<p>How common is it for second tier, or third tier schools to pay for flights for midrange accepted students to do an overnight visit after they are accepted? How common is it for them to pay for a portion of the flight cost? Also, for schools which offer a merit scholarship, but then ask a hs senior to come to campus during senior year and compete for additional scholarship money, how common is it for the college to pay for some or all of the airfare costs?</p>
<p>NEMom,
I haven't heard of any school paying for flights unless the student is an athlete or perhaps competing for a full ride scholarship. Of course, YMMV.</p>
<p>ebeeeee, that is interesting. One school did offer to pay for half of our son's airfare (with a dollar limit, but it was generous) to do an overnight after his acceptance. The offer was made to us and our son after our son interviewed, but before the admissions counselor saw a transcript or test scores (our son has not taken standardized tests yet). Our son did give the counselor an idea about his course load to date and grades. Our son does have some things going for him that this school would like, and our son told us that he felt the interview went very well.</p>
<p>If they're mandatory, I believe all schools pay for students attending their scholarship interviews (at least the ones I'm familiar with do). As a matter of fact, since schools are trying to get top students to attend, they tend to wine and dine them. </p>
<p>I haven't heard of any schools that pay for accepted students to visit, although I've hear that people sometimes ask and have some luck.</p>
<p>nmf's and other top students will sometimes get offers of $$$'s towards travel reimbursement. seems to me like several schools offered up to $150.00 for the trip. seems to me like it was texas tech or texas a & m with the offer of the $$$'s for travel reimbursement.</p>
<p>ucf paid flight and hotel for d and h to visit their school.</p>
<p>at some schools d was already accepted and at others the offer was extended even though she hadn't applied yet.</p>
<p>we're approaching fall.........good to get those admission apps in early........by the end of november whenever possible ! don't forget about getting scholarship apps in early too !</p>
<p>
[quote]
Also, for schools which offer a merit scholarship, but then ask a hs senior to come to campus during senior year and compete for additional scholarship money, how common is it for the college to pay for some or all of the airfare costs?
[/quote]
My younger son's university (not anywhere near a top-tier school, and on the opposite coast of the US from us) offered a $400 reimbursement of his travel costs to their merit scholarship interview weekend, as a deduction against first year charges if he matriculated. He did, and received the $400 which paid for his airfare; he stayed with relatives nearby so his expenditures were essentially zero.</p>
<p>My counselor contacted me pretty early in my senior year because a school (I can't remember which school because I really wasn't too interested) wanted to fly any student out of the top 10% of my school who wanted to come VISIT. This was before applications even went out. I remember thinking that it was kind of weird, but I don't think any of us ended up going.</p>
<p>I was not referring to NMF or top students, or tops schools. Just talking about 2nd and maybe 3rd tiers and B/B+ students. The offer that my son got was made without his even asking. We were suprised that this offer was made before he even applied, but were happy about it. Also the offer to pay half the airfare was not under the condition that he matriculates there. I would not consider that to be a real offer to assist with our son's travel costs.</p>
<p>By contrast, one school mentioned that our son might qualify for a merit scholarship, and then he would be invited to compete on campus for more money. Frankly, I was a little put off by that, because I really do not want to spend money flying him in and out without knowing the bottom line. I have not asked if the school would pay for son's travel costs. If our son is serious about this school, perhaps we will call and ask. They have waived their application fee, so there is nothing to lose with respect to that.</p>
<p>^This sounds like the same type of thing. Most of us at my school that received the offer were B/B+ students.</p>
<p>^Oh really, that is interesting. Thanks.</p>
<p>If they're mandatory, I believe all schools pay for students attending their scholarship interviews (at least the ones I'm familiar with do). >></p>
<p>Not necessarily. My daughter's college requires an on-campus interview for their largest merit scholarship. They do not, to my knowledge, pay for airfare. However, most of the kids who get invited get a fairly large merit scholarship, so if it's close to the top of your list, paying for the flight is a good investment. :)</p>
<p>I remember Fordham twice offered my D paid overnight visits. Both weekend visit offers were after she had been accepted to the college and received a scholarship but before she had been accepted into their honors program. (Neither weekend worked out with her senior year class schedule so she never did get back there to visit while school was in session - she only saw the campus in the summer.) We thought that was really nice of them to offer.</p>
<p>One of the colleges my son was interested in offered a travel voucer to him to come visit but it was BEFORE he applied. My son would have been in the top 10-15% of students but it was a tier 3 school, too.</p>
<p>Allegheny college paid for my son to go out for an accepted students weekend. I think they paid up to $100 for a flight and then the weekend was free. Son got a cheap ticket from PHL to Pittsburgh where they picked him up on a shuttle bus. Even got a free umbrella! B student. Both daughter and son did a three day visit to my daughters (to be) college where the college paid all but $100 for their flights. That was PHL to STL. College paid for everything else. Both schools had visit information on their websites, it wasn't just for students with certain stats.</p>
<p>momofthreeboys, did your son show interest in that school prior to their offer?</p>
<p>Kathiep, thanks for your post. I was trying to find this information about Allegheny, just to see where this info might be posted for other schools. I must be missing something, but I did not see this information. That was a nice offer from Allegheny, as well as a very nice offer from your D's school.</p>
<p>This is quite common at the graduate school level -- and not just for mid-range schools, the upper tier does it, too. But I've only heard of it being done at the undergraduate level for URM or disadvantaged students who might not otherwise be able to visit the campus.</p>
<p>marian.......you mentioned graduate levels. how about law schools?</p>
<p>northeastmom.......sometimes the offers of reimbursement comes after the student shows interest in the college........emailing them, calling them, submitting appplication, etc.
just a suggestion.......maybe a good place to start is to not only contact the admissions office but also the honors department if they are interested in an honors program. if they have a particular major.......contact that department as well. go ahead and ask if reimbursement is a possibility.</p>
<p>NE Mom, That was an accepted students visit in April. I just did a google search and couldn't find anything, which is weird because usually even up-to-date things usually surface and I got to the third "o" in google without turning up anything. Could be that they don't do it anymore. </p>
<p>I can understand not having it on their website now because it would be prohibitively expensive if lots of people took advantage of it. I mean, we didn't even pay for applying and by getting the cheap Southwest flight, it hardly cost anything for son to get a real good look at the college. And he was offered pretty good merit money too.</p>
<p>northeastmom - yes, he was interested in the school and had contacted them for information, etc. At that point it was prior to applications, but he had sent his junior ACT scores (which were quite good for that particular school). The travel offer came before he actually applied. He did visit, but did not use the travel voucher. He did apply but turned down the offer for a different school</p>
<p>Momofthreeboys, and Kathiep thanks. </p>
<p>Momofthreeboys, the school that offered to pay half our son's airfare did so after he interviewed. I looked on their website to see if this is an offer available to all, and I did not see it there. That makes me feel good about son's chances there!</p>