they have committed to being one of the most affordable small colleges in the country. Families that make less than $150K (which is a lot outside of the DC bubble) pay no more than $15k per year and more than 70% of families receive financial aid. Plus, the facilities are extraordinary. It does have the drawback of being in the middle of nowhere.

That is irrelevant for families in the donut hole. For them, it's all about merit aid.

This seemed false and it is. 46 pct of Colby students receive need based aid in line with most of these schools. Colby’s financial aid is typical among SLACs. https://afa.colby.edu/apply/college-profile/

Looks like someone doesn’t know what the donut hole is.

Colby says: "Colby College meets 100% of demonstrated need without student loans. Families with a total income of up to $75,000 with typical assets can expect a parent or guardian contribution of $0. Families earning $65,000 to $150,000 with typical assets will have a parent or guardian contribution of $15,000 or less. In recent years, more than 95 percent of families with a total income of $200,000 or less have qualified for financial aid."

The say the annual cost is $86k and it looks like a donut hole family would end up paying $35-50k, which is not terrible considering that lots of "affordable" options are still $40k per year.

A donut hole family is a family that doesn't qualify for aid. They get zero aka a donut hole. Usually refers to a family that is just above the threshold.

A family like mine, with three kids and $225,000 in annual household income, gets zero financial aid. We cannot pay $85,000 per year, times three kids, for undergraduate education. It's not possible.

And you are the classic donut hole family. Just enough money to qualify for nothing. I do think those merit aid LACs address an important niche - kids who want to attend a LAC but whose families can’t swing it. And while Bates may in theory be slightly more prestigious than Denison, in the scheme of things they are the same. So it’s great that schools with merit aid policies are out there because not every kid wants to attend a large state school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Acceptance rate at Colby and Bowdoin - 9%
Acceptance rate at Hamilton - 14%
Acceptance rate at Bates - 17%

Acceptance rate at Kenyon and Oberlin - 35%
Acceptance rate at Grinnell 11% but fewer east coast applicants than the ones you asked about.

This may be part of your answer.

Colby and Bowdoin - no merit aid
Hamilton - no merit aid
Bates - no merit aid

Kenyon and Oberlin - merit aid available
Grinnell - merit aid available

There you have your answer.

Colby may not give merit aid but they have committed to being one of the most affordable small colleges in the country. Families that make less than $150K (which is a lot outside of the DC bubble) pay no more than $15k per year and more than 70% of families receive financial aid. Plus, the facilities are extraordinary. It does have the drawback of being in the middle of nowhere.

That is irrelevant for families in the donut hole. For them, it's all about merit aid.

This seemed false and it is. 46 pct of Colby students receive need based aid in line with most of these schools. Colby’s financial aid is typical among SLACs. https://afa.colby.edu/apply/college-profile/

Looks like someone doesn’t know what the donut hole is.

Colby says: "Colby College meets 100% of demonstrated need without student loans. Families with a total income of up to $75,000 with typical assets can expect a parent or guardian contribution of $0. Families earning $65,000 to $150,000 with typical assets will have a parent or guardian contribution of $15,000 or less. In recent years, more than 95 percent of families with a total income of $200,000 or less have qualified for financial aid."

The say the annual cost is $86k and it looks like a donut hole family would end up paying $35-50k, which is not terrible considering that lots of "affordable" options are still $40k per year.

A donut hole family is a family that doesn't qualify for aid. They get zero aka a donut hole. Usually refers to a family that is just above the threshold.

A family like mine, with three kids and $225,000 in annual household income, gets zero financial aid. We cannot pay $85,000 per year, times three kids, for undergraduate education. It's not possible.

And you are the classic donut hole family. Just enough money to qualify for nothing. I do think those merit aid LACs address an important niche - kids who want to attend a LAC but whose families can’t swing it. And while Bates may in theory be slightly more prestigious than Denison, in the scheme of things they are the same. So it’s great that schools with merit aid policies are out there because not every kid wants to attend a large state school.

You're much kinder than me: there are options for donut hole families, but many just don't want to take them. They want their kids at prestigious schools and most of those only offer FA. And a subset of folks I know in that category were full pay as kids and they can't possibly accept that their kid may attend a "less prestigious" school than they did because of money. And they whine about this to folks who attended these "less prestigious" schools yet are living perfectly fine lives. The horror.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Acceptance rate at Colby and Bowdoin - 9%
Acceptance rate at Hamilton - 14%
Acceptance rate at Bates - 17%

Acceptance rate at Kenyon and Oberlin - 35%
Acceptance rate at Grinnell 11% but fewer east coast applicants than the ones you asked about.

