<p>what would happen if i was going to a school where everything is paid, but i get a third party scholarship in which they will send me a check that will be payable to the school i choose, would that money go to waste? or will i be given that money by the school?</p>
<p>If your full ride is need based aid then in most cases outside scholarships will reduce need and reduce aid. If it is an actual full ride (merit based) then generally you get to keep the money. You would need to check with the school in question for a definitive answer.</p>
<p>Typically, a “full ride” merit scholarship does NOT pay for full cost of attendance. Most times, it covers tuition, room, board and books. So, your other scholarships would go towards the “other” expenses included in COA…like Personal expenses…and …Transportation.</p>
<p>What all does your full ride merit scholarship cover?</p>
<p>It really depends on the school. I know of one school that will let full ride students keep up to $1500 in outside scholarship money a year for misc expenses.</p>
<p>Yes. If the full ride is need based, the outside scholarships will reduce your grant from the college. If that is the case, check with the outside scholarship donor to see if they will defer payment until graduate school. Then you will have some funding for grad school while not loosing any of your undergrad financial aid.</p>