Academic or merit money at Ivies?

Parents Forum
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<p>Does anyone's child receive scholarship money from an Ivy League school unrelated to financial need? I was under the impression that the Ivies usually did not offer merit aid, since suppposedly all of their accepted students are highly meritorious. I know for a fact that this question was asked in at least one Ivy league school's presentation, and the answer was "no." </p>

<p>I've heard parents claim their children got scholarships to an Ivy, but assumed they were referring to need-based grants. However, I keep reading things which suggest the contrary. Just today I read a news article about a top athlete accepted to Columbia who is receiving an "academic scholarship." She is in the top 9% of her high school class, according to the article. So, not a VAL or SAL. The article explained that since Columbia does not offer athletic scholarship, the money would have to come from "grants based on her academic viability." Is the reporter just confused and this is really FA, or what?</p>

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<p>D applied to 2 IVY 's. There is no merit aid.They meet 100%
of need. Based on your income and efc, they give more free money and less loans. Simplistic answer, but that's it in a nutshell.</p>

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<p>From the Columbia website:

[quote]
Financial Aid at Columbia is need-based. There are no academic, athletic or talent-based institutional scholarships.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>I believe that this is true of the entire Ivy League. For whatever reason, reporters continually misunderstand what "scholarship" means. Also, perhaps families don't like to be on record as getting need-based scholarships. A couple months ago I was talking to a woman whose (now older) D had received a "full scholarship" from Princeton. It makes people happy to put it that way.</p>

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<p>"Just today I read a news article about a top athlete accepted to Columbia who is receiving an "academic scholarship.""</p>

<p>The reporter doesn't know what she's talking about. Parents frequently don't, either (or they don't want people to know that they qualified for need aid).</p>

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<p>^ agreed...thinking your child is top 1-2% of HARVARD and got a full ride sounds a lot better than needing full aid</p>

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<p>Scholarships are based on need, so if the coach really needs a particular athlete, he gets a scholarship! Just kidding! :D The only thing I have ever heard is that perhaps there is a little room for tweaking a candidate's financial need if the school really wants that student, or needs to match or exceed a competing institution's calculation of need.</p>

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<p>according to the Joint Statement on Common Ivy Group Admissions Procedures</p>

<p><a href="http://www.princeton.edu/admission/pdfs/0708_ivy.pdf%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.princeton.edu/admission/pdfs/0708_ivy.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>
[quote]
</p>

<p>All the Ivy institutions follow the common policy that any financial aid for student-athletes will be awarded and renewed on the sole basis of economic need with no differentiation in amount or in kind (e.g., packaging) based on athletic ability or participation, provided that each school shall apply its own standard of economic need.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Remember when a student attends an Ivy the financial aid they receive is not contingent on the student playing the sport.</p>

<p>from Ivy league sports</p>

<p>Ivy</a> League Sports

[quote]
The principles that govern admission of Ivy students who are athletes are the same as for all other Ivy applicants. Each Ivy institution:</p>

<ul>
<li><p>admits all candidates including athletes on the basis of their achievements and potential as students and on their other personal accomplishments;</p></li>
<li><p>provides financial aid to all students only on the basis of need, as determined by each institution; and,</p></li>
<li><p>provides that no student be required to engage in athletic competition as a condition of receiving financial aid.

[/quote]
</p></li>
</ul>

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<p>Students can however have OUTSIDE scholarships that are not included in the ivy's financial aid package (initial package, it is then re-calculated with outside funds). Each school views "outside" monies differently. If there is a need determined and a package is issued it is up to each individual school how that money is applied. Some might use it to replace all or some of the package, others will use it to erase student contribution/work study/loans/summer contribution or may use it to apply to other "school" needs, ie, computer, books, travel, research.</p>

<p>Kat</p>

9

<p>Thanks! I was worrying that I had read so much college information that I was getting addled, not more enlightened! I also have a friend who claims that both of her undergraduate D's received "research grants" at Cornell, even as entering freshmen. At first I wondered if the mother was using a euphemism for work-study jobs which involve assisting a professor with research. I had one of them, but it wasn't called a research "grant". In both cases, they had supposedly submitted an application in which they pitched their own pre-existing projects. Any truth to that?</p>

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<p>TheGFG-you are still "sharp as a tack." ;) Need-based aid only at the Ivies. People hear "scholarship" and they think "academic." It sounds nicer.</p>

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<p>a "research grant" is different, and the Ivies do offer those, but they are not need-based.</p>

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<p>GFG- if we added up all the merit aid that parents claim they were granted by the Ivies, then piled on the athletic scholarships, plus the "Harvard Book Award" winnings, we could dig this country out of its recession 1-2-3.</p>

