Financial Aid policy: Hotchkiss vs. St. Paul's

Hello all,
Wondering if any of you could shed some insight into the differences in FA policy between these two schools. We recently scheduled an interview with Hotchkiss, with a confirmation email response that read “FINANCIAL AID INTERVIEW SCHEDULED ON 10/. . . .” I have to say I was a little shocked, and rather put-off by it! Talk about putting applicants into two different piles from the VERY beginning. On the other hand, we just received SPS’s information and their financial aid brochure states, “We make admission decisions independent of financial need.” Are they need-blind?

Thanks in advance for your insight!

That must have been some weird glitch in the Hotchkiss email, as I just asked someone I know who has a child applying for next year and has indicated they will need financial aid, and the email they received confirming the interview did not say what yours did. That said, Hotchkiss is not need-blind (though it is quite generous with FA). St. Paul’s isn’t entirely need blind either, though they apparently try to get as close to it as possible. This is what the St. Paul’s website says on the subject:
Will applying for financial aid affect my child’s chances for admission?
A. St. Paul’s provides need-based financial aid to all admitted students who demonstrate need, but the admission process is not 100 percent need-blind. In limited cases a family’s need for financial aid may influence an admission decision.

@soxmom --thanks for your input. Very interesting about Hotchkiss, too!

A financial aid interview is potentially a great opportunity to ask questions. See it as a welcome mat, not a judgement?

IMO, just compare the percentages of students on FA AND average FA packages to determine which school has better FA program. The rest is “noise”.

SPS parent here. We heard many times during the admissions process that they would never let money keep a child from attending SPS. If they want your kid, the money will follow.

@SimpleSimon-- that is amazing to hear. All good points posted. It’s for us to start analyzing the numbers! DC will most likely apply to both schools. It is, however, sounding like we should prioritize St. Paul’s due to their generous FA policy (and the fact that it seems like a good fit!). Casting a wider net for DC2 this year–dubbed in this HH the FA Net.

My child receives substantial financial aid from a small school with a small endowment. I think there are many factors to aid that you can’t predict. If I had run the numbers I would have convinced myself it wasn’t going to happen, but it did. You just toss your hat in the ring, and see how it goes.

My son (class of '18) is currently at Hotchkiss and received almost a full ride. We never had a financial aid interview. Hotchkiss is extremely generous and discreet. The kids have no idea who receives FA and who doesn’t. We are from the Midwest and visited/interviewed at both schools.

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Interesting, thanks!

Hi @itcannotbetrue!

I don’t know of another prep school that comes close to the financial aid generosity of SPS.

From their website:
"* Consider a household income of $125,000 per year or less as qualifying for full financial aid.

  • Families with an annual income of less than $250,000 will not pay more than 10% of their income toward tuition per year."

That is far, far more generous that other top tier BSs or even well-endowed colleges.

Best of luck!