<p>Be aware that what the schools detemine as your expected family contribution will not necessarily align with what your family thinks they can afford. My experience has been that the EFC is usually much higher than most families feel they can afford. That being said, it can’t hurt to apply for admission and FA.</p>
<p>Most schools are feeling significant pressure on their financial aid budgets. I can only address St. Paul’s. The budget for the coming year has been increased again. </p>
<p>Also realize that financial aid is available for not just the lowest income families. At St. Paul’s last year 6 students whose family income exceeded $300,000 were awarded financial aid (average of almost $22,000 per student). This is probably higher than you assumed. As a further illustration: 24 families had income over $200,000, 47 over $150,000, 61 over $125,000, et cetera. So for St. Paul’s (and many other schools) do not assume you do not qualify. Depending on your circumstances, you might.</p>
<p>There is no ‘tipping point’, it is a full scale. Many families with modest or even significant income still need assistance to meet the costs of education. .</p>
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<p>Winterset, where did you find this information? Can you provide a link if it’s online? I wonder if there’s a reliable source we can find the same kind of information for other schools.</p>
<p>There is a financial aid calculator. Even if you fill in the highest setting (250k or more, I believe) it will say you get it. Is it always accurate? Maybe, maybe not. Of course these families may have had exceptional circumstances, as income/family size cannot be the only parameter by which they judge you… Medical bills is an example.</p>
<p>The financial aid calculator won’t “lie” per say, but it will not give you information on which you should rely. I also made this mistake the first time I read it, most give you the Estimated Family Contribution, not the Estimated Family Grant.</p>
<p>The numbers I provided are from the school. They are current and they are accurate. They are not yet on the website, but have been released and (based on past years) will probably be posted very soon. </p>
<p>I cannot address the Financial Aid Estimator, but obviously that gives a “general estimate of potential financial aid eligibility”, but not something you can base a decision on.</p>
<p>Also, I would like to raise a point… Need blind does not have to involve full need met, and full need met does not have to involve need blind.</p>
<p>Need blind means the fact that you apply for FA will not have a bearing on your decision. Full need met means that the school, IF YOU GET ACCEPTED, will guarantee you what they believe to be your need. </p>
<p>Be careful about that. I think all need blind schools are full need met, however I am not sure. Be wary of the distinction.</p>
<p>Winterset, are you (or is the school by releasing that information) encouraging families of high income to apply for FA as long as they feel they need (and sometimes there’s fine line between “need” and “want”) it? In other words, they can “try their luck” without negative impact on their chances of admission? What about this Q&A from SPS website:
In what cases “family’s need for financial aid may influence an admission decision.”? I am not questioning you or SPS about their statements. I am just honestly curious how the process works.</p>
<p>It’s hard to say. Maybe if they have to give so much FA that it is unfeasible… In the case of a high income family they may realize you won’t come w/o FA and it’s pointless for them to accept you, as you will bring their yield down.</p>
<p>You could tell them, to fix this issue, “we would like FA, but it won’t hold us back” in that case:
a) You don’t need FA…
b) They will realize you will come w/o FA and not give you any, or deem that you don’t need aid.</p>
<p>Hard to say.</p>
<p>PhilipsAndoverParent101: I was making a simple point for those posters that seem to be concerned that they make too much to qualify for aid but not enough to afford tuition.