This may be part of your answer.

Colby and Bowdoin - no merit aid
Hamilton - no merit aid
Bates - no merit aid

Kenyon and Oberlin - merit aid available
Grinnell - merit aid available

There you have your answer.

Colby may not give merit aid but they have committed to being one of the most affordable small colleges in the country. Families that make less than $150K (which is a lot outside of the DC bubble) pay no more than $15k per year and more than 70% of families receive financial aid. Plus, the facilities are extraordinary. It does have the drawback of being in the middle of nowhere.

That is irrelevant for families in the donut hole. For them, it's all about merit aid.

This seemed false and it is. 46 pct of Colby students receive need based aid in line with most of these schools. Colby’s financial aid is typical among SLACs. https://afa.colby.edu/apply/college-profile/

Looks like someone doesn’t know what the donut hole is.

Colby says: "Colby College meets 100% of demonstrated need without student loans. Families with a total income of up to $75,000 with typical assets can expect a parent or guardian contribution of $0. Families earning $65,000 to $150,000 with typical assets will have a parent or guardian contribution of $15,000 or less. In recent years, more than 95 percent of families with a total income of $200,000 or less have qualified for financial aid."

The say the annual cost is $86k and it looks like a donut hole family would end up paying $35-50k, which is not terrible considering that lots of "affordable" options are still $40k per year.

A donut hole family is a family that doesn't qualify for aid. They get zero aka a donut hole. Usually refers to a family that is just above the threshold.

A family like mine, with three kids and $225,000 in annual household income, gets zero financial aid. We cannot pay $85,000 per year, times three kids, for undergraduate education. It's not possible.

And you are the classic donut hole family. Just enough money to qualify for nothing. I do think those merit aid LACs address an important niche - kids who want to attend a LAC but whose families can’t swing it. And while Bates may in theory be slightly more prestigious than Denison, in the scheme of things they are the same. So it’s great that schools with merit aid policies are out there because not every kid wants to attend a large state school.

You're much kinder than me: there are options for donut hole families, but many just don't want to take them. They want their kids at prestigious schools and most of those only offer FA. And a subset of folks I know in that category were full pay as kids and they can't possibly accept that their kid may attend a "less prestigious" school than they did because of money. And they whine about this to folks who attended these "less prestigious" schools yet are living perfectly fine lives. The horror.

I do feel bad for these folks in that they really can’t afford 90k a year without making irrational sacrifices. It sucks. Many families can afford it without blinking. Many who cannot get “comped.” But it sucks to be in the middle and your kid carved out of opportunities. That being said, there are many private schools that will dole out generous merit aid for top academic performers and these schools aren’t necessarily “worse” than the schools that don’t do that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Acceptance rate at Colby and Bowdoin - 9%
Acceptance rate at Hamilton - 14%
Acceptance rate at Bates - 17%

Acceptance rate at Kenyon and Oberlin - 35%
Acceptance rate at Grinnell 11% but fewer east coast applicants than the ones you asked about.

This may be part of your answer.

Colby and Bowdoin - no merit aid
Hamilton - no merit aid
Bates - no merit aid

Kenyon and Oberlin - merit aid available
Grinnell - merit aid available

There you have your answer.

Colby may not give merit aid but they have committed to being one of the most affordable small colleges in the country. Families that make less than $150K (which is a lot outside of the DC bubble) pay no more than $15k per year and more than 70% of families receive financial aid. Plus, the facilities are extraordinary. It does have the drawback of being in the middle of nowhere.

That is irrelevant for families in the donut hole. For them, it's all about merit aid.

This seemed false and it is. 46 pct of Colby students receive need based aid in line with most of these schools. Colby’s financial aid is typical among SLACs. https://afa.colby.edu/apply/college-profile/

Looks like someone doesn’t know what the donut hole is.

Colby says: "Colby College meets 100% of demonstrated need without student loans. Families with a total income of up to $75,000 with typical assets can expect a parent or guardian contribution of $0. Families earning $65,000 to $150,000 with typical assets will have a parent or guardian contribution of $15,000 or less. In recent years, more than 95 percent of families with a total income of $200,000 or less have qualified for financial aid."

The say the annual cost is $86k and it looks like a donut hole family would end up paying $35-50k, which is not terrible considering that lots of "affordable" options are still $40k per year.

A donut hole family is a family that doesn't qualify for aid. They get zero aka a donut hole. Usually refers to a family that is just above the threshold.

A family like mine, with three kids and $225,000 in annual household income, gets zero financial aid. We cannot pay $85,000 per year, times three kids, for undergraduate education. It's not possible.

So what is your plan, then? Community college? Attend a commuter school and live at home?