<p>I have learned that "my kid turned down a full scholarship at Princeton for Rutgers" is code for, "we haven't saved a dime for college but we own a big house and have a huge income so we can't get any need based aid from them". Ironic though that they pick Princeton-- since it is generally considered the most generous fin aid in the business.</p>

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<p>
[quote]
I also have a friend who claims that both of her undergraduate D's received "research grants" at Cornell, even as entering freshmen.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Actually, this friend was telling the truth.</p>

<p>Cornell does give merit aid in the form of their Cornell Presdiential Research Scholars Program</p>

<p>An anonymous gift to the university created the Cornell Presidential Research Scholars (CPRS) program in 1996. CPRS provides undergraduates demonstrating superior academic potential and intellectual curiosity significant research support over four years. Open to students across all academic disciplines in all seven undergraduate colleges, CPRS enables its students to collaborate with faculty mentors of their choosing in designing and planning an individualized program of research—a degree of collaboration usually unheard of in the undergraduate experience. Magnifying the power of this dynamic student-faculty partnership, ***CPRS provides each scholar with a generous $8,000 research support account (RSA) and annual need-based loan replacement of up to $4,000. </p>

<p>Research Scholars use their RSA’s to pay for academic year wages, summer research and living expenses, research-related travel, and research supplies. Additionally, scholars can conduct research outside of their own college or major using any of the university’s resources.*** Scholars can choose faculty mentors from any college and major regardless of their own affiliation. </p>

<p>The Cornell Presidential Research Scholars program, providing up to 50 scholars each year with as much as $24,000 in financial support over four years. </p>

<p>The opportunity to pursue research within the biological and physical sciences is one aspect of the Cornell Presidential Research Scholars program. But, **students also pursue research in the social sciences and humanities and are enrolled in all seven of Cornell's undergraduate colleges:</p>

<p>Summer Expected Savings Replacements (ESR)
Expenses incurred during the summer may make it difficult to meet Cornell’s savings expectation from summer earnings. ESRs provide a replacement if you have worked in a research-related position at least 35 hours a week for eight weeks during the summer. </p>

<p>Students are chosen for the CPRS program as incoming freshmen. **</p>

<p>Current Cornell sophomores, who were not chosen as entering freshmen to be in the CPRS program, may apply in the spring of their sophomore year to be admitted into the program at the beginning of their junior year. Sophomores who wish to apply must: 1) have at least a 3.0 GPA; 2) have done at least one semester of research at Cornell; 3) be nominated by a faculty member (preferably the faculty with whom the student has done research). Nomination materials for faculty are available in spring semester.</p>

<p>Cornell</a> University Cornell Presidential Research Scholars</p>

<p><a href="http://www.commitment.cornell.edu/cprs/about/RCPRS_student_handboo_2008.doc%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.commitment.cornell.edu/cprs/about/RCPRS_student_handboo_2008.doc&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

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<p>Well, I guess technically the word "scholarship" could refer to financial aid, but given the root of the word I've always seen it as money tied to superior academic performance.</p>

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<p>GFG,</p>

<p>If your son has received any need based FA at Dartmouth (grants, not loans or work-study) , it will say the word scholarship</p>

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<p>Vassar also awards need based aid and calls it scholarship in a letter that might impress you if you did not understand the whole thing</p>

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<p>I've already resigned myself to the fact that if D is admitted to her first choice school, an Ivy, she will receive none of the scholarships administered by her high school. Since she's a good athlete, the selection committee will automatically assume she's already getting money to run track. I will have her write on the application in big letters: I AM NOT GETTING AN ATHLETIC SCHOLARSHIP!</p>

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<p>My d is at UPenn and in her program, nursing, they have several creative ways to give merit scholarships. They are privately donated funds and the scholarship recipients agree to work in a certain hospital for 2 years after graduation. Technically it's a loan that is forgiven when you complete the work requirement (which is very well paid)</p>

<p>Scholarships</a> and Grants</p>

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<p>There are merit scholarships at schools that give only financial aid. The situation occurs when there are scholarships that have been created by alums or others to be given to those in financial need. The catch is that only those who have financial need can get the award. I have seen situations where some kids have gotten more money than their need dictates due to the fact that they qualifed and received a scholarship for those who are eligible for financial need with no stipulation that the need has to be less than or equal to the amount of the award. </p>

<p>Colleges that give out only financial aid awards do sometimes have other funds that they release for other reasons. Cornell with its research grants is an example. Other schools can have such situations. They may not be mentioned on the websites or buried too deeply to easily find. There can be all kinds of goodies at the school that a kid could get outside of financial need even in a school that gives no merit awards. </p>

<p>Confusing? Yep. Contradictory? I agree. But that is the reality.</p>

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<p>Its called "preferential packaging".</p>