anyone else surprised by merit aid this year?

<p>How do you know your merit/financial aid packages already? Dont colleges send those out with acceptance letters ?</p>

<p>^ yes, most early action decisions are in</p>

<p>Did you have to apply for merit scholarship?
Or is it automatically considered based on GPA & standardized test scores, without applying?</p>

<p>Last year my D was offered between $13,000 and $15,000 in merit scholarships from 3 schools, and none required a certain GPA to be maintained. The school she accepted will renew her scholarship every year with no minimum GPA beyond meeting SAP. That is the type of merit you want!</p>

<p>

This varies by school. Check the admissions web sites to be sure.</p>

<p>teachandmom, I agree with you! Meeting SAP means satisfactory academic progress, which as far as I know is a 2.0. Finding these schools in advance of being awarded a merit based scholarship and knowing that this is all that is required, is not easy. </p>

<p>mydog, for many merit scholarships which are awarded by the schools, one does not need to apply seperately, however, some schools do offer additional awards and an application and/or additional essay/information is required. One of my sons applied to a school that asked if he/she feels he/she is deserving of merit aid and then asked for a short answer as to “why”. Also, there might be some awards that require a portfolio and/or auditioning (ie: music, drama, art scholarships). There also might be awards for leadership and some schools might require a seperate application for this type of award, especially if it requires you to do something in exchange (ie: lead a group of volunteers to do some type of project). Bottom line, as Erin’s Dad just stated, it varies, so definitely do your homework.</p>