Anonymous wrote:Almost all of them. It is referred to as merit aid.

Yep, only a very small number of schools DONT give merit aid. Pretty much only the Ivy League, Stanford, and a handful of highly ranked SLACs have policies against merit aid.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Almost all of them. It is referred to as merit aid.

+1. You're most likely to get a merit aid award at a college where your GPA is higher than the incoming average GPA. That said, many of schools in this position are great schools with great profs, but name recognition and/or place on the USNWR may be lagging behind.

Test scores (which are standardized - apples:apples) are more important for merit aid.

Anonymous wrote:Are merit packages always guaranteed for 4 years? Does one need to figure in tuition increases, and aren't they unpredictable? This whole process seems so arbitrary and unfair, with every family paying a different amount for the same product. We did private k-12 and it took us awhile to figure out it happens there, too. The VA publics are looking good to us for college as a way to escape these shenanigans. Fortunately we have saved enough for that....

Merit aid is for four years but the student must maintain a certain GPA.

THe purpose is to attract students who would otherwise not attend the school. Whether or not its a wise use of resources is an open question but colleges clearly think it is because the number of schools overing merit aid has grown.

Are merit packages always guaranteed for 4 years? Does one need to figure in tuition increases, and aren't they unpredictable? This whole process seems so arbitrary and unfair, with every family paying a different amount for the same product. We did private k-12 and it took us awhile to figure out it happens there, too. The VA publics are looking good to us for college as a way to escape these shenanigans. Fortunately we have saved enough for that....

PP, meant to mention that we're not eligible for financial aid, but we do not have enough money to pay for the $60K plus cost of private schools. DD really wants a small school and many of the terrific ones -- Bowdoin, Hamilton, Williams, etc. -- would be great fits for her, but we can't afford the tuition, even though the schools seem to think we can (huh?). If DD doesn't get merit aid, she's going to state U, huge, but better than no college.

We're looking for merit aid. DD is applying to schools in which she's in the top percentile for SATs and GPA. Plus she's an athlete and an artist, as well as premed. We cannot afford the great schools she's likely to get into (top 20 SLACs), so she's looking for merit aid from the less competitive SLACs. I'll post in April whether or not this strategy succeeds. She's applying for a couple reaches, but it's not she'll get get merit aid from them (they give a couple big grants, but she's not a superstar, so surely those will go to other super applicants who would otherwise end up at HYP).

Many schools give merit aid and its true that it tends to be schools that are trying to recruit more competitive students. But it isn't necessarily a step down. DD got merit aid at her first choice school. While she had the credentials to apply to ivys (who knows if she would have gotten in, always a crap shoot) she had no interest. There are a lot of good reasons to avoid the ivys. She applied ED to a SLAC that is very strong in an area she's interested in and received merit aid.

I don't think her school is on the College Confidential list, which isn't comprehensive. Better to start with the schools your DC is interested and check them out individually as to whether they give merit aid.

The most important thing to know re merit aid is you can't plan on it. It's a constantly changing scenario.

DD applied to 10 schools - similarly ranked, similarly priced - got into 7, got merit aid at 5. It ranged from $2,000/yr to $15,000/yr

Apply widely.

A huge number give merit aid. If you have good scores and/or grades. Examples include American Univ, Univ of S. Carolina, Rutgers, Penn State, Temple, UMD, Tulane, most state schools. I believe only the most highly selective don't give merit aid.

Anonymous wrote:College Confidential has a good list of colleges that give generous merit aid.

Do you have a link by chance?

College Confidential has a good list of colleges that give generous merit aid.

Anonymous wrote:Almost all of them. It is referred to as merit aid.

+1. You're most likely to get a merit aid award at a college where your GPA is higher than the incoming average GPA. That said, many of schools in this position are great schools with great profs, but name recognition and/or place on the USNWR may be lagging behind.

Almost all of them. It is referred to as merit aid.

Anonymous wrote:Are there any colleges out there that award grants NOT based on income? Maybe for grades or talents such as music or even community service? I'm not talking about Intel winners or grants for the discoverers of cancer or a third sun. Pell Grants wouldn't be in the running either because of the income cap.

California has the right idea. http://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/paying-for-uc/glossary/middle-class-scholarship/index.html

Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.

Are there any colleges out there that award grants NOT based on income? Maybe for grades or talents such as music or even community service? I'm not talking about Intel winners or grants for the discoverers of cancer or a third sun. Pell Grants wouldn't be in the running either because of the income cap.

California has the right idea. http://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/paying-for-uc/glossary/middle-class-scholarship/index.html