Can you get full DC TAG *and* a scholarship at a public university?

[Anonymous]

Can a DC high school grad who is eligible for DC TAG get the full $10,000/year as well as a merit scholarship at a public university? I can't find it now, but seems like I've read on DCUM that the DC TAG will be reduced if the kid also gets a scholarship to keep the total paid equivalent to in-state tuition. (That is, if the kid gets a scholarship that brings tuition close to in-state, DC TAG will only pay the difference to make it match in-state tuition, if that makes sense?)

Asking because DH just got notice of a 5k merit award at a SUNY that charges about 20k out-of-state for tuition and fees. With DC TAG, it would be about 5k total which would be so nice.

[Anonymous]

I don't know the answer, but congrats! That's amazing news no matter the DCTAG outcome.

[Anonymous]

My understanding from what others have posted is that as long as the award you're receiving from the public university is merit based and is not characterized as in state tuition or as a tuition reduction based on in-state residency, you can combine it with DC TAG. DC TAG is intended to offset the difference between in-state and out-of-state tuition, so as long as you are still classified as an out-of-state student, your eligibility for DC TAG should remain. By the same token, a university that offers merit awards to out of state students are typically still happy to accept payment from DC TAG for those students.

[Anonymous]

OP here, that is good to know! I've emailed OSSE just to be sure.

[Anonymous]

Yes - my son is currently a freshman at a public state university and received a significant merit based scholarship and also received DCTag. While $10,000 a year no longer equals in state tuition, as it was initially intended to at least come closer to, it helps significantly, particularly on top of merit scholarships that many public schools do give. I would also encourage people to look at honors programs or smaller schools/programs within some of these larger state/public universities - there are lots of opportunities for a great education at an affordable cost! Good luck!

[Anonymous]

OP again. Sounds like you were still paying more than in state tuition even with the merit award. So I do need clarity from OSSE about what happens when the merit award brings you below in state tuition.

[Anonymous]

(Merit award + 10k from DC TAG), that is

[Anonymous]

Got it - sorry, I didn't fully understand your question. I would hope that it wouldn't matter, since the merit aid is coming from the school for you know, merit, but you never know! Hope OSSE can give you some clarification and please share what you learn - that is an interesting question! Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes - my son is currently a freshman at a public state university and received a significant merit based scholarship and also received DCTag. While $10,000 a year no longer equals in state tuition, as it was initially intended to at least come closer to, it helps significantly, particularly on top of merit scholarships that many public schools do give. I would also encourage people to look at honors programs or smaller schools/programs within some of these larger state/public universities - there are lots of opportunities for a great education at an affordable cost! Good luck!

Any specific recommendations?

[Anonymous]

Look at any state university to see what their honors program entails. At some schools, this is something students have to apply to separately, at some, they get asked to participate after submitting an application. I have heard good things about U of Minnesota, U of South Carolina, and Pitt specifically, but I imagine most larger universities have some sort of honors program that a generally good student from DC could qualify for. These programs can provide access to smaller classes in freshman year and greater access to professors and other university resources. These larger schools also tend to give more credit for AP's, so it's possible to place out of a lot of introductory classes that tend to be huge in these larger schools. It's also helpful if a student knows what they want to study and you can therefore look specifically at a program. For example, we were really impressed by the urban studies department at Temple and Rutgers. The math program at SUNY Stony Brook is highly regarded as another example. The research and study abroad opportunities at these larger institutions are also aspects to look at, which we found pretty exciting!

[Anonymous]

TY!

[Anonymous]

DCTag does not change based on merit aid regardless of whether those, in combination, reduce the price you pay to below in-state tuition.
Congrats to your son! He must feel great!

[Anonymous]

I would really love a Federal statutory fix that would simply allow DC students to have in-state tuition across the 50 states. Quibble over details, but do that rather than give cash.

[Anonymous]

you can get tag as long as after the merit reduction you still owe 10k+ in tuition

[Anonymous]

Just to clarify: it is UP TO $10K, not an automatic 10K award. In our case, our child got a merit scholarship from the state school for 32K of the 40K OOS tuition, then DC TAG came in and paid the remaining 8K. It's just for tuition, not books or fees or anything like that. OSSE has a pretty clear website for all of this, but you can also call them to get clarification.