Agreed, but also some families (like ours) may prefer to not file the FAFSA. But yes, in that case you need to do some additional research.
3 Likes
Researching the merit money needing/not needing FAFSA question shouldn’t take all that long. This is where not having a list of 20+ schools can be very helpful…and if you want to pursue the 20+ school list, add some extra time for researching merit.
Spending 20 minutes or so per school figuring that out seems like a worthwhile trade for the 10s of thousands of $ possible.
4 Likes
Help your kids figure out a strategy for making their college (whichever college) MORE rigorous, not less. You don’t need to be at Cal Tech to have ample intellectual challenges. Most parents spend NO time researching “how to make this college with merit aid which is “beneath” my kid academically” a more satisfying academic experience.
Look through a few year’s worth of Rhodes, Marshall, Truman, Fulbright etc. fellowship winners. Yes, you’ll see the Harvard/Yale/Berkeley’s, but you also see state flagships, small colleges you’ve never heard of, etc. Ever ask “how and why?”
The why is the easy part- these young people win because they have distinguished themselves on campus. Their accomplishments are typically drop dead impressive. But the how? They’ve stretched themselves. They’ve opted for rigor, not ticket punching. They’ve spent their non-academic time doing interesting things besides beer pong and decorating their sorority for halloween.
“Chasing big merit” can also mean “chasing extreme intellectual challenge” if you approach it correctly.
9 Likes
I don’t think most really get it till they apply. I remember when our kids school counselor was suggesting schools for merit that we thought was “beneath” what we assumed he should apply to. But he did and got merit non the less. All good schools BTW but just not what the target was. Now I recommend those schools after being educated. Not having a lot of debt goes a very long way but when your 18 you just can’t see this.
6 Likes
I think this is the case with the majority of schools. I don’t know of any that would require the CSS, before or after matriculation, since that has nothing to do with federal aid. Some will require the FAFSA annually to receive a merit award… the schools want to see if federal aid can offset some of the cost of their merit funding. In this case, the majority don’t require the FAFSA until after matriculation; it is not tied to receiving the merit initially during the application process. There are exceptions to that, of course.
1 Like
(and ditto to family debt, parents having sufficient savings to retire on, etc.)
7 Likes
Layer into that you’re already going to be researching those schools for what programs apply, what the admissions criteria is, etc etc.
I know we hate to think of it as such but ultimately this whole thing is a business transaction. As parents/students we want to think there’s some altruism in play. If a University could do it, it would want 100% of its applicants to be high stat, full pay and apply ED (mix in demographic and other diversity criteria). As parents we want a clear and consistent approach from all colleges with no early decision commitment and a “fair” distribution of merit - of course everyone’s definition of fair is where they get the max merit $.
2 Likes
I don’t like the word "fair in this context.
It is no secret that the Jesuit colleges emphasize service as part of their mission- and therefore it should be no secret when a kid with “lower stats” gets a higher merit award than a kid with “higher stats” because of the demonstrated and consistent commitment to service as a teenager. This is “quite fair” and part of the college’s mission.
If you are looking for merit, you need to figure out who is interested in what your kid has to offer. No bungling, tone deaf pianist thinks they have a shot at Julliard- Julliard’s mission is NOT to democratize a conservatory education by admitting kids with rudimentary skills. Take that logic and apply it to the merit situation and you’ll be ahead of the curve.
8 Likes
Or avoid the possibility of a combination of Pell grant + full ride merit scholarship exceeding the cost of attendance (since total financial aid and scholarships cannot exceed the cost of attendance).
1 Like
Schools that require FAFSA for merit consideration do it for two reasons. One, as noted, is to determine if the student qualifies for federal aid (Pell) that could offset the school’s portion of an award. The other reason is that donors often insist on language in an endowed scholarship that wants there to be some financial need on the part of the awardee. In such a case, that particular scholarship fund would not be used to fund merit for a student with EFC greater than COA … instead, a student with a lower EFC would be awarded money from that fund. The student with the higher EFC would get money from a different fund.
10 Likes
Thanks for the additional insight.
There is no fairness in this process. No absolute, common definition of merit, no absolute, consistent definition of financial need, etc. The expectation of fairness is the problem as much as the process itself.
I have yet to hear a single parent refer to a religious school offering merit money to students who identify with that faith as an issue of fairness, and I’ve toured a lot of colleges.
1 Like
Shouldn’t colleges get to distribute their financial aid money in the manner they want though? How it fits their mission, institutional priorities, etc?
If one has to rely on others to help fund college, they have to accept that institution’s rules/policies/priorities.
17 Likes
That would be perfectly acceptable if they were not federally funded, even partially. I believe there are a few colleges like this in the country, but very few and never mentioned in the broader conversation on CC.
Private money from unrestricted gifts, tuition, and revenue, yes.
And if they are receiving both state and federal funding? No, they should not have absolute say over their shifting priorities.
Do you want transparency? Apply to one of the military academies. It’s there in black and white- we give you a free college education (and a rigorous one), courtesy of the taxpayers, and in exchange, this is what you owe the armed services.
I am trying to follow your arguments but am having trouble. Do you object to federal and state funding, do you object to non-profit institutions determining their own strategic agendas, do you object to the reality that priorities change over time? Do you think colleges established in the 19th century shouldn’t be allowed to have departments of computer science???
1 Like
I understand that the idea that college administrators should not have absolute say over all sources of revenue to their institution might be upsetting to them, but my opinion doesn’t matter. I believe that is also how it works and why the federal government takes an interest in nonprofit higher ed at all. Federal monies should not come without strings attached to anyone, IMO.
1 Like
That is where much of, maybe most of the FA funds come from at a given school, aside from the piece schools get from the Feds e.g, pell grants, etc.
8 Likes
I don’t think I understand your point but will do my best to enlighten. Not all religious schools limit merit to kids who identify with the schools faith.
My non Catholic son was offered a significant merit award at Notre Dame. Seemed pretty fair to me that they wanted to reward kids who hit certain academic and community service standards. I suspect to other parents that might not have seemed “fair”.
The thing about terms like “fairness” it will never be a standard agreed upon by all.
5 Likes
Federal money DOES have strings attached.
Universities with huge research contracts from DOD, NSA, NASA-- these contracts come with the ultimate in strings-- a significant contract requires full time employees to monitor how the money is spent, when the money is spent, what efforts at compliance have been made and who monitors compliance, etc. Massive, massive strings.
This has nothing to do with anyone’s opinion- this how federal money gets spent and accounted for.
What money do you think shows up without strings attached???
Pell- colleges need to verify that a student getting Pell is- in fact- eligible. Parents hate this. Students hate this. You can’t just get your Pell and then spend four years drinking coffee at the campus student lounge- you don’t maintain your enrollment eligibility, you lose your money.
What federal money are you talking about that doesn’t require “strings” of some sort?
8 Likes
Depends on the school. Lots of schools are very transparent on merit. Hit X gpa abd sometimes GPA/test score, get x $ of merit.
Others are very clear on their NPCs.
3 Likes