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<p>You are trying to bring the discussion in a different direction. I was trying to be helpful to applicants to any schools by pointing out (based on the only numbers I have access to) that income may not disqualify them. I assume you would agree with that. If you have similar numbers for Andover, I am sure that would be helpful too.</p>
<p>I don’t have similar numbers for Andover. Sorry. And sorry for distracting you from helping others. I will find answers to my question somewhere else.</p>
<p>I don’t think anybody actually knows how the FA system works or if there is indeed a system… When I was in the same position as PAParent 101, I reasoned that FA applicants everywhere were in a slightly more competitive pool for admission than non FA applicants. There is after all a fixed budged for FA and although the average FA grant is reasonably predictable there may every year be applicants who have very high needs but no hooks like Affirmative Action, special talent or siblings at the school and whose ranking for admission is about the same as a dozen or so others. It is among those I imagine that the FA overlay comes into play on the second round of the admission process.</p>
<p>I honestly think that at every prep school the initial ranking is truly need blind. That is to say kids are ranked in three or four broad categories according to perceived academic potential and then resorted around the schools other priorities e.g. regional , gender and colour balance. With a fixed FA budget I imagine that high needs kids at or near the bottom end of the initial academic round may find themselves at a competitive disadvantage. But as was pointed out, the schools prority may be to maintain yield and they will not offer admission to a very academically superior high needs applicant who they feel will not come anyway as s(he) has a hook at a peer school and would certainly go there if a similar package were offered there. </p>
<p>So the process is a bit of a crapshoot and the best advice is still for a superior student to apply for a merit scholarship like classical honours at SPS. I hope this helps</p>
<p>Thanks, paleozoic. What you said makes good sense to me, except regarding FA budget, what I have heard about Andover’s practice is that they have an estimated FA budget in the beginning of each admission cycle, implying that it could change in order to achieve the true need blind admission. But again, I don’t want to be the distraction here, so in line with the way in which Winterset is trying to help, I’ll post an excerpt of a recent email from Anodver headmaster concerning FA. </p>
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<p>I’m on a full merit scholarship to the Culver Academies and enjoying my time immensely. There are 4 or 5 main merit scholarships at Culver which send approximately 15 students every year (so about 60 students total, by my rough estimation) full tuition and many, many more students receive 1/2 to a couple thousand dollars of aid. My scholarship also covers a Spring Break Mission trip to places as diverse as South Africa, Croatia, Ireland and China and a customizable summer study-abroad session in the summer of my senior year tailored to your own personal interests. </p>
<p>Culver may not boast the College Admission entrance rates of Andover, per se, but it is still an undoubtedly high-class academic, moral and athletic institution with a strong focus on leadership building. What I love about Culver is the fact that it is not your usual New England Prep School. The kids are nice - not at all “preppy” - and grounded in Midwestern values. In the end, it is not about the name or the prestige of the high school you attend - but the person you become and the growth you experience at your time at prep school. At Culver, you don’t kill yourself over academics, nor do you feel constant overwhelming stress and pressure. The classes are challenging, but there is a balance - you still find time to live life, have fun, learn important leadership skills (for girls – under the British prefect system), join clubs and develop interests outside the classroom.</p>
<p>Basically - its something worth checking out and applying for. The scholarship application is just another 1 or 2 essays you have to write - and if you get chosen as a finalist - the Admissions Department will fly you in expenses paid to Chicago for a formal interview session. For my scholarship, approximately 160 (or around there) kids apply each year and 6 are chosen. Its a fantastic opportunity for those who otherwise would not have the option of attending boarding school (due to financial constraints) to receive a world-class education free-of-charge.</p>
<p>Portsmouth Abbey in RI is very generous with merit scholarships. The Diman scholarship is a FULL RIDE for four years to a freshman boarding student. There are also numerous Abbey scholarships that are worth a few thousand dollars given out to boarding and day students.</p>
<p>If you want to teach yourself Latin, try the Cambridge Latin course. 4 Books and a “Primer” (grammar) and you’ll be reading Ovid and Pliny’s letters.</p>
<p>Yeah that’s the book we used at school. I used to learn continue/revise after I left the school through their website ut now they’re charging.</p>
<p>Yea, it’s a little more suited to middle school and understandable than Wheelocks.</p>
<p>italianboarder- so kent does give merit scholarships? are they all based on fa? do u find out if u got one on March 10th, not that i will, im just wondering? how do u like kent so far?</p>
<p>In latin, we use Ecce Romani.</p>