Combining Merit Aid

<p>My son is a HS junior with very strong stats, 3.97 UW GPA, 1540 M/CR SAT, and will likely be named a National Merit Finalist. Because of this we have been looking at schools such as Northeastern and Fordham which would be good bets for full tuition merit scholarships. Is there any chance that UD would combine the Chancellor scholarship with a residence hall grant and possibly even a bit of departmental merit aid?</p>

<p>Our EFC will be about $30,000 so with the $19,000 from the Chancellor we would be taking a hit compared to paying about $12,000 at the other schools. My wife and I already have put aside some $ by sacrificing lifestyle choices early in our marriage. We have enough to cover $10-12,000 per year, but are unwilling to pay more. </p>

<p>There is a lot about UD that intrigues us but on the surface at least it seems unaffordable right now. We are from Washington state and UW would be his safety.</p>

<p>Anyone have any insight on whether UD would/could make it work for our type of kid/situation?</p>

<p>We are beginning to plan visits and just need to see if it is even worthwhile.</p>

<p>I just read your post regarding U of Denver from 3-25. My son just received his acceptance from them. His stats were: 4.0 uw GPA; 2100 SAT; 800 & 730 SAT II; 34 ACT; Eagle Scout; lots of music EC’s. He was given the Chancellor’s award for 19k and a music award for 6K. They are stackable, so they total $25k. (He applied to half a dozen similar private schools and the results were similar. We will pay between $20k and $24k per year depending upon which school he selects).
From what I have learned over the years on cc and from my neighbors, it is almost unheard of for merit aid to cover housing. (I know of one exception, which I will tell you about in a minute.) I always found this confusing until someone explained that scholarships generally come from the alumni, not the college. The alumni dictates the terms of the merit aid (whether awards can be stacked, whether there is a limit to how much one person can receive). They intend these awards to cover tuition, not housing. State schools are much more generous about covering housing, albeit for very low income students.
Keep in mind that if your efc is 30k, merit awards are figured into the overall package. So if the cost of attendance is $50k and your child receives $20k in merit aid, you are expected to cover the remaining $30k.
The school that has merit aid that covers partial housing is Furman University. It is a very good, private school in S. Carolina with a wonderful faculty. They are generous with merit aid and offer several full-tuition scholarships as well as four scholarships that cover tuition and $6k or so in housing. I wanted my son to apply, but he decided against it when he saw that they required 4 essays for the scholarship application plus an in-person interview for the finalists.
I don’t know if I have been of any help to you at all. I wish you and your son all the best in your college search. I do recommend applying widely so that he receives as many choices as possible.</p>

<p>Thanks very much for your detailed response. Sounds like we are in a similar boat but we still have a year to go. My son has a ton of orchestra EC’s. I guess the very positive side of this is that we are very confident that he will be admitted to some very fine schools. The downside is trying to figure out fit and finance. The fit side is a pretty daunting task right now. My son (who hates to miss school), is traveling with an orchestra to Europe over the summer and will also be working full time as a lifeguard. Trying to squeeze in college visits will be a real challenge.</p>

<p>With your son’s musical talents, I think he would love DU’s Lamont School. If you haven’t read about the facility, I recommend it because it sounds amazing. Furman is also a marvelous music school. The school websites contain a wealth of information and it’s also helpful to check Rate My College for the students’ viewpoint. Spring break is a good time to visit schools. Does your son know if he wants a college or a conservatory? Will music be his major?</p>

<p>Spring break is this week and he is in Europe with a different orchestra. Though he loves it, music will not be his major. I am somewhat familiar with Lamont and it sounds terrific. He is leaning towards International Relations. His ideal school will be located in or very near a big city. So far the list for visits include Fordham, Northeastern, Pittsburgh, UMinn Twin Cities, and Denver. I guess we better hope that he falls in love with at least one of the first two or three that we can somehow visit. Is your son going to attend Denver?</p>