<p>Our s is in a great situation. He received a very generous set of merit aid scholarships at a nice LAC. We do not qualify for need based aid. One of those scholarships was reduced in order to keep his total aid under the school's legal limit. S won a local Elk's scholarship for $1000 which will be presented in May in a check written in both his and the school's name. The school has already said because he is already at max merit aid, any additional outside scholarships will go to the school and not the student. We aren't complaining as the current aid package is wonderful! I just wish there was a way for our S to keep the money and use it for a laptop or other non-tuition, books, R&B, etc related expenses. I see a few options:
1. explain the situation to the Elks and politely ask them if they would write the scholarship in his name only
2. accept the scholarship and let the school give it to another student who could use it
3. decline the scholarship and ask the Elks to pass it on the the next deserving student on their list who could use it
We certainly do not want to be greedy, but would like to use this money if possible. Anyone out there have any experience or advice?? Thanks!</p>
<p>My daughter has applied for several outside scholarships as well, but we don't have this great problem! I suggest you try Option 1 first - the Elks may be happy to do that - but go in with definite suggestions on how to spend the money (I would use expenses like room, especially if your son's school requires them to live on campus, that should be something easy to argue, or lab fees, activity fees, etc.). Something else to consider - is the school award a definite amount each year, so that if their tuition goes up next year, you will then have out-of-pocket expenses? If so, you could ask to delay the award for next year. Last option - I would give to the Elks to give to the next recipient rather than to the school to give to someone else. I personally think that the Elks should get the final say-so on who receives their scholarship money. Just my opinion, though.</p>
<p>I was wondering if you end up with too much $$....could the student go to school year round...for summer term...to use up the excess money?</p>
<p>I was in the same situation. WashU was giving me max aid and I found out that I got the Toyota (at leasst 2500 a year) so I just called them up and told them to add a 3,000 laptop onto my budget and that allowed me to keep the new scholarship without them reducing anything.</p>
<p>Great ideas! I didn't think of the possibility of summer research or travel. Maybe they'll allow the adding of a laptop computer.</p>
<p>"1. explain the situation to the Elks and politely ask them if they would write the scholarship in his name only"</p>
<p>Option 1 should not make any difference. You are supposed to disclose ALL the help you obtain, especially the help that is paid without the college being a co-payee</p>
<p>"I was in the same situation. WashU was giving me max aid and I found out that I got the Toyota (at leasst 2500 a year) so I just called them up and told them to add a 3,000 laptop onto my budget and that allowed me to keep the new scholarship without them reducing anything."</p>
<p>I do not think that anyone is in a position to tell the school to change its COA in order to capture an outside scholarship. In many cases the COA is established for everyone. The school might cooperate but they most definitely have no obligation to do so, and might even be precluded to do it. </p>
<p>"We do not qualify for need based aid. One of those scholarships was reduced in order to keep his total aid under the school's legal limit."</p>
<p>Typically, the legal limit applies to federal aid, as a total financial aid package may not exceed the COA.</p>
<p>Thanks Xiggi. Good info.</p>
<p>xiggi, i don't know if this is just particular to WashU, but I thought the COA was the college's budget for a student, and if a student needed extra supplies to attend the school (i.e. computers, books, insurance, etc), then the COA should be adjusted to reflect that per request of the student, granted that they haven't included the requested items in the budget already, however, if I am wrong then I do stand corrected.</p>
<p>I was wondering if you could ask some outside scholarships to not send checks to the university until the following year. because i have over the amount of scholarship money to cover the loans for my first year but if i report all the money they will take it out of my grants, which is bull. So is there a way i could ask the organizations to hold onto it until the following year?</p>
<p>Lukester,
my daughter received the Elks MVS scholarship and i believe in the paperwork it states that under no circumstances will the check be made out only to the student. my D's school did work with her to allow the purchase of a computer from scholarship funds and it pays for all her books as well. It also adjusted her COA to account for the distance we live from the school and some other special circumstances. It sure doesn't hurt to ask! </p>
<p>Keenya--again, you can ask. some will hold it, others won't.</p>
<p>Coca Cola made my D's check out directly to IBM for the purchase of a computer last year, because it would have gone completely to the school. I would try that route. The other option is to see if they would use it to setup a line of credit at the bookstore in his name.</p>
<p>Thanks to all. Very good suggestions. We'll see how it goes.</p>
<p>lukester, did your son get the lay or the duke in addition to hollinsworth? just curious.</p>
<p>I will send you a PM</p>
<p>On advice from the University, I sent a letter of appeal. We'll see if they let us keep the outside loans to put toward a lap top. One of the three organizaitions indicated they might write a check directly to our S. Anyone else have any luck or suggestions for this situation? Thanks.</p>