<p>So I've seen in a couple places from USC publication that if you receive outside scholarships, the grant from the university might be lessened. One source... I can't recall where specifically..said "in some cases" they take money back, and then on the financial website they say "in most cases." So does this mean that hypothetically, if USC gave you a grant of like $5,000, but you got $2000 in outside scholarships, they would change your grant to only $3000?</p>
<p>If so... well, that's kind of stupid... the whole point in working hard to get scholarships is to compensate from the high cost of tuition. I applied for outside scholarships, and if by chance I get money, I want it to be in ADDITION to what the university is willing to give. Is that so ridiculous? Can anyone offer insight?</p>
<p>That is not nearly as stupid as you imply. All colleges do it, not just USC. FA is based on your EFC, whichever way the university calculates it. They simply cover your demonstrated need. Outside awards reduce your demonstrated need, so your FA goes down. This is a very rational practice, as it allows them to support more students who need FA. The only time it would be stupid to do so is with merit aid.</p>
<p>Yeah, you're right... maybe I'm being greedy</p>
<p>I think it's pretty fair. My friend got an outside scholarship of like $50,000 a year, so you can see why giving her financial aid would be pretty stupid. All that money could be going to another student that actually needs it.</p>
<p>Before submitting your statement of intent to register, try contacting the financial aid office to request that your scholarships first be applied to your "self-help" portion - the Perkins and Stafford loans and federal work/study. Many schools will allow that. After that, however, the scholarships will reduce your need-based grants - sorry!</p>