You are going to pay a minimum of $40k per year per kid even for the most affordable option that's even remotely attractive. $50 to $60k per year is just a matter of planning.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Acceptance rate at Colby and Bowdoin - 9%
Acceptance rate at Hamilton - 14%
Acceptance rate at Bates - 17%

Acceptance rate at Kenyon and Oberlin - 35%
Acceptance rate at Grinnell 11% but fewer east coast applicants than the ones you asked about.

This may be part of your answer.

Colby and Bowdoin - no merit aid
Hamilton - no merit aid
Bates - no merit aid

Kenyon and Oberlin - merit aid available
Grinnell - merit aid available

There you have your answer.

Colby may not give merit aid but they have committed to being one of the most affordable small colleges in the country. Families that make less than $150K (which is a lot outside of the DC bubble) pay no more than $15k per year and more than 70% of families receive financial aid. Plus, the facilities are extraordinary. It does have the drawback of being in the middle of nowhere.

That is irrelevant for families in the donut hole. For them, it's all about merit aid.

This seemed false and it is. 46 pct of Colby students receive need based aid in line with most of these schools. Colby’s financial aid is typical among SLACs. https://afa.colby.edu/apply/college-profile/

Looks like someone doesn’t know what the donut hole is.

Colby says: "Colby College meets 100% of demonstrated need without student loans. Families with a total income of up to $75,000 with typical assets can expect a parent or guardian contribution of $0. Families earning $65,000 to $150,000 with typical assets will have a parent or guardian contribution of $15,000 or less. In recent years, more than 95 percent of families with a total income of $200,000 or less have qualified for financial aid."

The say the annual cost is $86k and it looks like a donut hole family would end up paying $35-50k, which is not terrible considering that lots of "affordable" options are still $40k per year.

A donut hole family is a family that doesn't qualify for aid. They get zero aka a donut hole. Usually refers to a family that is just above the threshold.

A family like mine, with three kids and $225,000 in annual household income, gets zero financial aid. We cannot pay $85,000 per year, times three kids, for undergraduate education. It's not possible.

And you are the classic donut hole family. Just enough money to qualify for nothing. I do think those merit aid LACs address an important niche - kids who want to attend a LAC but whose families can’t swing it. And while Bates may in theory be slightly more prestigious than Denison, in the scheme of things they are the same. So it’s great that schools with merit aid policies are out there because not every kid wants to attend a large state school.

You're much kinder than me: there are options for donut hole families, but many just don't want to take them. They want their kids at prestigious schools and most of those only offer FA. And a subset of folks I know in that category were full pay as kids and they can't possibly accept that their kid may attend a "less prestigious" school than they did because of money. And they whine about this to folks who attended these "less prestigious" schools yet are living perfectly fine lives. The horror.

-1. My kid has ADHD and a SLAC with smaller classes was a better fit. It isn’t a prestige thing. For us, it was an academic fit thing. And we are so thankful we chased merit and make it work. The semester my kid went abroad and studied at a large uni (in English) with large classes, TAs etc, his ADHd got overwhelming, he had an enormous amount of anxiety and his grades tanked. He was lucky his college records classes from other colleges as P/F credit, and does not show the grade on the transcript. Because he struggled to pull out the C-s he needed to transfer classes back as a P.

Also, we are very lucky he got great merit to all three of the SLACs on this thread, and chose one. We still paid about 200k in tuition. Which is still tough x2 kids. Colleges with no merit aid get wealthy kids. And MC kids and below, if they’re generous with need based aid. But truly UMC kids can’t afford to attend without a lot of funding from owns, grandparents, etc. There are some articles out there about issues that arise when schools have a lot of wealthy kids. And a lot of URM/1st Gen/ Pell/ MC. But no kids with UMC parents. Having an environment of haves and have nots only isn’t great for the school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Acceptance rate at Colby and Bowdoin - 9%
Acceptance rate at Hamilton - 14%
Acceptance rate at Bates - 17%

Acceptance rate at Kenyon and Oberlin - 35%
Acceptance rate at Grinnell 11% but fewer east coast applicants than the ones you asked about.

This may be part of your answer.

Colby and Bowdoin - no merit aid
Hamilton - no merit aid
Bates - no merit aid

Kenyon and Oberlin - merit aid available
Grinnell - merit aid available

There you have your answer.

Colby may not give merit aid but they have committed to being one of the most affordable small colleges in the country. Families that make less than $150K (which is a lot outside of the DC bubble) pay no more than $15k per year and more than 70% of families receive financial aid. Plus, the facilities are extraordinary. It does have the drawback of being in the middle of nowhere.

