My foster son’s brother just got accepted to Ithaca College (Music), but I am not sure how he is going to afford the $60K a year bill.
What other scholarship/merit aid do they offer? He is Pell Grant eligible, but that won’t even make a dent.
Pell Grant max is $5,920
Student loan max is $5,500
Any ideas what need based/merit based aid is available for Ithaca College?
As a music major, he would need to have auditioned. Did he get a music award? Has he received his financial aid package from Ithaca?
They offer both merit and need based aid, however they are very clear that they do not meet need. Be prepared for the loan, work study, and a LARGE gap even with zero EFC.
Ithaca is also a school that does not meet 100% demonstrated need.
Is the brother a NJ resident or a NY resident that is still in foster care?
If he is in NJ, he should definitely check out ETV in NJ. He may be eligible for us to 20k- 5k/year
Marjorie Blicharz, Education Specialist Department of Children and Families
Marjorie.blicharz@dcf.state.nj.us Phone: (609) 888-7680
50 East State Street Trenton, NJ 08625-0717
Thanks all, that confirms what I feared. He is not going to be able to afford the school.
The “Ithaca” brother is not in foster care and is a resident of NJ. He is not eligible for EOF or ETV.
Thank you for that information @sybbie719 , that is the first time I’ve heard about that particular program.
The situation is complex. I am on the outside looking in and have been trying to feed helpful information to the Ithaca candidate thru his brother (the one I call my foster son, who is a Gates Millennium Scholar/Horatio Alger Scholar, so he knows a thing or two about winning scholarships!). The younger brother is still in the unfortunate “know it all” phase that some youth go thru, so did not follow thru on any of the suggestions. Sadly, he will have to face reality soon enough 
which makes me very sad, as he is a talented musician and highly intelligent. The family is full Pell grant eligible.
Wait and see. If he is really very talented…Ithce might award him a music scholarship along with need based aid.
You might also want to post this query on the music majors forum here…someone there might be able to tell you about their awards.
FYI my child was just accepted and his music merit scholarship letter was in the acceptance packet he got in the mail. Did this student have a merit award letter in his packet? The letter says that need based aid is separate and would come later, and can be combined with music merit awards.
He should look into schools in NJ if possible, because if he is Pell eligible he should also qualify for NJ Tag.
Here is the issue…if he is a music major, he pull,have needed to audition. That ship has sailed for,those entering in September 2017.
Hoping he has some other schools on his list…and they are affordable ones.
@thumper1 if he applied to the School of Music, he would not have been accepted without an audition because his app would be incomplete without it, so I’m thinking he probably did audition. Until my son auditioned, his portal listed “Audition Results” under the column where missing items are listed.
The thing is with NJ Tag and a lot of state grants, you can’t use the grant at a school that is not in your home state ( unless otherwise specified )
@classicalsaxmom How much was the merit award? It is good news that the merit and need can be combined instead of one wiping out the other. I still have doubts it will be enough to cover fully the 60K/240K for 4 years, but for his sake I hope so!
@NJRoadie I will message you privately because I would rather not reveal the amount publicly. I will say that without a lot of need based aid to go with it, the award would not come close to covering the cost of attendance for your student when combined with Stafford and Pell.
My comment in post 8 was directed at a poster who suggested this student apply to OTHER colleges now. For a music major who has to audition, it is too late this round of admissions for that option. Auditions have taken place. Application deadlines are done.
I KNOW he had to audition at Ithaca to gain acceptance. My point is…as a music major, the option of applying late to other schools…is just not an option.
ah, makes sense @thumper1 - sorry I misinterpreted your statement.
Montclair State is still taking applications until April 1. The deadline for auditions at the Cali School of Music has passed (although there is one in May for transfer and grad students).
If Ithaca turns out to be unaffordable, could a GC or music teacher ask if Montclair would make an exception and let him audition?
Alternatively, he could go to Montclair for a year, do gen eds, and apply to transfer into the Music school as a sophomore.
@VAOptimist I appreciate the suggestion, but Montclair doesn’t offer merit or need based scholarships. Even with the Pell, NJTag and max student loan (parents won’t qualify) he would not be able to afford Montclair. He doesn’t qualify for EOF.
College Data’s COA for Montclair is $32,000
Pell Grant max is $5,920
Student loan max is $5,500 ($9500 if parents don’t qualify)
NJTag max $7,000
Parents refuse to let him get a job because they want to control him with what little money they have. I’m honestly not sure how they would afford to buy dorm room essentials like pillow, towel, sheets, comforter.
Very frustrating situation.
Is he close enough to commute to Montclair? If the money doesn’t work out, he might have to stay home anyway. Montclair might be preferable to community college. It will have better performance opportunities.
Rowan has also extended its deadline to April 1. There is a non audition music industry major if he can’t get an audition this late. Maybe he can commute there? I think he would be advised to get a NJ public app in while there is still time.
Neither Rowan nor Montclair are within commuting distance. No access to mass transit and no car will make Rutgers unlikely as well.