<p>Hello!
I'm seriously considering Oberlin for next year, and am especially interested in the double degree program. I was accepted to the college and will hopefully be accepted to the conservatory this week.
My question is about financial aid in the event that I start a double degree but decide to drop one or the other. As I understand it, I'm eligible for scholarships from both divisions if I'm in the program, but those scholarships don't transfer if I drop out of one or the other. If I come in with scholarships from both, drop out of one and find that I can't afford school without that aid, will the division I'm staying in be able to cover the difference? More broadly, if anyone can speak about their experiences dropping one or the other degrees, that would be appreciated.</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>If you drop the Conservatory, the merit aid that they grant you will not transfer to the college. Need-based aid would remain the same, however. If you drop the College, then your aid would prob remain the same. The Conservatory has more merit-based aid to give its students than the College does.</p>
<p>The College also offers merit-based aid, which would be lost if you choose to go performance alone. My son received aid from both sides, which makes Oberlin–besides its other merits–especially attractive. In the other dual-degree programs to which he applied, he’d have to pick the best offer. On the other hand, for us, it will lock him into completing both degrees (or transferring out) because we need both packages to be able to finance his education over 5 years. I kind of like this being locked-in because I’m sure juggling both interests will be challenging for him sometimes, and knowing that he has to in order to stay at the college he loves will help him stay with the program. At least, that’s my current thinking! :)</p>