financial aid a school that promises 10,000 and up a year in aid please help!

<p>Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: NE, PA
Posts: 5 schools that promise 10,000 and up in aid is that a one year deal? Please help. </p>

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<p>Thank you in advance for reading my post. I am taking my daughter for a private meeting at Kings college in Pa on Monday. My daughter really has her heart set on this school which is a catholic school.She has already been accepted there. I am very worried about the cost! She keeps on saying " Mom they give 10,000 to 15,000 a year in aid every year to over 95% of the kids " Now I have been told from a friend that a student from another private college Desalles, was awared several thousand the first year but then not the second year.This poor kid had to transfer out because the cost was going to be far to high. Can anyone tell me if this is a catch with some colleges or PRIVATE colleges??? Do they give you all this money the first year and then students end up transfering out after their first year. I do not want to see my daughter go to the school she has been dreaming of and then have it be taken away from her after her freshman year. I would rather have her looking at more affordable colleges, which we have done, but I do not want to go to Kings on MOnday and have smoke blown up out behinds out money that is promised for possibly only one year!
I am new at all this and it so scary. I also want to be able to understand all this and know fact from fiction.
I want the best experience for my daughter.
Again I thank everyone who takes the time to give me advice with this. It means so very much to me and my husband.
Jessica</p>

<p>you need to go to the financial aid section of the schools website or call the financial aid office. is the money need based or merit? if need based the amount could change each year based on your fafsa submission. If merit it could change based on eligibility requirements ie if she needs to maintain a certain gpa to continue to be qualified. Some monies are renewable some aren't so you need to know what it is they are offering.</p>

<p>I replied to you at the financial aid forum.</p>

<p>The situation that you may have described might have involved the need to maintain a certain GPA, and the student failed to meet that standard. It's amazing how many students do not manage their class loads so that they don't have too many "hard" classes in one semester which can cause their GPA's to drop below the scholarship benchmark. </p>

<p>This should be a "heads up" for parents who have children who must maintain a GPA to keep the scholarship. It is important that you constantly remind your kid to balance easier classes with harder classes within a semester so as to not get overwelmed. I have also had my son sign up for maximum credits so that he can drop any class that he doesn't like (or may not be doing well in), but still be considered a "full-time" student to maintain his scholarship. </p>

<p>Or, if this person received financial aid and his/her parents' income increased (or perhaps a sibling graduated) to the point that they no longer qualified, then that could decrease or eliminate F/A for the following year.</p>

<p>Kings College website info... On Financial Aid and Merit Scholarships...</p>

<p>While college is never inexpensive, King’s strives to make the costs of an education here as accessible and affordable as possible. In 2008, our average scholarship was $10,100 with awards ranging up to $24,680. Over 95% of all students attending King's College receive financial assistance in the form of scholarship, grant, loan and work-study programs funded by federal, state, institutional and private sources so don’t let cost deter you from applying to King’s. </p>

<p>Because every situation is unique, we encourage students to apply for financial aid regardless of their family circumstances. Only after you have applied and been considered for all available assistance will you have a true idea of what your cost will be. </p>

<p>The Office of Financial Aid is here to educate you about the various financial aid programs available and to answer your questions. We’ll make the application process as simple and painless as possible because our goal is have you join us at King’s. Contact us at 1-888-Kings-PA or <a href="mailto:finaid@kings.edu">finaid@kings.edu</a>.</p>

<p>Merit Scholarships........................................................................</p>

<p>KING'S COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIPS </p>

<p>PRESIDENTIAL SCHOLARSHIPS - Recipients of this full-tuition scholarship are chosen based on the highest level of academic achievement and are in the top 5% of high school class with minimum SAT's of 1870 (ACT 28) and a minimum GPA of 3.5. A campus interview is required. Eight to twelve scholarships are offered annually. To be considered, the student must be accepted for admission by February 1. </p>

<p>MOREAU SCHOLARSHIPS - Recipients of this scholarship are in the top 15% of their high school class with minimum SAT's* of 1650 (ACT 25) and a minimum GPA of 3.0. a campus interview is strongly recommended. Award range $11,500 - $14,500. </p>

<p>CHRISTI REGIS SCHOLARSHIPS - Recipients of this scholarship are in the top 25% of their high school class with minimum SAT's* of 1570 (ACT 23) and a minimum GPA of 3.0. Award range $7,500 - $11,000.</p>

<p>MONSIGNOR ANDREW J. MCGOWAN HISPANIC SCHOLARSHIP - Four year Full Tuition Scholarship. Open to first generation college students of Hispanic Heritage who have applied and been accepted to King's College by February 1st. Applicants must have a 3.2 GPA or higher, and demonstrate financial need as determine by the FAFSA. Applicants must be residents of Lackawanna or Luzerne County. A campus interview is required. Contact the McGowan Hispanic Outreach Program at King's College at 570-208-5900 Ext. 5466 for additional information.</p>

<p>Pace.... I just wanted to add...</p>

<p>It is VERY important that your d still apply to some "financial safeties" (which might be your state's schools) in case her F/A packages don't meet your family's need. </p>

<p>We know of a girl who refused to apply to her state unis and only applied to her "dream schools." Well, the spring F/A packages were not enough for her parents to afford the difference. This girl had to hastily apply to her state's schools, even tho she was past the scholarship deadlines. She got accepted, but did not receive the merit money that she would have received if she had applied in the fall. Needless to say, her parents are annoyed.</p>

<p>You are right to worry about "renewable" scholarships. I remember at my alma mater, you definitely wanted to get a 4 year scholarship, not a 1 year renewable scholarship. Sure, you had to maintain a GPA to keep your 4 year scholarship. But it seemed that the 1 year renewable scholarship wasn't renewed very often.</p>

<p>You need to read the conditions of any merit based financial aid award carefully so that you know the terms under which it will be renewed. Usually that is a minimum GPA requirement and taking a full time courseload.</p>

<p>Re: need based aid...you reapply for that every year. If the school doesn't meet full need, their award to you could vary from year to year. There is no way to predict the future awards. However, you CAN have a candid talk with the financial aid folks and ask "assuming our financial situation doesn't change, will my daughter's grant be the same or near the same in subsequent years?" No guarantees...but at least you will know their answer.</p>

<p>Keep in mind also, that if your D gets $10,000 for her freshman year and keeps the same award for four years, you will likely be facing increased out of pocket costs simply because the cost of attendance is likely to increase about 5% per year.</p>