@DCLFAN Some schools only offer merit scholarships based on need. In the truest sense, merit aid is given out regardless of need, but not all schools do this and you need to search to have this clarified.
In many schools, once you have need, the amount of financially-based scholarship money may vary based on how much they want you. Since most schools gap, how much of your need they meet will often depend on how much they want you to come. But if you have no need (an EFC above the cost of attending the school), you will get nothing–regardless of how much they may want you or not.
So it seems like RISD is in that category and the link that ArtAngst provided makes that clear. The only non-need based scholarships available at RISD are for 4 students who have won Scholastic or YoungArts awards.
But there are other schools that offer true merit aid, without need. We have no need and my D was able to get scholarship money from Pratt ($14K/year) and might have gotten from NYU if she applied RD. She ended up applying and being accepted ED, so we were full pay. Talent merit aid (non-need) is available at NYU for RD students who apply to Steinhardt’s art and music programs.
Yes @uskoolfish is correct and I probably should have clarified our household’s situation. We did have financial need (they basically met our EFC) AND daughter had Ivy League level grades, APs and testing scores so that probably helped sweeten the deal. So they certainly didn’t give us a free ride, but met the need and made attending do-able.
Other schools met EFC, but often with combo packages of aid and loans.
RISD operates a lot like the Ivies: They’ll meet need but offer little merit aid. As a result, they draw from the top and the bottom socio-economically, missing out on talented kids who don’t qualify for a lot of aid but can’t really afford the big price tag. My son was one of them. He got into RISD and liked it but eventually chose MICA, in part because they gave him 100K in aid. The six-figure savings was something we as a family just couldn’t ignore. RISD is an amazing place, no doubt, but their policy on merit aid means that their talent pool isn’t as deep as it could be.
oh well…my D did not get into RISD. Kinda glad now that we can totally shift our focus to SVA…especially since i already paid the enrollment fee for fear of losing her spot. Good luck everyone on RISD letters!
daughter got in as well. We have no need at this point, but may in the last 2 years of school. We may be in that middle group. She also has ivy league grades and test scores, with scholastic awards. We are thankful to get in, but still working out the finances. I think we pretty much have the info we need and it will be between RISD and CalArts, (unless she somehow gets in to Cooper). Trying to see if we can pull off a visit to each in April. I am inclined to send her to visit RISD alone. Could she stay in the dorms? Is there a way for accepted students to do this without parent? Choices: CalArts = exploration and experimentation but ? fewer LAC type classes and maybe no job on graduating. RISD= good chances to stay in touch with philosophy, writing, literature etc. (esp with Brown), good job placement, but possibly risk getting “stuck” in a narrower definition of art at a more product/results oriented program.
Could be wrong but I thought previous acceptance stats were something like 37% of competed apps., 25% of total or something like that. Art schools can be a bit tricky - they get a LOT of partial applications (I think my D had one or two as well . . ). Sometimes the applicant will complete everything but the portfolio requirement, or not upload the requisite fees, etc. The RISD Fact Books tells it all, so helpful to look on there for the breakout. Like any other selective school, RISD is becoming harder to get into.
Like @spoonyj, my child also got into RISD but didn’t qualify for need based aid, so she chose to go elsewhere (SAIC, which has been fantastic). We were a little disappointed, because we thought there would be merit forthcoming, based on Scholastic and YoungArts (she was a national winner for both), but that didn’t happen.
@GrnMtnMom , my D really wants to go to SAIC. She is a national Scholastic medalist, and while SAIC said there is scholarship for that, we didn’t receive yet a letter about additional money. I want to say “yes” to SAIC and pay the tuition and housing deposit, but I wonder if I should wait to make sure they will award the scholastic money first. In your experience, did you accept and then they awarded the Scholastic/young arts scholarship, or you waited first and then accepted the admission?
@lsichitiu As a general rule of thumb I would not accept an offer until scholarship money is awarded. The only exception would be if you know for sure that 100% of all Scholastic/ Young Arts recipients are awarded extra scholarship money. If you don’t have a guarantee–than why take the chance of not being awarded the money? Scholarship money is awarded so a school is looked upon more favorably by an applicant that they really want. If you have already committed to the scholarship, then there is no for them to grant more money as an enticement.
@uskoolfish , the only reason to accept the offer now as opposed to waiting for the final offer is my stress over missing on “campus” housing. I really want my D to stay in SAIC dorm. It will be a hard transition for my daughter going from a small town to Chicago, so I hope that at least she will be close to school and together with other students.
Please share your thoughts on decision making.