<p>My D is applying to Tulane in the fall. Does anyone know the criteria for merit aid awards and their amounts? It is her first choice but kind of a reach. GPA 3.6 W, 3.3 UW SAT 1970. Great ECs, recs & community service. If she is accepted, does she have a chance of getting any merit aid?</p>
<p>There are no exact criteria (at least not published). While her chances of being accepted seem good assuming she shows strong interest as often discussed on here, I would have to think the chances of a merit scholarship are less likely. The other scholarship she could try for is the Community Service Scholarship, which I have heard through the grapevine are going to be $10,000 next year. Previously they varied from $1,000-15,000 but if the info is correct they will all be $10,000. That’s per year, btw.</p>
<p>Fallen-Chemist: I got a quick question. My S has finished his Freshman with GPA 3.83 (Dean’s List) Bio-Medical Eng and was awarded Scholarship 15K and grant $17K (based on his High School records). Now, he will be Sophomore in Fall 2012, can he apply for Honors Scholarship or DHS (more money), etc. If yes, who should we talk to? Fin. Aid Dept, Undergrad admissions, Dean of Students, etc? Please advise. Thanks.</p>
<p>Okla2012 - Congrats to your son for doing so well in a very challenging program. He can certainly apply to be in the honors program, so as to stay on track to graduate with highest honors and to get the extra advising and resources that come with that program.</p>
<p>However, merit based awards are not revisited or adjusted per se. The DHS, for example, is only awarded to entering freshmen. There may be some good news, though. Financial aid might increase the amount of need based grant aid, lessening the need for loans or your own out-of-pocket. I obviously cannot say this is a certainty, I am not that familiar with how often this happens. I only know from a few anecdotes that it has in the past. This would be the Financial Aid department’s decision, so you could ask them if that is ever the case.</p>
<p>The other possibility, although again this is probably a bit of a long shot, is to see if there are “named” scholarships the school awards for which your son might be eligible. These are scholarships established by donors with specific targets in mind. For example, here are some in the School of Science and Engineering he can look through: [Tulane</a> University - Endowed Scholarships and Fellowships](<a href=“http://tulane.edu/sse/about/endowed/endowed-scholarships-and-fellowships.cfm]Tulane”>http://tulane.edu/sse/about/endowed/endowed-scholarships-and-fellowships.cfm) There might also be some university-wide ones regardless of which school one is in. It’s a start, and even if nothing happens this year he might learn what would make his chances better going forward.</p>
<p>Thanks for the Info, I appreciate it.</p>
<p>Chevron just started a new scholarship for the engineering dept. I don’t recall the specifics, but its new. He should inquire in the department.</p>
<p>Hmmm… I am wondering if what my DS told me about was perhaps this scholarship [Tulane</a> University - The Marko Family Scholarship](<a href=“http://tulane.edu/sse/news/marko-family-scholarship.cfm]Tulane”>http://tulane.edu/sse/news/marko-family-scholarship.cfm)</p>
<p>DS is travelling right now and I cannot reach him to ask. But when I do, if he has any further info, I will update here.</p>
<p>Jym: Thanks for the info. My S will do Cell and Tissue track (BME) and he loves doing research. Eventually, he likes to go for PHD after he has gotten his undergraduate (skip the Master or taking it along the way). He definately needs the funding (financial help) since we are not rich family. On the lighter side: I am wondering if this is true: there are only two types of students at Tulane. The once with strong financial support from family and the once that depend on scholarship-grants?..just wondering though.</p>
<p>Okla2012 - As far as grad school goes, in the sciences/engineering grade school costs are virtually always covered by the school. That is because the grad students act as TA’s and do research as a nearly full time job in the process of getting their PhD’s. In fact, unless things have changed a lot, there is usually a stipend that goes along with the tuition waver. When I was in grad school for chemistry many years ago, I paid no tuition or fees and was paid about $1,000 per month. For that I had to TA a lab once a week and teach two problem solving sessions per week, plus grade the lab reports, quizzes and tests. A few web searches and/or phone calls/e-mails to some top grad programs in BME will tell him quickly if that is still the case. It is worth knowing now since that will make planning for the future easier.</p>