That is irrelevant for families in the donut hole. For them, it's all about merit aid.

This seemed false and it is. 46 pct of Colby students receive need based aid in line with most of these schools. Colby’s financial aid is typical among SLACs. https://afa.colby.edu/apply/college-profile/

Looks like someone doesn’t know what the donut hole is.

Colby says: "Colby College meets 100% of demonstrated need without student loans. Families with a total income of up to $75,000 with typical assets can expect a parent or guardian contribution of $0. Families earning $65,000 to $150,000 with typical assets will have a parent or guardian contribution of $15,000 or less. In recent years, more than 95 percent of families with a total income of $200,000 or less have qualified for financial aid."

The say the annual cost is $86k and it looks like a donut hole family would end up paying $35-50k, which is not terrible considering that lots of "affordable" options are still $40k per year.

A donut hole family is a family that doesn't qualify for aid. They get zero aka a donut hole. Usually refers to a family that is just above the threshold.

A family like mine, with three kids and $225,000 in annual household income, gets zero financial aid. We cannot pay $85,000 per year, times three kids, for undergraduate education. It's not possible.

And you are the classic donut hole family. Just enough money to qualify for nothing. I do think those merit aid LACs address an important niche - kids who want to attend a LAC but whose families can’t swing it. And while Bates may in theory be slightly more prestigious than Denison, in the scheme of things they are the same. So it’s great that schools with merit aid policies are out there because not every kid wants to attend a large state school.

You're much kinder than me: there are options for donut hole families, but many just don't want to take them. They want their kids at prestigious schools and most of those only offer FA. And a subset of folks I know in that category were full pay as kids and they can't possibly accept that their kid may attend a "less prestigious" school than they did because of money. And they whine about this to folks who attended these "less prestigious" schools yet are living perfectly fine lives. The horror.

-1. My kid has ADHD and a SLAC with smaller classes was a better fit. It isn’t a prestige thing. For us, it was an academic fit thing. And we are so thankful we chased merit and make it work. The semester my kid went abroad and studied at a large uni (in English) with large classes, TAs etc, his ADHd got overwhelming, he had an enormous amount of anxiety and his grades tanked. He was lucky his college records classes from other colleges as P/F credit, and does not show the grade on the transcript. Because he struggled to pull out the C-s he needed to transfer classes back as a P.

Also, we are very lucky he got great merit to all three of the SLACs on this thread, and chose one. We still paid about 200k in tuition. Which is still tough x2 kids. Colleges with no merit aid get wealthy kids. And MC kids and below, if they’re generous with need based aid. But truly UMC kids can’t afford to attend without a lot of funding from owns, grandparents, etc. There are some articles out there about issues that arise when schools have a lot of wealthy kids. And a lot of URM/1st Gen/ Pell/ MC. But no kids with UMC parents. Having an environment of haves and have nots only isn’t great for the school.

This is one reason why the better merit aid SLACs are such strong schools. It’s a smart policy. They are attracting a segment of high performing students who are neglected by the other schools. Hard to imagine why anyone price sensitive should choose a school like Bates versus a large discount at one of these schools. As tuition goes up and up, offering merit aid will become an even more valuable strategic advantage. The New England SLACs want to emulate the Ivy League in not offering merit but it may be unsustainable for many of them

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Acceptance rate at Colby and Bowdoin - 9%
Acceptance rate at Hamilton - 14%
Acceptance rate at Bates - 17%

Acceptance rate at Kenyon and Oberlin - 35%
Acceptance rate at Grinnell 11% but fewer east coast applicants than the ones you asked about.

This may be part of your answer.

Colby and Bowdoin - no merit aid
Hamilton - no merit aid
Bates - no merit aid

Kenyon and Oberlin - merit aid available
Grinnell - merit aid available

There you have your answer.

Colby may not give merit aid but they have committed to being one of the most affordable small colleges in the country. Families that make less than $150K (which is a lot outside of the DC bubble) pay no more than $15k per year and more than 70% of families receive financial aid. Plus, the facilities are extraordinary. It does have the drawback of being in the middle of nowhere.

That is irrelevant for families in the donut hole. For them, it's all about merit aid.

This seemed false and it is. 46 pct of Colby students receive need based aid in line with most of these schools. Colby’s financial aid is typical among SLACs. https://afa.colby.edu/apply/college-profile/

Looks like someone doesn’t know what the donut hole is.

Colby says: "Colby College meets 100% of demonstrated need without student loans. Families with a total income of up to $75,000 with typical assets can expect a parent or guardian contribution of $0. Families earning $65,000 to $150,000 with typical assets will have a parent or guardian contribution of $15,000 or less. In recent years, more than 95 percent of families with a total income of $200,000 or less have qualified for financial aid."

