CSS or ISFAA?

[oshoblessed]

<p>Dear everyone,</p>

<p>I plan to apply for need as well as merit based financial aid to Smith College..</p>

<p>The college's website does not any idea about applying for aid.</p>

<p>I wanted to ask this to all the Smithies and its alumna, or anyone who have an idea, : Do I need to complete ISFAA or CSS profile to apply for need based aid? Do I need to apply separately for merit based aid as well or am I automatically considered for it?</p>

<p>I asked the same question to financial aid office but they have not replied me yet...</p>

<p>Thank you everyone!! Have a good day!</p>

[allyphoe]

<p>[Smith</a> College: Student Financial Services](<a href=“http://www.smith.edu/sfs/apply.php]Smith”>http://www.smith.edu/sfs/apply.php)

Smith offers a limited number of awards based on merit rather than need. All applicants for admission are automatically considered; there are no special application forms. Students are selected by the Office of Admission and must maintain satisfactory academic progress in order to have their scholarships renewed annually. Merit aid is only offered at the time of admission. For more information about the types of merit aid offered by Smith, visit Merit Aid.

</p>

<p>[Smith</a> College: For International Students: Apply](<a href=“http://www.smith.edu/admission/inter_apply.php]Smith”>Apply to Smith College)

Financial aid application requirements
College Board International Student Financial Aid Application
Copy of parents’ most recent income tax returns (translated) or a signed statement of income from each parent’s employer

</p>

[Guitar500]

<p>I don’t know, it seems the process has changed this year, but the information is here:
[Smith</a> College: Student Financial Services](<a href=“http://www.smith.edu/sfs/apply_prospective_international.php]Smith”>International Applicants | Smith College)
And somewhere in the common app there was a question that asked whether you were applying for aid. </p>

<p>You don’t have to apply for merit aid, all applicants are considered automatically, but it’s a lot harder for internationals to get merit aid. You see, the point of merit aid is to make exceptional students pick Smith over other schools like Amherst or Williams, but international students usually have to be above the average domestic applicant just to be able to get into any school that covers full need. While a domestic applicant with exceptional stats will get a STRIDE or Zollman, an international with the same stats will simply get financial aid because they’ll be an average international applicant. I don’t know any international students who got merit aid, although maybe there are some. I seem to recall one poster who was from France and got a STRIDE, but that was quite a while ago.
And this is my own theory, but I think yield is higher for international students, so there’s little reason for Smith to give them merit aid if they already know they will accept the offer. </p>

<p>Finally, if you’re planning on applying ED or EDII (I applied EDII), it’s even less likely you’ll get merit aid because it’s binding, so the college knows you will attend.</p>

[oshoblessed]

<p>Thank you all…your posts were informative!</p>

[vonlost]

<p>“Finally, if you’re planning on applying ED or EDII (I applied EDII), it’s even less likely you’ll get merit aid because it’s binding, so the college knows you will attend.”</p>

<p>But if the money offered (aid + merit) is not to the applicant’s liking, she will decline the ED offer and apply RD elsewhere. For a school that offers merit money to the applicants it wants the most, it’s especially important for the sweetener to be offered at ED time!</p>

[CrewDad]

<p>

You see, the point of merit aid is to make exceptional students pick Smith over other schools like Amherst or Williams

</p>

<p>Correct!</p>

<p>I suppose it’s possible, but I’m not aware of Smith ever giving a STRIDE award to an ED applicant. </p>

<p>Additionally:

The STRIDE award forms a part of students’ federally determined financial aid. Merit awards cannot be added on top of student’s federally determined need. The STRIDE award will not affect the total amount of aid packages for students receiving more than $15,000 in financial aid.

</p>

[vonlost]

<p>More info:

Students who apply early, whether early action or early decision, are more likely to receive merit-based aid at colleges that award such aid. These students are granted awards before the college has exhausted the pool of money during the regular admissions cycle.

