<p>I've applied to Exeter for ninth grade entrance and my family is relatively impecunious/poor. I know that Exeter as well as the other boarding schools I've applied to are outrageously expensive so financial aid is so important for my family. However, when I was reading the paper for applying for financial aid at Exeter, they said that an applicant applying for financial aid may be in a more competitive position for admittance. When I was reading the other papers for St.Paul's and Andover, they said applying for financial aid will in no way stifle chances for admittance. So I wonder if Exeter is need-blind and if they make a way for students who aren't as well off since of course, they do want students from "every quarter". It's surprising because exeter is practically THE wealthiest out of the boarding schools with a 500 million dollar endowment. However, Andover put aside 7.5 million for financial aid compared to exeter that puts aside 4.5 million for financial aid, and both have around the same number of students. If any of you know about how Exeter is financially to students in need or how generous they are with grants and scholarships, I'd appreciate a reply. Thanks.</p>
<p>Exeter from my understanding is need blind, If they want you and you need funds, they will provide you with the funds.</p>
<p>no it's not.
It even says so on the app booklet.
Quote word for word
"Because Exeter's funds are limited, students who are applicants for financial aid may be in a more competitive situation for admission to the Academy. Families that anticipate needing financial aid at any time duuring their child's career at Exeter should apply for aid at the time of the admissions application"</p>
<p>but note that it says "may be in a more competitive situation". But that probably means yes anyway</p>
<p>there are two different questions you're asking</p>
<p>1) are they need blind in admissions?
answer: it does not appear so</p>
<p>2) do they meet full demonstrated need?
answer: maybe. do they meet some need? I would guess so. You may want/need to ask more questions to get a more solid answer on this.</p>
<p>I stand corrected</p>
<p>I'm at Exeter now (senior) - Admissions aren't needblind yet, but we are half way in a $300 million endowment campaign (the "Exeter Initiatives"), a large part of which is earmarked for making Exeter need blind. The scholarships are pretty generous already though, I think.</p>
<p>nuntius, can you share about her experience at Exeter? Where you there for 4 yrs and if so, how was the transition in your first year? Please be as boldy honest regarding your grades in middle school and then at Exeter. thanks!</p>
<p>Wow. I'm shocked that Exeter is not need blind. They have crazy money and yet they look at whether ot not a students family can afford the tuition rather than considering that there are many students who are smart but happen to be poor. I've lost a lot of respect for the school and I think that there is no valid excuse for them to not be need-blind. As I said, they have one of the largest endowments and they are not need blind. What wrong with that picture???</p>
<p>nope, definitely not need blind... it's a top prep school, they can do whatever they want... they definitely give significant aid, but... it's a consideration, not all of the poorer students who apply are smart enough i guess</p>
<p>yep, NO is the answer i believe</p>
<p>KKL, that's a silly conclusion........</p>
<p>Whatever KKL. Plently of poor students are smart enough for a school like Exeter and we bring something unique to the table. We don't depend on a legacy or our parents wealth to get us success. Clearly you are uneducated about a broad spectrum of people and their personal financial circumstances.</p>
<p>Yes, I'm a four year senior. I'm also a day student (I live right in town, about a five minute walk away from campus). That said, the "transition" was not too tough. I didn't have to deal with boarding, and I've had siblings who attended, so I pretty much knew what to expect. My grades at middle school were good; the local school, CMS, is not terribly competitive. I and another student (also a four year senior at Exeter) won pretty much all of the school awards between us. My SSATs were 99th percentile across the board though. Not to say that it's a prerequisite, because plenty of my classmates didn't score as highly, but that gives you an idea of my academic standing. My grades now are on the high side of decent - a 9.4* something cum - although the Classics are not a strong point. For example, my midterm grades this year averaged a 9: 4 A-s and a C in Greek. Grade inflation certainly hasn't hit that department. Email me if you've got any other questions. *Exeter has an 11 point scale. A = 11, A-=10, B+=9, etc</p>
<p>Rawm, you're a little too quick in jumping to conclusions about Exeter's admissions process. We're not a bunch of blueblooded trust-fund babies, and we don't get shipped off to Ivy League colleges by the score after graduating. The Exeter campus has quite a mix, whether measured by a socio-economic standard or pretty much any other. Crazy money or no, being need-blind requires a substantial amount of funding, especially if you plan on making that commitment permanent. The school has the biggest endowment of any prep school in the country, but it's tiny when compared to what most top-tier colleges have.</p>
<p>Exeter endowment: Approx. 700 Million US dollars (Similar to that of the University of Toronto's 1 Billion CND). Largest endowment of any U.S. high school.</p>
<p>Harvard endowment: A whopping 23 Billion US dollars. Largest endowment of any U.S. University.</p>
<p>Still disagree with the fact that Exeter is not need-blind regardless of how much funding it takes to make a way for students. Nuntius, I'm not junping to conclusions about Exeter's admissions process because I had an inkling that Exeter was not need-blind before and I still applied to the school and considered it with 100%. I'm also not saying that Exeter is " a bunch of blueblooded trust-fund babies" because having a trust-fund doesn't always define wealth. My point is Exeter is not need-blind therefore they look at how much a family is going to be able to contribute. At Exeter, if it came down to two applicants, one whose parents were doctors and one whose parents were on welfare, and both were just as qualified, Exeter not being need-blind would choose the doctor kid cuz they can fork out some dough.Rather, if you went to another school they may make a way for the welfare kid because they don't care about how much they can contribute. I'm sure Exeter has " a mix" of students and they are diverse but I'm also sure Exeter has let a lot of great applicants go because they are not need-blind. Becoming need-blind does require some serius loot but look at schools like Hotchkiss or St.Paul's who have around 150 million dollars less than Exeter and they are need-blind.</p>
<p>choate is also not need blind.</p>
<p>Are you sure? I just checked the Hotchkiss website, and they provide the same financial aid as Exeter - around 35% of the student body. They also state in their Financial Aid FAQ* that they don't accept some students if they can't pay.</p>
<p>Of course, although their endowment is much less, their student body is also smaller. I think in terms of endowment per student, the Academy is only slightly higher. </p>
<p>From what I gather about St. Paul's, they provide roughly 33% of the student body with financial aid, and they have a "Financial Aid Wait List"</p>
<p>At any rate, while not need blind, financial aid at any of these schools is such that it's rare for anyone to not be admitted on a purely financial basis.</p>
<p>"Exeter endowment: Approx. 700 Million US dollars (Similar to that of the University of Toronto's 1 Billion CND). Largest endowment of any U.S. high school.</p>
<p>Harvard endowment: A whopping 23 Billion US dollars. Largest endowment of any U.S. University."</p>
<p>Yes, but note the amount of students at Exeter vs. Harvard. Exeter's endowment per student is not that far from Harvard's endowment per capita. It is ~70%, I believe.</p>
<p>Faithfully Submitted,
Cesare de Borgia</p>