The say the annual cost is $86k and it looks like a donut hole family would end up paying $35-50k, which is not terrible considering that lots of "affordable" options are still $40k per year.

A donut hole family is a family that doesn't qualify for aid. They get zero aka a donut hole. Usually refers to a family that is just above the threshold.

A family like mine, with three kids and $225,000 in annual household income, gets zero financial aid. We cannot pay $85,000 per year, times three kids, for undergraduate education. It's not possible.

And you are the classic donut hole family. Just enough money to qualify for nothing. I do think those merit aid LACs address an important niche - kids who want to attend a LAC but whose families can’t swing it. And while Bates may in theory be slightly more prestigious than Denison, in the scheme of things they are the same. So it’s great that schools with merit aid policies are out there because not every kid wants to attend a large state school.

You're much kinder than me: there are options for donut hole families, but many just don't want to take them. They want their kids at prestigious schools and most of those only offer FA. And a subset of folks I know in that category were full pay as kids and they can't possibly accept that their kid may attend a "less prestigious" school than they did because of money. And they whine about this to folks who attended these "less prestigious" schools yet are living perfectly fine lives. The horror.

-1. My kid has ADHD and a SLAC with smaller classes was a better fit. It isn’t a prestige thing. For us, it was an academic fit thing. And we are so thankful we chased merit and make it work. The semester my kid went abroad and studied at a large uni (in English) with large classes, TAs etc, his ADHd got overwhelming, he had an enormous amount of anxiety and his grades tanked. He was lucky his college records classes from other colleges as P/F credit, and does not show the grade on the transcript. Because he struggled to pull out the C-s he needed to transfer classes back as a P.

Also, we are very lucky he got great merit to all three of the SLACs on this thread, and chose one. We still paid about 200k in tuition. Which is still tough x2 kids. Colleges with no merit aid get wealthy kids. And MC kids and below, if they’re generous with need based aid. But truly UMC kids can’t afford to attend without a lot of funding from owns, grandparents, etc. There are some articles out there about issues that arise when schools have a lot of wealthy kids. And a lot of URM/1st Gen/ Pell/ MC. But no kids with UMC parents. Having an environment of haves and have nots only isn’t great for the school.

This is one reason why the better merit aid SLACs are such strong schools. It’s a smart policy. They are attracting a segment of high performing students who are neglected by the other schools. Hard to imagine why anyone price sensitive should choose a school like Bates versus a large discount at one of these schools. As tuition goes up and up, offering merit aid will become an even more valuable strategic advantage. The New England SLACs want to emulate the Ivy League in not offering merit but it may be unsustainable for many of them

When we did the NPC for Bates, it ended up on par with or better than these schools even with likely merit. I’m not sure if that’s a fluke or not based on our individual circumstances, but it’s worth running the calculators. Kenyon’s need based aid was the worst. Grinnell’s was good.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Acceptance rate at Colby and Bowdoin - 9%
Acceptance rate at Hamilton - 14%
Acceptance rate at Bates - 17%

Acceptance rate at Kenyon and Oberlin - 35%
Acceptance rate at Grinnell 11% but fewer east coast applicants than the ones you asked about.

This may be part of your answer.

Colby and Bowdoin - no merit aid
Hamilton - no merit aid
Bates - no merit aid

Kenyon and Oberlin - merit aid available
Grinnell - merit aid available

There you have your answer.

Colby may not give merit aid but they have committed to being one of the most affordable small colleges in the country. Families that make less than $150K (which is a lot outside of the DC bubble) pay no more than $15k per year and more than 70% of families receive financial aid. Plus, the facilities are extraordinary. It does have the drawback of being in the middle of nowhere.

That is irrelevant for families in the donut hole. For them, it's all about merit aid.

This seemed false and it is. 46 pct of Colby students receive need based aid in line with most of these schools. Colby’s financial aid is typical among SLACs. https://afa.colby.edu/apply/college-profile/

Looks like someone doesn’t know what the donut hole is.

Colby says: "Colby College meets 100% of demonstrated need without student loans. Families with a total income of up to $75,000 with typical assets can expect a parent or guardian contribution of $0. Families earning $65,000 to $150,000 with typical assets will have a parent or guardian contribution of $15,000 or less. In recent years, more than 95 percent of families with a total income of $200,000 or less have qualified for financial aid."

The say the annual cost is $86k and it looks like a donut hole family would end up paying $35-50k, which is not terrible considering that lots of "affordable" options are still $40k per year.