<a href=“Part 5: Answers to Readers' Questions About Scholarships - The New York Times”>Part 5: Answers to Readers' Questions About Scholarships - The New York Times;

[photodad]

<p>I don’t think that quote from thechoice applies to the STRIDE awards. It may be true at schools where the merit awards are determined solely on the basis of test scores and GPAs, but the STRIDE awards take other factors into account. As with CrewDad, I haven’t heard of an ED applicant getting a STRIDE.</p>

[CrewDad]

<p>It’s not a surprise that the NYT doesn’t have the facts correct </p>

<p>The STRIDE was designed to increase the yield of high-achieving RD applicants. If I’m not mistaken, Mount Holyoke’s merit awards are used for the same purpose.</p>

<p>

The STRIDE program is an admission incentive program," said Dean of Enrollment Audrey Smith. The program is offered to a small percentage of incoming first-years, and pairs students with faculty members working on a variety of research projects. STRIDE is designed to increase the yield of high-achieving students, or the percentage of these students accepted to Smith that choose to enroll, Smith said.

Peter de Villiers, the faculty coordinator of the STRIDE program, says the research scholarships have doubled the acceptance rate for high-performing students since the program was instituted.

It’s only possible to double acceptance rates (i.e., yield) for RD admits.</p>

<p>Wake Forest discourages students from applying ED if they require a merit award to enroll.</p>

<p>

For those planning to apply for financial aid or whose enrollment is contingent on merit based aid, or for those who have misunderstood the binding nature of our early decision policy, we strongly encourage you to move your application from Early Decision to Regular Decision

</p>

<p>[Frequently</a> Asked Questions: Early Decision](<a href=“Student Financial Aid | Wake Forest University”>Student Financial Aid | Wake Forest University)</p>

<p>

As for merit aid, some colleges are very clear about their merit-aid policies. You’ll even find specific information posted on their Web sites that explains merit-aid amounts and criteria. When the policies are that clear-cut, then merit aid will be the same for early and regular candidates.

</p>

<p>

More commonly, however, the best merit aid awards may be saved for uncommitted students. Rarely is there ever a financial “reward” for students who apply early, though even here there is no consistency.

[Financial</a> Aid and Early Decision - Ask The Dean](<a href=“http://www.collegeconfidential.com/dean/archives/000198.htm]Financial”>http://www.collegeconfidential.com/dean/archives/000198.htm)</p>

<p>Another twist:

If you do choose to apply to Vanderbilt under the Early Decision I or II deadline, however, be aware that merit scholarship recipients are not notified of their selection until late March of their senior year. If you are admitted under the Early Decision I or II decision plan, you will have to commit to attend Vanderbilt without knowing if you will be offered a merit scholarship. You will receive a tentative need-based financial aid award if you complete the CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE application for financial aid online and submit it simultaneously with your Early Decision application for admission, but you will not receive notification of merit scholarship awards prior to either of the Early Decision deadlines to commit to Vanderbilt. So you may want to ask Vanderbilt to move you into the Regular Decision pool if you know for sure you cannot attend without merit aid.

</p>

[vonlost]

<p>“It’s not a surprise that the NYT doesn’t have the facts correct”</p>

<p>Just curious, which facts? NYT doesn’t mention STRIDE; it’s a general piece, not meant to apply to every school, with no exceptions.</p>

[Danielle2400]

<p>In answer to your initial query, you must fill out and submit both the CSS Profile (and if the parents are divorced or seperated the Non-Custodial Parent Profile) as well as the FAFSA to receive both institutional and federal based aid at Smith College.</p>

[CrewDad]

<p>By facts I wasn’t referring only to the STRIDE. The NYT made a blanket statement that students who apply ED are more likely to receive merit-based awards. Having heard otherwise from numerous credible sources, I disagree. Apparently, so does CC’s Dean ;)</p>

<p>

More commonly, however, the best merit aid awards may be saved for uncommitted students. Rarely is there ever a financial “reward” for students who apply early, though even here there is no consistency.

</p>

[vonlost]

<p>The same Dean also says:

Question: I am a parent who is wondering if a college may cut the amount of the aid package offered to a student who applies ED knowing that, once accepted, the student is bound to attend? Or do they reward ED by offering more early?</p>

<p>The answer to your question is a resounding “It depends.” That’s probably not the response you were looking for, but unfortunately–just like so many other aspects of the admission process–the way that financial assistance decisions are made for early applicants varies from college to college.

I thinks there’s no single answer, no consensus, few facts.</p>

[brie99]

<p>Smith uses STRIDE (merit aid) to secure those students they want whom they fear may go to “other, similar schools”. Thus, if you have a strong application, you might NOT want to apply ED. </p>

<p>My D applied to many similar schools, all RD. They, and other schools, tried to attract her with merit aid, but it was Smith that was successful.</p>

<p>She chose Smith, and could not be happier.</p>