Hi,
My daughter has been wait-listed at her top choice school and at a few others. I’m wondering if she puts her name on the wait list, will she still have the possibility of getting financial aid and/or merit aid if she comes off it? Does it ever happen that colleges give merit aid still, or is that only reserved for the first choice students?
Thanks.
It is possible she could still get financial aid, but probably not merit aid as that goes to the top of the applicant pool.
My D was waitlisted at Wellesley, which meets full financial need. She was accepted off the waitlist, and received the need-based aid.
But it depends on the specific school how they treat waitlisted candidates in respect to financial aid.
In all likelihood, there will be no merit aid. Need based is possible. It’s best to check with the specific school though.
Merit aid is often at the discretion of admissions to attract their top choice candidates. Your WL position speaks to the likelihood of getting merit. The FA office meets need. If your need is so great that some part of the package needs to be a grant, that is possible. There is no reason not to be on WL, but if you are one of those families that needs merit (and has it from another school) and doesn’t qualify for a lot of FA, your current option may be more affordable.
It’s possible to get merit, but it will be school and award specific. D got in off WL at St Olaf with an art scholarship several years ago. They also met the rest of our need with need-based grants.
It will depend on the school and your specific situation. D was a strong art candidate, but not the highest academics - barely in mid-50% - and that likely factored into the WL decision (and the later admission with an art award).
I would think that if the school has defined thresholds for awards, those would be more likely to be awarded upon WL admission, but I don’t know that for sure.