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Most any parent can get a loan too, so yes, in many cases, parents and students together can borrow the full cost of attendance. But then you have many tens of thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands in dept. Not a good choice for most families, so they won't do it.
Instead, consider that colleges have a very good view of a family's finances through the FAFSA, and sometimes supplementary information that colleges ask for. Keep in mind too that families that can afford full pay typically don't fill out financial aid documents, so colleges can separate out these folks easily. (Which makes me wonder how many of the posters on this thread did NOT fill out financial aid forms but still got merit scholarships? I bet zero.) So, for a private school for example, that charges $50,000 in tuition, they can offer a "Merit" scholarship of $10,000 per year and still get 80% of their tuition. Much better than 0% for an unfilled seat. And they won't need to lower their admissions standards to fill that seat, so their USNWR stats, especially average SAT score, still look good.
Makes sense, no?
And for the record, other posters guessed right. My kid was not offered any merit scholarships. Instead, she was offered named scholarships, including competitive ones that were awarded based in invitation and separate applications, in one case a fully paid campus weekend.
I think we are losing each other a bit in the semantics. A named or unnamed scholarship based on demonstrated high academic performance is a merit scholarship in my book.
Regarding the $10,000 scholarship you noted........a kid must meet or surpass well known and public criteria to earn the award. I'm not sure why you look at these awards negatively.
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We are in a position in which we would never receive need based aid and I'd have to check to verify but I'm 95% certain we didn't file a FAFSA for my son at Baylor - and he most certainly did earn a more or less a free-ride and named award. Our OOP for his entire run at Baylor was less than $6K. His medical school required each family to file a FAFSA. That I remember as a huge pain.
I think we are losing each other a bit in the semantics. A named or unnamed scholarship based on demonstrated high academic performance is a merit scholarship in my book.
Regarding the $10,000 scholarship you noted........a kid must meet or surpass well known and public criteria to earn the award. I'm not sure why you look at these awards negatively.
You may view them as the same. Colleges don't. One is handled by a team focusing on yield and revenue management (yes, admissions has such groups). The other is handled by a team looking at academic merit and whatever criteria are attached to the named scholarship. Named scholarships typically have specific criteria and often require a separate application, often including a specific essay for example.
I don't want to engage in endless debates on this topic. I'll sign off at this point because I don't have the bandwidth for further argument. If anyone is curious, do your own research on the topic. There's enough out there. What I do find interesting on this thread is how successful the effort to obfuscate (tough to find a term here. Mislead? Disinformation? Too strong...) the true intent of these scholarships. In a way, though it's a win-win, because the parents and students feel great, and the college keeps its tuition revenue up!
You may view them as the same. Colleges don't. One is handled by a team focusing on yield and revenue management (yes, admissions has such groups). The other is handled by a team looking at academic merit and whatever criteria are attached to the named scholarship. Named scholarships typically have specific criteria and often require a separate application, often including a specific essay for example.
I don't want to engage in endless debates on this topic. I'll sign off at this point because I don't have the bandwidth for further argument. If anyone is curious, do your own research on the topic. There's enough out there. What I do find interesting on this thread is how successful the effort to obfuscate (tough to find a term here. Mislead? Disinformation? Too strong...) the true intent of these scholarships. In a way, though it's a win-win, because the parents and students feel great, and the college keeps its tuition revenue up!
Yea sure. You are signing off because you've carved out a very narrow, hyper-skeptical, and yes I'll say it mostly bogus, line of logic in this context.
The hard truth is colleges and supporters offer merit awards and need awards at the heart of all this it's really that simple. Pretending that automatic merit awards aren't legit is creating your own alternative reality.
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And by the way I've taught UG and grad. school econ. long enough to have a really good fix on how this works.
Yea sure. You are signing off because you've carved out a very narrow, hyper-skeptical, and yes I'll say it mostly bogus, line of logic in this context.
The hard truth is colleges and supporters offer merit awards and need awards at the heart of all this it's really that simple. Pretending that automatic merit awards aren't legit is creating your own alternative reality.