A donut hole family is a family that doesn't qualify for aid. They get zero aka a donut hole. Usually refers to a family that is just above the threshold.

A family like mine, with three kids and $225,000 in annual household income, gets zero financial aid. We cannot pay $85,000 per year, times three kids, for undergraduate education. It's not possible.

We're a bit higher than you and most NPCs for generous SLACs have us saving about 30k a kid per year

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Acceptance rate at Colby and Bowdoin - 9%
Acceptance rate at Hamilton - 14%
Acceptance rate at Bates - 17%

Acceptance rate at Kenyon and Oberlin - 35%
Acceptance rate at Grinnell 11% but fewer east coast applicants than the ones you asked about.

This may be part of your answer.

Colby and Bowdoin - no merit aid
Hamilton - no merit aid
Bates - no merit aid

Kenyon and Oberlin - merit aid available
Grinnell - merit aid available

There you have your answer.

Colby may not give merit aid but they have committed to being one of the most affordable small colleges in the country. Families that make less than $150K (which is a lot outside of the DC bubble) pay no more than $15k per year and more than 70% of families receive financial aid. Plus, the facilities are extraordinary. It does have the drawback of being in the middle of nowhere.

That is irrelevant for families in the donut hole. For them, it's all about merit aid.

This seemed false and it is. 46 pct of Colby students receive need based aid in line with most of these schools. Colby’s financial aid is typical among SLACs. https://afa.colby.edu/apply/college-profile/

Looks like someone doesn’t know what the donut hole is.

Colby says: "Colby College meets 100% of demonstrated need without student loans. Families with a total income of up to $75,000 with typical assets can expect a parent or guardian contribution of $0. Families earning $65,000 to $150,000 with typical assets will have a parent or guardian contribution of $15,000 or less. In recent years, more than 95 percent of families with a total income of $200,000 or less have qualified for financial aid."

The say the annual cost is $86k and it looks like a donut hole family would end up paying $35-50k, which is not terrible considering that lots of "affordable" options are still $40k per year.

A donut hole family is a family that doesn't qualify for aid. They get zero aka a donut hole. Usually refers to a family that is just above the threshold.

A family like mine, with three kids and $225,000 in annual household income, gets zero financial aid. We cannot pay $85,000 per year, times three kids, for undergraduate education. It's not possible.

We're a bit higher than you and most NPCs for generous SLACs have us saving about 30k a kid per year

Wow. We’re much lower and aren’t seeing nearly that much aid. Though our assets are fairly high. Do you not have a lot of home equity? It’s frustrating not knowing all the elements to the calculations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Acceptance rate at Colby and Bowdoin - 9%
Acceptance rate at Hamilton - 14%
Acceptance rate at Bates - 17%

Acceptance rate at Kenyon and Oberlin - 35%
Acceptance rate at Grinnell 11% but fewer east coast applicants than the ones you asked about.

This may be part of your answer.

Colby and Bowdoin - no merit aid
Hamilton - no merit aid
Bates - no merit aid

Kenyon and Oberlin - merit aid available
Grinnell - merit aid available

There you have your answer.

Colby may not give merit aid but they have committed to being one of the most affordable small colleges in the country. Families that make less than $150K (which is a lot outside of the DC bubble) pay no more than $15k per year and more than 70% of families receive financial aid. Plus, the facilities are extraordinary. It does have the drawback of being in the middle of nowhere.

That is irrelevant for families in the donut hole. For them, it's all about merit aid.

This seemed false and it is. 46 pct of Colby students receive need based aid in line with most of these schools. Colby’s financial aid is typical among SLACs. https://afa.colby.edu/apply/college-profile/

Looks like someone doesn’t know what the donut hole is.

Colby says: "Colby College meets 100% of demonstrated need without student loans. Families with a total income of up to $75,000 with typical assets can expect a parent or guardian contribution of $0. Families earning $65,000 to $150,000 with typical assets will have a parent or guardian contribution of $15,000 or less. In recent years, more than 95 percent of families with a total income of $200,000 or less have qualified for financial aid."

The say the annual cost is $86k and it looks like a donut hole family would end up paying $35-50k, which is not terrible considering that lots of "affordable" options are still $40k per year.

A donut hole family is a family that doesn't qualify for aid. They get zero aka a donut hole. Usually refers to a family that is just above the threshold.

A family like mine, with three kids and $225,000 in annual household income, gets zero financial aid. We cannot pay $85,000 per year, times three kids, for undergraduate education. It's not possible.

And you are the classic donut hole family. Just enough money to qualify for nothing. I do think those merit aid LACs address an important niche - kids who want to attend a LAC but whose families can’t swing it. And while Bates may in theory be slightly more prestigious than Denison, in the scheme of things they are the same. So it’s great that schools with merit aid policies are out there because not every kid wants to attend a large state school.

