<p>Does anyone know if Wash U has an "automatic" type merit aid process and if so, do you know where I can find the data - (GPA + ACT/SAT = X dollars awarded). </p>
<p>I keep hearing that the merit aid at Wash U is very generous. What kind of dollars are they referring to? 5, 10 20,000?</p>
<p>Also do you know where I could find the accepted students stats either for class of 2014 or 2013 / or the common data set?</p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>The only “automatic” merit aid is $2000/year for NMFs (or $2,500/year if you get the NMC $2,500 scholarship)
There are some generous merit scholarships (up to full tuition), but they are extremely competitive, and require separate application.
[Scholarship</a> Programs At-A-Glance](<a href=“http://admissions.wustl.edu/scholarships/programs/Pages/default.aspx]Scholarship”>http://admissions.wustl.edu/scholarships/programs/Pages/default.aspx)</p>
<p>In a nutshell, I’d say WashU is probably the highest ranked school that also continues to offer non-need based aid, so it’s your best bet if you want to go to a really good school but also require some sort of financial help and your parents make too much money for you to qualify for need-based. I’m here on one of the many merit scholarships. Many are full-tuition, which means that the caveat is you don’t get room/board/all the other little things that tend to add up. The key is to apply to all the ones you qualify for or are interested in. If you make it to finalists weekend, your chances of getting a scholarship are <em>decently</em> high (can’t speak for anything besides my own program though, but this is what I think) as long as you represent yourself well in the interview and seem relatively interested in/committed to coming to WashU. Good luck!</p>
<p>Princessbell,what were your stats and ECs to get merit aid? What are typical stats for these awards? Thanks!</p>
<p>Kajon - WashU does not use a formula along the lines mentioned in your post. There are three main categories of aid awarded to freshmen. </p>
<p>The first is merit only. This category does not consider the ability to pay and it requires an additional application. It is quite competitive and relies on a combination of stats (GPA, SAT etc.), recommendations, ECs, community service, leadership, innovation and other intangibles. It is usually either full or half tuition and can also include an additional stipend.</p>
<p>The second category is a combo of need and merit. The most important component here is need, but once that is determined candidates are ranked in order of merit (academic) qualifications.</p>
<p>The third category is need only. The name should explain how this is determined. </p>
<p>WashU has a policy of replacing loans with grants for all candidates where the household income is below a minimum amount. WashU is also one of the few schools that does not deduct proceeds from outside scholarships from the total awarded by WashU. Many candidates have received a combination of the above mentioned awards. Hope this is a bit of assistance.</p>
<p>Thanks guys. We will be full pay and I was just trying to “ease the pain”. My husband says he is only willing to fully fund MIT or Princeton and that if son doesn’t get in then he can go to the U of MN honors program. I know the chance of being accepted to MIT/P’ton is very extremely low for all candidates. I feel our son would flourish at WashU and wanted to explore the merit process so we can provide him with this option should he be accepted.</p>
<p>Kajon - look at the link mentioned by nngmm above. Of all the scholarhips mentioned, the Ervin & Rodrguez offer the largest number of scholarships each year. These two programs also offer an additional $2,500 per year stipend along with either half or full tuition. Another program that you might want to look into that is not on that page is the Danforth. The student must be nominated for this program. Nominations are due early in the fall of senior year in HS. If your school or GC does not have the required forms, have them contact the WashU admissions department to obtain the forms. Apply for as many of the programs as the student may be qualified for. All of these are merit only, so the ability to pay does not factor into the equation. These programs also include additional on campus benefits like additional advisors, mentors, special programs and many other benefits. Although these programs require additional applications and effort, the potential rewards are quite worthwhile. Good luck.</p>
<p>Kajon: when you write “we will be full pay”, does that mean your s/d will be an incoming freshman? That makes a big difference.</p>
<p>ST2 and nngmm: is there a possibility that these scholarships are available for current students? My son, an incoming freshman, was so distracted with events at home, at school (as editor of newspapers, debate competitor, science research fairs, etc. etc. and of course, coursework), and with other college applications that he didn’t even complete the scholarship application. Obviously didn’t anticipate going to WashU, but he’s headed there now!</p>
<p>To compare the amount of non-need merit aid from one college to that of others, you can go to this topic in the Parents Forum:</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/696637-merit-aid-percentage-common-data-set-4.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/696637-merit-aid-percentage-common-data-set-4.html</a></p>
<p>There are a variety of scholarships still available at WashU for students already attending, but they are often not as generous as the ones offered for incoming students. Also, they’re very specific and are quite competitive. Here is a link for the ones available for A&S:</p>
<p>[Current</a> Students | The College | Arts & Sciences](<a href=“http://college.artsci.wustl.edu/current-students]Current”>http://college.artsci.wustl.edu/current-students)</p>
<p>Kajon – you might want to look at some other schools for merit aid if your daughter is a strong student. While Wash U does offer merit aid, I don’t think it’s as widespread as you think. My older son was offered significant merit aid at Rice, USC and Vanderbilt, but received no merit aid at Wash U. Rice provides merit aid to approximately 1/3 of its accepted applicants and all are considered for it (no separate scholarship application to complete).</p>
<p>A student should always look at all possibilities and offers when it comes to merit aid. It all depends on what a paticular school is looking for. Just because a student receives merit aid at one school and not another, does not define the value of a student.</p>
<p>That being said, I just want to point out that every freshman class is offered between 100 to 200 scholarships just between the Rodriguez, Ervin and Danforth programs. All of these are either full or half tuition, with an additional $2,500 stipend for the Rodriguez and Ervin.</p>
<p>^^^There’s no way that Ervin + Danforth + Rodriguez = 200 scholarships. There are 28 Ervins in 2013, fewer Rodriguez and Danforth (Ervin is the largest of the 3). These programs are bigger than Moog, Mylonas, etc., but not that large.</p>
<p>Here are my stats…i’m an Ervin. So weird, I haven’t posted stats in over a year! I had to go back through all my old posts to find this lol. Anyway, I’d say I’m wayyyy below average for an Ervin. I’m almost positive my unique research and ridiculous essays got me in. </p>
<p>Objective:</p>
<pre><code>* SAT I (breakdown): 800 CR/770 M/770 WR (1570/2340)
<p>Subjective:</p>
<pre><code>* Extracurricular (place leadership in parenthesis): Newspaper Editor-in-Chief, basically my biggest time commitment, also lots of acting stuff, creative writing, research at NIH.
<p>Other</p>
<pre><code>* Interview: Got interviewed twice - once for discovery weekend and again at finalists. Oh, and did an alumni. They all loved me…the research strangely impresses people lol…
<p>Reflection</p>
<pre><code>* Strengths: Probably being a URM with high test scores and research experience, along with being ed-in-chief.