<p>My D will not qualify for need-based aid. She likely WILL qualify for merit-based scholarship at some of the schools she's applying to.</p>
<p>My Question is: If she checks the box that says "I do NOT intend on applying for need-based aid" will that diminish her chances for merit money?</p>
<p>If she checks "I do intend to apply for need-based aid" will that diminish her chance at acceptance? All non-Ivy schools; northeast; mix of public and private, mostly OOS.
3.7 avg. 2030SAT</p>
<p>If a school gives merit money that is attached to need, then your D would not get that, regardless of what box she checks. However, purely merit awards having nothing to do with need are based only on grades/test scores/etc. We check the “intend to apply” box and fill out the FAFSA so that we can get unsub loans, even though we have not yet qualified for need.</p>
<p>For the MOST part, merit money is just that, for merit. A Trump kid could get scholarships. However, at some schools, there are some "merit within need’ scholarships where need is a component, and a student may have to apply for financial aid to be eligble. In my experience, there is merit and there is need, for the most part. Merit money is usually awarded by admissions to try to get the students they most want to come to the school. Need is distributed by the financial aid department. If the departments are merged into one, there may be some going back and forth. You do have to look at each school to see how they are set up. Schools that state that they are need blind in admissions, tend to be just that. You can point blank ask if there is hedging on that issue. Most schools are need blind for admissions. If you are looking for merit awards, you have to look carefully and ask what the requirements are to be considered because some of them do require separate applications with earlier deadlines than the general application is due, and may need additional info. If your daughter is applying for next fall, you should check this out right away because some of those deadlines are very early.</p>
<p>As I stated above, most schools are need blind for admissions. There are only a very small group of schools that are not and they tend to be the more selective schools that meet most if not all need. Johns Hopkins, Wesleyan , Gettysburg, CMU, Wash U are some examples. The list changes each year, so ask if it is not clear on the website. Most of the time the way it is worded is that “Most all applicants are evaluated on a need blind basis”, and schools that do not guarantee to meet full need but come close, often say, “we meet most all need for most students” A lot of “mosts” but reading closely, you can tell it’s not ALL. At those schools that are need aware, yes, checking the need based box COULD diminish her chance at acceptance. It depends greatly on where she falls in the applicant qualifcations and how the school does its admissions. It also can make a difference if the need is $5K vs $50K. A school can do well meeting 100% of need when the students’ needs are in the low range. In the upper range, the need money disappears fast. </p>
<p>If your DD is looking at OOS schools, do look to see what the money situation is at such schools. Many OOS schools are strapped in terms of meeting need for their own state residents and are looking at OOS students for extra money, not to pay for them unless they have the stats that really want, and often that is addressed by admissions with the merit money. </p>
<p>Do be aware that schools that are need aware for admissions can have penalties for those students who apply checking “no need” and then apply for aid later. They are fully aware that kids do this to better their chances for admissions. So make sure such penalties are not in place. For those schools that are truly need blind in admissions, they usually don’t care as you just miss out on that first year for aid as they would have taken you anyways whether you asked and qualified for the aid or not. Your loss, not theirs. </p>
<p>Even if your D does not apply for financial aid at the school, she can fill out FAFSA and gain eligibility for the Stafford Direct Loans ($5500 freshman year) and for you to be able to appply for PLUS (parent DIrect loans), and any state monies that might be availabe. She may even be able to find a work study spot still open when she gets there. The checking off of the box regarding not applying for need based aid is only for money that is the school’s own including some government money that the school sponsores and opts to have, but not DIrect Loans.</p>
<p>Do try out some NPC on the websites of the schools she has in mind to get some idea what kind of aid such schools might give. It’s mostly a mesh of merit and need, but by going on some sites where the school is need blind and gives only need based aid, you can get some idea, along with the EFC what kind of money you are expected to come up with and if there is any chance of getting need based awards at a given school. Caution with the calculators as they are new and some of them are a mish mash of averages includeing merit and need numbers.</p>
<p>My daughter also applied 2 years ago to a mix of schools known for merit aid.
My daughter had similar stats, and a few schools required the CSS profile for merit aid.
Fordham wanted her to also fill out the FAFSA.
She received merit aid offers between 8,000 and 18,000.
She now attends a school that offered her 12,000 merit aid.
The year that she applied I received 16 months severance,5 mos salary at my original company, 2 months unemployment and 5 mos salary at my new company. My husband also earned 12 mos salary. So our income was extremely high that year, so FAFSA was not remotely reasonable.</p>
<p>*Help: Merit only; not need-based aid
My D will not qualify for need-based aid. She likely WILL qualify for merit-based scholarship at some of the schools she’s applying to.</p>
<p>My Question is: If she checks the box that says “I do NOT intend on applying for need-based aid” will that diminish her chances for merit money?</p>
<p>If she checks “I do intend to apply for need-based aid” will that diminish her chance at acceptance? All non-Ivy schools; northeast; mix of public and private, mostly OOS.
3.7 avg. 2030SAT
*</p>
<p>For merit that is true “merit based” then it won’t matter what box you check. However, be sure to see if there are any scholarship apps and deadlines for the various schools. </p>
<p>What is your D’s Math + CR score. Usually merit is based on that, not the entire SAT score. </p>
<p>Are you desiring significant merit? Is your D applying to ANY schools that would give her ASSURED merit for her stats? That might be a good idea.</p>