You're much kinder than me: there are options for donut hole families, but many just don't want to take them. They want their kids at prestigious schools and most of those only offer FA. And a subset of folks I know in that category were full pay as kids and they can't possibly accept that their kid may attend a "less prestigious" school than they did because of money. And they whine about this to folks who attended these "less prestigious" schools yet are living perfectly fine lives. The horror.

-1. My kid has ADHD and a SLAC with smaller classes was a better fit. It isn’t a prestige thing. For us, it was an academic fit thing. And we are so thankful we chased merit and make it work. The semester my kid went abroad and studied at a large uni (in English) with large classes, TAs etc, his ADHd got overwhelming, he had an enormous amount of anxiety and his grades tanked. He was lucky his college records classes from other colleges as P/F credit, and does not show the grade on the transcript. Because he struggled to pull out the C-s he needed to transfer classes back as a P.

Also, we are very lucky he got great merit to all three of the SLACs on this thread, and chose one. We still paid about 200k in tuition. Which is still tough x2 kids. Colleges with no merit aid get wealthy kids. And MC kids and below, if they’re generous with need based aid. But truly UMC kids can’t afford to attend without a lot of funding from owns, grandparents, etc. There are some articles out there about issues that arise when schools have a lot of wealthy kids. And a lot of URM/1st Gen/ Pell/ MC. But no kids with UMC parents. Having an environment of haves and have nots only isn’t great for the school.

This is one reason why the better merit aid SLACs are such strong schools. It’s a smart policy. They are attracting a segment of high performing students who are neglected by the other schools. Hard to imagine why anyone price sensitive should choose a school like Bates versus a large discount at one of these schools. As tuition goes up and up, offering merit aid will become an even more valuable strategic advantage. The New England SLACs want to emulate the Ivy League in not offering merit but it may be unsustainable for many of them

A policy of mostly full pay kids plus some “need based” URMs (and maybe athletes) is totally sustainable for small SLACs. It just means middle class kids get shut out. They’re already heading in that direction.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Acceptance rate at Colby and Bowdoin - 9%
Acceptance rate at Hamilton - 14%
Acceptance rate at Bates - 17%

Acceptance rate at Kenyon and Oberlin - 35%u
Acceptance rate at Grinnell 11% but fewer east coast applicants than the ones you asked about.

This may be part of your answer.

Colby and Bowdoin - no merit aid
Hamilton - no merit aid
Bates - no merit aid

Kenyon and Oberlin - merit aid available
Grinnell - merit aid available

There you have your answer.

Colby may not give merit aid but they have committed to being one of the most affordable small colleges in the country. Families that make less than $150K (which is a lot outside of the DC bubble) pay no more than $15k per year and more than 70% of families receive financial aid. Plus, the facilities are extraordinary. It does have the drawback of being in the middle of nowhere.

That is irrelevant for families in the donut hole. For them, it's all about merit aid.

This seemed false and it is. 46 pct of Colby students receive need based aid in line with most of these schools. Colby’s financial aid is typical among SLACs. https://afa.colby.edu/apply/college-profile/

Looks like someone doesn’t know what the donut hole is.

Colby says: "Colby College meets 100% of demonstrated need without student loans. Families with a total income of up to $75,000 with typical assets can expect a parent or guardian contribution of $0. Families earning $65,000 to $150,000 with typical assets will have a parent or guardian contribution of $15,000 or less. In recent years, more than 95 percent of families with a total income of $200,000 or less have qualified for financial aid."

The say the annual cost is $86k and it looks like a donut hole family would end up paying $35-50k, which is not terrible considering that lots of "affordable" options are still $40k per year.

A donut hole family is a family that doesn't qualify for aid. They get zero aka a donut hole. Usually refers to a family that is just above the threshold.

A family like mine, with three kids and $225,000 in annual household income, gets zero financial aid. We cannot pay $85,000 per year, times three kids, for undergraduate education. It's not possible.

And you are the classic donut hole family. Just enough money to qualify for nothing. I do think those merit aid LACs address an important niche - kids who want to attend a LAC but whose families can’t swing it. And while Bates may in theory be slightly more prestigious than Denison, in the scheme of things they are the same. So it’s great that schools with merit aid policies are out there because not every kid wants to attend a large state school.

You're much kinder than me: there are options for donut hole families, but many just don't want to take them. They want their kids at prestigious schools and most of those only offer FA. And a subset of folks I know in that category were full pay as kids and they can't possibly accept that their kid may attend a "less prestigious" school than they did because of money. And they whine about this to folks who attended these "less prestigious" schools yet are living perfectly fine lives. The horror.

