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I keep hearing about students who get full, half. or partial college scholarships. Can someone tell me how this happens? Does a college just find the child and send it to them? I know that is not the way but just have no clue what the process is.
Can someone please advise?
Well, there are two kinds of scholarships, need based and merit based.
Need based are determined by filling out the FAFSA and any other forms required by the school and it's determined by by your parent's income. A lot of the top colleges are doing away with loans for for their need based aid, so it's just grants. The school I went to only offers need based aid, but they will fully meet the cost of attendance for anyone they let in. My brother and I got over $40,000 a year each to attend the school. I think we only had to come up with $2000 a year, and I used merit scholarships to cover most of that.
Merit based aid are based on some special ability that you have. I've only heard of them actively recruiting for athletes. For merit based aid, you usually have to fill out forms with the school explaining why you think you are a good candidate. You can also find outside merit scholarships through sites like Fastweb. Merit scholarships usually require extra paperwork and interviews because you have to convince the school or private entity why they should give you the money over everyone else.
With the exception of athletics, schools don't find you, you find them and apply. I did get some interest from recruiters for my PSAT scores, but it was more along the lines of free trips to their schools, application fee waivers and things like that. Once I'd applied, I was notified if I qualified for any merit aid and was sent additional information on how to apply for them.
I keep hearing about students who get full, half. or partial college scholarships. Can someone tell me how this happens? Does a college just find the child and send it to them? I know that is not the way but just have no clue what the process is.
Can someone please advise?
Sometimes, after you apply, a college just says we like your scores come to our school and we will give you X amount toward tuition. Other times there will be an application process for a certain award amount. It depends on the school, how much they want you and what kind of money is available. This is for merit aid. As was stated before need based is often done through fafsa.
It doesn't seem as easy this year, at least that is the experience my son's friends are having. My son received hundreds of college mailings (based on his SAT and SAT2 scores I guess), but already had decided what schools to apply to. Some of his friends really want schools that they need scholarship dollars to attend, and aren't having a lot of success getting them. In our area, these would be merit based more than financial need based. His best buddy is #7 in his class, 4.2 gpa, has lots of extra-curriculars, and wants to attend Michigan. They have only offered $1000.
I got an 80% merit scholarship based off of academics from my college. Basically, the college offered it to me once I applied. My college is an "Ivy League safety" so they offer their best applying students lots of money to attend. I was competitive for the Ivies but my college was actually my first choice- the money certainly helped.
I got a lot less money from higher schools and schools with a bigger brand name (for instance, my college is ranked above NYU on the USNWR ranking, but they only gave me $15,000 a year) as well as state schools which don't have much money to offer (got nothing above the HOPE and honor's school for UGA).
This year is probably a bit tighter but the key is still to treat high school like a job- I believe I only got a scholarship because I took absolutely no non-academic electives in my last 2 years (and only band in the first two), just extra foreign languages and AP/IB classes. Then, when you have the grades and test scores, shoot for maximizing prestige and money and never look at the sticker price. Also, stay away from state schools- they often only give merit money for athletics.
Thanks all, I think I am still confused. So when someone says they are offered a full or half scholarship it may be due to need as opposed to merit? I was beginning to feel dumb....
Our FAFSA says we can afford it or there is no aide for us, but we can not.
We have teens that want to go to college and we are so confused on the process.
Can someone go to college and the loans, grants, scholarships pay for it all?
Can someone go to college and the loans, grants, scholarships pay for it all?
Sure, but that is not always in the student's best interest.
DD have several offers for full tuition/room/board. But they were from schools that did not have the strong science and math that she wanted. So that did her no good.
The school she DID go to offered her $10k per year, which sounds like a lot but their prices are much higher that that offer!
Thanks all, I think I am still confused. So when someone says they are offered a full or half scholarship it may be due to need as opposed to merit? I was beginning to feel dumb....
Our FAFSA says we can afford it or there is no aide for us, but we can not.
We have teens that want to go to college and we are so confused on the process. Can someone go to college and the loans, grants, scholarships pay for it all?
Yes!
I would have your potential college student apply for a good 3 or 4 schools and wait for the financial aid award letter from each school and see what each school says. Mileage between schools varies; good luck!
When it comes to merit based aid and public universities, a lot of the time, it will ultimately depend on the individual state school or the system the state school is in.
When we talk about the highly respected public universities such as Berkeley, Virginia, Chapel Hill, Michigan, Florida, and Georgia (this is not a fully exhaustive list), one shouldn't expect a lot of merit based aid unless they are outstanding.
For example, Georgia is known for the HOPE scholarship and it has a highly respected honors program, but the highest scholarship offered is the Foundation Fellowship. The kind of kids that receive these scholarships usually turn down the Ivies and other highly ranked schools.
For most colleges, just the application alone gives one consideration for scholarships. I'm from Alabama and I know if you apply to Alabama there is a small separate application, but it's very minimal and it puts a student in consideration for all scholarships they qualify for. If one applies to Auburn before December 1st, they automatically receive a scholarship based on their qualifications. The minimum is like a 3.25 GPA and a 28 ACT.
One is much more likely to get merit based aid from a public university than a private university simply because there are more public universities.
I went to Tulane, and there, for pretty much all scholarships, with the exception of the Deans Honor Scholarship, are awarded with the offer of admission. Essentially, fill out the application and if the admissions committee feels that you have the academic qualifications you'll get some form of a scholarship. The main three are the Presidential, Founders, and Distinguished Scholar awards. I had the Dean's scholarship and it required a separate application.
And, it's easier (in a manner of speaking) to get an academic scholarship than a athletic scholarship.
Thanks all, I think I am still confused. So when someone says they are offered a full or half scholarship it may be due to need as opposed to merit? I was beginning to feel dumb....
Our FAFSA says we can afford it or there is no aide for us, but we can not.
We have teens that want to go to college and we are so confused on the process.
Can someone go to college and the loans, grants, scholarships pay for it all?
Specifically, what school(s)? However, if this is for the upcoming school year (2010 - 2011), the FAFSA is just now up, and you have to have your 2009 tax return in order to fill it out.
The federal formula takes into account the cost of attendance and the household income. This is the simplest way to explain it, but the result is called the Expected Family Contribution. It can range from $0.00 to full tuition.
What hasn't been discussed are the colleges that ONLY give aid based on need. For the most part, these are your private universities. The best two are going to be Harvard and Princeton. Generally speaking, under the new aid policy at Harvard, any student with a household income under $60,000 attends for free. That is, no loans, just grants.
Also, some colleges also use the PROFILE application in its financial aid process. It's much more thorough than the FAFSA.
Ultimately, this is going to depend on the school. I need more information in order to assist you fully. Feel free to PM me. But I need to know the college, because a lot hinges on if it's a need blind school.
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