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[quote=pbraverman][quote=Anonymous]We won’t qualify for financial aid, but can’t afford private either. Our income is high but we support our families back home. DD does very well academically. Does any school in DC offer financial aid based only on merit? Thanks [/quote]

It's not common, but there are a handful of schools that offer merit-based scholarships at some grade levels (e.g., 9). If it's important to you, it's worth asking admission offices directly. It's certainly not an unreasonable question.

Unless your income is very high (around the mid-six figures), don't assume your family won't qualify for aid. Many with high incomes do qualify after other factors are weighed. For example, it's possible that SSS would not give you credit for money sent back home, but some schools may be willing to consider your support of family members in the equation because they find it admirable or simply because it's an expense. (I don't have any actual experience with this scenario; I'm just offering a reasonable hypothetical.) And there is nothing unethical about a school offering more aid to a family that it wants to attract. If yours is one, you may be able to secure more aid than the SSS calculations would seem to merit.

Overall, what is loosely called "financial aid" is a fungible resource, and it may depend on factors outside any family's control — for example, if a school's overall tuition reductions for a graduating class are heavy (because of faculty remission, learning support that the school underwrites, financial aid), there may be more available for incoming students than at other schools whose graduating students' tuitions are more lightly discounted. It's a balancing act everywhere.

Good luck.
Peter
_____________________

Disclaimer: The anonymity here makes me uncomfortable; it's too easy to write uninformed, personal, or mean-spirited posts if people don't identify themselves. For that reason, I have an account so you know whose words you're reading. I have more than 20 years' experience as a teacher and administrator in independent schools. I have read hundreds of admission files, and I have counseled hundreds of students in finding their next schools in the DC area. If you don't like something I've said, you're in good company — there's a long line of past students and parents ahead of you. :) If you want to chat further, please feel free to contact me offline: peter &lt;at&gt; peterbraverman &lt;dotcom&gt;[/quote]

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