<p>I have heard people talking about schools that have bigger endowments if you need financial aid (which obviously makes sense). Does that vary from year to year? Also, where do the ISL schools fit in with that? Does that depend on the school? Do day schools tend to give more/less aid? Finally, do they target aid to athletes, musicians, etc. or is it strictly based on income. I hope these are not stupid questions that have been answered 100 times -- I keep hearing conflicting things depending on who I talk to!</p>
<p>As a rule, it is indeed wise to operate on the premise that the weightier a school’s endowment, the greater proportional chance that an FA applicant will be awarded (sufficient) aid. But experience also demonstrates that schools without hefty endowments are often generous with FA. Conclusion: if the school is appealing, despite a modest endowment, don’t walk away.</p>
<p>How are financial decisions made? I know of athletes (I’m sure it’s true of musicians, etc…) who get a tremendous amount of aid, even at schools that claim to give aid only to families who truly qualify for financial aid.</p>
<p>I have no detailed, inside knowledge, though some of the others on CC are (more) knowledgeable parents, and some admissions officers are also on this forum. But do take a look at this:</p>
<p>[Financial</a> Aid & Scholarships - College Confidential](<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/]Financial”>Financial Aid and Scholarships - College Confidential Forums)</p>
<p>Although the above refers to colleges, in my experience with two kids at BS and on FA, and as a BS alum, many of the principles (appear to) apply.</p>
<p>Here’s our experience: two waitlists (was FA a factor? possibly, but who knows really) and generous financial aid offers from two schools, one with a low admit rate and a large endowment, the other a much higher admit rate but much lower endowment. </p>
<p>Generally speaking, I’d say that the high endowment schools will offer great aid…if you get in, which is never a given, no matter how good your stats. </p>
<p>Lower endowment schools will also offer great aid, if your child will be an asset to their school. In our case, the lower endowment school, I think, wanted our son because his SSAT and academic profile were higher than most of the kids at the school AND he was a great fit athletically–I wonder whether they’d be as likely to offer FA to someone if they didn’t see the fit because they might figure that the school was just a fallback/safety for the kid. </p>
<p>This is all just conjecture of course. Still, focus on fit more than aid, and I think you’ll end up with good results. We’re glad we didn’t limit our son’s applications to just schools with high endowments.</p>
<p>Our 2 sons both applied to and attended/are attending ISL schools…there was a huge variation in aid offered…son # 1 had offers of aid as follows:</p>
<p>School #1 $12000 grant plus $500 book grant
School #2 $5000 grant
School #3 $5000 grant
School #4 nada
Son # 2 was in public school at the time so his tuition costs were not a factor in the aid calculation</p>
<p>He matriculated at school #1. Son # 2 is at that same school and we got a very generous aid package…they considered what we were paying for son#1’s college and gave son # 2 a $22,000 grant and $500 book grant. Our family income is $150K +</p>
<p>The school in question is a day school
Both my sons were recruited athletes so I think they felt they were assets to the school</p>
<p>Agree with the post above…apply where you think your child will thrive and see what happens</p>