@hailtopitt1787
I am looking over the Class of 2020 Merit Scholarship Recipients discussion on earlier posts and want to know about the timeline for this year compared to last year. Some on that discussion say they were notified in their letter of acceptance that they were nominated for the Chancellor’s Scholarship. The same post said they were notified of the Honors College acceptance in that same letter of acceptance for admission. This is different from our experience this year. My D received an email, a letter of acceptance, a separate letter notifying her of her acceptance into the Honors College, and yet another letter about being accepted into the GAP. For those who have already been accepted, will any notification of Chancellor’s invitations be included in a scholarship notification letters this year rather than letters of acceptance?
I am wondering if it’s just that my D applied very early and received early notification of acceptance, too early to get scholarship information out at the same pace? I believe you have said scholarship decisions were being made in October.
Just curious about the timeline. Thanks in advance for any help you can provide!
@flashk, Yes, it is great that she applied early! But that would be the reason that she hasn’t heard about scholarships yet. The Scholarship Committee starts meeting in October. They meet weekly and make decisions through the spring. If your daughter is selected for a scholarship, she won’t be notified until later on this year.
@hailtopitt1787 Is there anyway to know if they looked at your app and decided not to give you a scholarship? Also if I applied soon would it be reasonable to get a decision and (hopefully!) scholarship info by the end of the year?
@classof2017, There is not a way to know at this time. The Scholarship Committee works hard to give everyone a thorough review and let you know ASAP. Unfortunately, I don’t have much more information to share with you at this time, since the Committee hasn’t even started meeting yet. I can share more as I get more info.
@TheDoctorPotter, They have not annouced that one way or the other. If you are trying to get at timing and when you might here back, here is what they shared with me: Those students who qualify for merit-based scholarships will be notified, by US mail, anytime between mid-November and mid-February. Ultimately, all students awarded a merit-based award are notified no later than March 1st. Because Pitt academic scholarships are so competitive, the Scholarship Committee reviews many admitted students more than once before making a final decision.
D is getting emails asking her to “Commit to Pitt” by sending in a tuition deposit. It’s kind of hard to do that without merit scholarship information. This is very stressful.
@flashk, While we do invite students to deposit as soon as they know Pitt is the right college for them, there isn’t any pressure for her to commit early. May 1 is the deposit deadline. Housing is not given out on a first-come, first-served basis and is not assigned until after the deposit deadline. She will know about scholarships/financial aid before the deposit deadline and should be fully equipped to make an informed decision about whether or not Pitt is the best option for her. If you or your daughter have any questions about the process, feel free to post them here or contact our office. We will be happy to help! 412-624-7488 or oafa@pitt.edu.