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And by the way I've taught UG and grad. school econ. long enough to have a really good fix on how this works.
That's so funny it deserves a reply. Either your "econ" is some sort of alternate reality, or you never actually looked into hoSw enrollment management in admissions works. I suspect both are at work here. So continue your flights of fancy if they make you feel better.
That's so funny it deserves a reply. Either your "econ" is some sort of alternate reality, or you never actually looked into hoSw enrollment management in admissions works. I suspect both are at work here. So continue your flights of fancy if they make you feel better.
In summation. You made a charge and backed it up with almost nothing that is literally where we are. Like I said above your thesis is maybe 15% correct.
To make your point(s) valuable you'd need to find a list of kids who were academically deserving, applied if necessary, and didn't win the appropriate award for some half cocked reason. Or you'd need to find "rich" kids who didn't meet written thresholds but won awards anyway. In no broad sense can you find either. That is all.
You may view them as the same. Colleges don't. One is handled by a team focusing on yield and revenue management (yes, admissions has such groups). The other is handled by a team looking at academic merit and whatever criteria are attached to the named scholarship. Named scholarships typically have specific criteria and often require a separate application, often including a specific essay for example.
I don't want to engage in endless debates on this topic. I'll sign off at this point because I don't have the bandwidth for further argument. If anyone is curious, do your own research on the topic. There's enough out there. What I do find interesting on this thread is how successful the effort to obfuscate (tough to find a term here. Mislead? Disinformation? Too strong...) the true intent of these scholarships. In a way, though it's a win-win, because the parents and students feel great, and the college keeps its tuition revenue up!
Oh, does that somehow change things? DD's scholarship is called the President's Scholarship. Is that more legit in your eyes?
Most any parent can get a loan too, so yes, in many cases, parents and students together can borrow the full cost of attendance. But then you have many tens of thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands in dept. Not a good choice for most families, so they won't do it.
But that is what has been going on for years, apparently.
Quote:
Keep in mind too that families that can afford full pay typically don't fill out financial aid documents, so colleges can separate out these folks easily. (Which makes me wonder how many of the posters on this thread did NOT fill out financial aid forms but still got merit scholarships? I bet zero.) So, for a private school for example, that charges $50,000 in tuition, they can offer a "Merit" scholarship of $10,000 per year and still get 80% of their tuition. Much better than 0% for an unfilled seat. And they won't need to lower their admissions standards to fill that seat, so their USNWR stats, especially average SAT score, still look good.
Makes sense, no?
Colleges lose money on offering merit awards just to fill seats?
Doesn't this $ come from the endowments and specific scholarships set up/funded to do just so?
Quote:
And for the record, other posters guessed right. My kid was not offered any merit scholarships. Instead, she was offered named scholarships, including competitive ones that were awarded based in invitation and separate applications, in one case a fully paid campus weekend.
What is a "named" scholarship vs. a "Merit Award Scholarship" - there are categories within.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bigbear99
You may view them as the same. Colleges don't. One is handled by a team focusing on yield and revenue management (yes, admissions has such groups). The other is handled by a team looking at academic merit and whatever criteria are attached to the named scholarship. Named scholarships typically have specific criteria and often require a separate application, often including a specific essay for example.
Within a college and for incoming freshmen? How would they know to apply?
The Common App is the "application" used by the majority of colleges to decide who qualifies for a merit award or a "super special" scholarship that only the said college "hands out".
Quote:
Originally Posted by kab0906
Oh, does that somehow change things? DD's scholarship is called the President's Scholarship. Is that more legit in your eyes?
Presidential Scholarship is where my 2 fell, as well. There are others that award less money - but all offered through the college and for those who qualify/meet the standards the college sets forth.
I wasn't going to have my kids apply for /write essays for every "outside scholarship" available in the world. Waste of time. $200 Chef Boyardee "scholarship" that one has to reapply for every semester or year....not worth it. IMO.
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