<p>As far as your question about the types of students at Tulane, I am not sure I understand it exactly, but if I am interpreting it correctly I think what you are saying is true of almost all private universities. Given the cost of attendance, it is almost inevitable. The only thing I would add to what you said is that there are loans as well, which you don’t mention. I believe the average Tulane grad has about $27,000 in loans to repay, which is very close to the national average.</p>
<p>Pushy Dad – the link below says 38% of Tulane students get merit aid. So that pretty much tells you that the merit money goes to the kids whose stats put them in the top 40% of the applicant pool.</p>
<p>For the 2011 class, the 25-75 SAT range was 1950-2150.</p>
<p>[Tulane</a> University - Best Private College Values](<a href=“http://www.kiplinger.com/tools/privatecolleges/school.php?id=9037]Tulane”>http://www.kiplinger.com/tools/privatecolleges/school.php?id=9037)</p>
<p>FC: I agree with you. Planning for the future is a must since college Tuition fees, the cost of living (the price of Bread and Butter) etc are skyrocketing and going up every year. When will they ever come down?..now that is the question of this century. Thanks for the input.</p>
<p>Most of this has already been said, but I figure I’ll contribute. </p>
<p>I doubt there’s a formula for merit. I think it’s more of a mix of different things that produce a merit award. My test scores barely made the 50th percentile but I was offered the top merit award. While test scores and GPA play a huge role in merit awards (obviously), I think other things like demonstrated interest, extra curriculars, and maybe even geographical location can come into play not only determining whether someone is accepted or not, but also if they’ll get any merit money on top of it. I think Tulane will offer a generous merit award to someone who is not only a competitive applicant, but also someone who Tulane thinks they might be able to “win over” with a large merit award. So back to pushydad’s question, I wouldn’t completely count out the chance of a merit award if she is accepted.</p>
<p>Schools use merit money to get kids that would otherwise go elsewhere. Sure other factors can make a school want a kid – like gender, geography, program of study, ethnicity, unique talents, etc. And increasingly these days, checking the box that the kid won’t be applying for need-based aid. But the numbers have a lot to do with it.</p>
<p>The SAT score that pushydad cited above is right about the 25th percentile for SATs at Tulane. Schools don’t generally throw merit money at students that will bring their average numbers down. You usually find merit money at your safety schools, not at your stretch schools.</p>
<p>My sat score was just below the 25% at a 1930, and my act score just met the 25% at a 29. I was given a $17,000 merit scholarship. I benefitted from the fact that Tulane is not a common-app school. The Tulane app had space for me to elaborate on my ecs which is probably why I was accepeted and offered a merit scholarship.</p>
<p>All schools look at the totality of an applicant in order to “build” a class that will result in an interesting community of diverse abilities, interests and talents. These are united by some common threads of general scholarship and, in Tulane’s case, a higher emphasis on service than many other schools might factor in. Of course academic merit in the form of test scores and high school grades is usually a large factor, some schools more than others. But as these anecdotes show, there are exceptions based on high levels of merit besides super high scores (not that 1930 is at all a bad score!). I don’t know what your GPA was in high school, wordgirl, but that also can help balance out a test score that is on the lower end of Tulane’s range. Some people just don’t do as well on those tests, even though they are exceptional and bright students.</p>
<p>That is why I usually try to couch the language of my replies when people ask about their chances for merit money. When the scores and grades are very high, it is somewhat easier to predict (assuming they really want to go to Tulane and make that clear to admissions). But otherwise there is too much we cannot see on here that admissions does see that goes into the decision, hence the totality argument.</p>
<p>Bottom line, one just never knows for sure until they get the letter from Tulane.</p>