I don't see anyone whining in this thread, much less talking about prestige. Just laying out the realistic options.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Acceptance rate at Colby and Bowdoin - 9%
Acceptance rate at Hamilton - 14%
Acceptance rate at Bates - 17%

Acceptance rate at Kenyon and Oberlin - 35%
Acceptance rate at Grinnell 11% but fewer east coast applicants than the ones you asked about.

This may be part of your answer.

Colby and Bowdoin - no merit aid
Hamilton - no merit aid
Bates - no merit aid

Kenyon and Oberlin - merit aid available
Grinnell - merit aid available

There you have your answer.

Colby may not give merit aid but they have committed to being one of the most affordable small colleges in the country. Families that make less than $150K (which is a lot outside of the DC bubble) pay no more than $15k per year and more than 70% of families receive financial aid. Plus, the facilities are extraordinary. It does have the drawback of being in the middle of nowhere.

That is irrelevant for families in the donut hole. For them, it's all about merit aid.

This seemed false and it is. 46 pct of Colby students receive need based aid in line with most of these schools. Colby’s financial aid is typical among SLACs. https://afa.colby.edu/apply/college-profile/

Looks like someone doesn’t know what the donut hole is.

Colby says: "Colby College meets 100% of demonstrated need without student loans. Families with a total income of up to $75,000 with typical assets can expect a parent or guardian contribution of $0. Families earning $65,000 to $150,000 with typical assets will have a parent or guardian contribution of $15,000 or less. In recent years, more than 95 percent of families with a total income of $200,000 or less have qualified for financial aid."

The say the annual cost is $86k and it looks like a donut hole family would end up paying $35-50k, which is not terrible considering that lots of "affordable" options are still $40k per year.

A donut hole family is a family that doesn't qualify for aid. They get zero aka a donut hole. Usually refers to a family that is just above the threshold.

A family like mine, with three kids and $225,000 in annual household income, gets zero financial aid. We cannot pay $85,000 per year, times three kids, for undergraduate education. It's not possible.

So what is your plan, then? Community college? Attend a commuter school and live at home?

You are going to pay a minimum of $40k per year per kid even for the most affordable option that's even remotely attractive. $50 to $60k per year is just a matter of planning.

In-state public schools or private with merit aid.

Of course it's about planning. No one suggested otherwise.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Acceptance rate at Colby and Bowdoin - 9%
Acceptance rate at Hamilton - 14%
Acceptance rate at Bates - 17%

Acceptance rate at Kenyon and Oberlin - 35%
Acceptance rate at Grinnell 11% but fewer east coast applicants than the ones you asked about.

This may be part of your answer.

Colby and Bowdoin - no merit aid
Hamilton - no merit aid
Bates - no merit aid

Kenyon and Oberlin - merit aid available
Grinnell - merit aid available

There you have your answer.

Colby may not give merit aid but they have committed to being one of the most affordable small colleges in the country. Families that make less than $150K (which is a lot outside of the DC bubble) pay no more than $15k per year and more than 70% of families receive financial aid. Plus, the facilities are extraordinary. It does have the drawback of being in the middle of nowhere.

That is irrelevant for families in the donut hole. For them, it's all about merit aid.

This seemed false and it is. 46 pct of Colby students receive need based aid in line with most of these schools. Colby’s financial aid is typical among SLACs. https://afa.colby.edu/apply/college-profile/

Looks like someone doesn’t know what the donut hole is.

Colby says: "Colby College meets 100% of demonstrated need without student loans. Families with a total income of up to $75,000 with typical assets can expect a parent or guardian contribution of $0. Families earning $65,000 to $150,000 with typical assets will have a parent or guardian contribution of $15,000 or less. In recent years, more than 95 percent of families with a total income of $200,000 or less have qualified for financial aid."

The say the annual cost is $86k and it looks like a donut hole family would end up paying $35-50k, which is not terrible considering that lots of "affordable" options are still $40k per year.

A donut hole family is a family that doesn't qualify for aid. They get zero aka a donut hole. Usually refers to a family that is just above the threshold.

A family like mine, with three kids and $225,000 in annual household income, gets zero financial aid. We cannot pay $85,000 per year, times three kids, for undergraduate education. It's not possible.

So what is your plan, then? Community college? Attend a commuter school and live at home?

You are going to pay a minimum of $40k per year per kid even for the most affordable option that's even remotely attractive. $50 to $60k per year is just a matter of planning.

U. Maryland currently costs about $28k/year actually.