Do you know of any boarding schools that have merit based scholarships? My situation is very unique because our family can “afford” a nice boarding schools such as St. Pauls/Exter, but doing so would break the bank.
How is that unique?
Let me say it again without sugarcoating it, We can afford a nice boarding school but it would drastically lower the standard of living in our house. I was wondering if there were any boarding schools that offer merit based scholarships?
or any type of scholarship not determined exclusively by need
Just about anyone spending $50,000 or so is going to reduce their available cash flow.
Most of the boarding schools in this area ( and I live in boarding school heaven) offer need based aid only. Most of these schools are looking for top students.
Is there a reason why you must attend a boarding school that will stretch your family finances?
If paying for boarding school is going to lower your standard of living, perhaps it would be better for your family to save their money for college costs…which might be more important to you.
Ye I would love to go to a boarding school, but definitely would not want to stretch the family finances. I am looking for a merit scholarship to fullfill my dream, but I cannot find many boarding schools that offer merit based scholarship progams
Kent in CT has some merit scholarships.
I still don’t understand how your situation is unique.
Mercersburg in PA
Portsmouth Abbey School offers one every year.
Make an appeal to the Koch brothers. They practically underwrite Deerfield.
- Let me say it without sugarcoating it: Your family can either afford it or they can't.
Whether you/your parents feel like making the sacrifice to “standard of living” is not really a factor. As several people above have tried to communicate (but I guess you didn’t like what they were trying to communicate), there are many families who are full pay who are living at a different standard (fewer or more modest vacations, driving old cars, etc.) to send their kids to boarding school.
- To my (admittedly uninformed/uninterested) knowledge, most of the schools in the tier you are targeting (how come I'm not surprised you have aimed at the most prestigious/most selective ones?) don't offer purely merit based scholarships.
They don’t have to. For one, there are plenty of families who fall into the bucket I described above…willing to pay in full, whether it’s a hardship or not. For another, they generally have large endowments and FA budgets, so money is never really a factor if they want a kid badly enough. I do know that SPS has/had a few regional merit-y (need is still a deciding factor, I think) scholarships available, like the Ross (for residents of Northern NJ).
- There are other "second tier" schools that offer scholarships...london203 mentions one above. Culver Academies in Indiana also has a few. But I'm guessing that attending these sorts of schools is going to be "beneath" you. If finding these opportunities is so important to you, I'd start doing research beyond going on an internet forum and asking for advice.
- There are the Davidson and Caroline D. Bradley programs, but if you in 8th grade already, I believe it is too late.
This links to a list on boarding school review of boarding schools with merit scholarships: http://www.boardingschoolreview.com/merit-scholarship-offerd-schools.php.
I have the impression that merit scholarships, even at schools which offer them, may be one or two per school. If there are any schools which pique your interest on the list, read their websites with care. You could also send an email to each school’s (on the list) director of financial aid.
Do remember that “merit” is defined by each school. It may mean that the students who win the scholarships bring something necessary to the school. That “something” may not be high test scores.
It’s wonderful you’re considering BS, and equally wonderful you are considering the effect it’s cost will have on your family.
As mentioned above, Kent has merit scholarships, as do others. That being said, all these schools are incredibly generous, and I think your family will be surprised by the aid offered to families in situations similar to the one you describe.
A quick look at FA breakdowns show substantial aid being offered even to families making in excess of $300k. I don’t believe it’s most schools intention to drastically alter a working families standard of living, although it is understood that the major burden must fall on the family first, to the greatest extent possible.
My suggestion, for what’s it’s worth, would be to cast a wide net, including many “hidden gems”. A few great ones are mentioned above. I’d add Peddie, Loomis and Governors for sure.
Do your best, see where you fit. If you have a favorite, be direct with the AO and FA chair that if you get in and can possibly afford it, you’ll commit right away. And then cross your fingers.
Dreams come true every day around here. Go for it!
I appreciate your response, and no I have looked at many “second tier” schools as you have described. I cannot find many that offer many ‘merit’ based scholarships. The reason I looked at some ‘first tier’ schools is because, as you know, The most prestigious schools have the biggest budget so I would equate that with more financial aid(lower tier schools would not). I have done research, but I thought asking a forum about scholarships would bring about more options. Thank you for your suggestion, because in my research I didn’t know about that school. Your suggestion was helpful and I will be looking into these schools. 
If the student in question is in 7th grade, the Caroline Bradley scholarship offers merit- based aid that can be used for any school
http://www.educationaladvancement.org/caroline-d-bradley-scholarship/.
Lawrenceville seemed to have some merit scholarships as did Peddie.
Thank you LoomisDad! These are encouraging words
If you apply for financial aid, it will drastically affect your chances of admission. Only Andover advertises itself as need blind.
So please have a frank discussion with your parents about finances before you apply. $50K plus for 4 years is a lot of money. If your parents don’t want to spend this amount then you will likely have to apply for financial aid.
If the school is second tier TO YOU, then your chance of getting FA and/or merit aid will be higher. That means your grades, test scores and whatnot are significantly better than the average of the applicant pool. On the other hand, for need blind and very generous schools, chances are they are second tier to very few if any. However, the challenge here is to get in. If you are in and deemed to have FA need by their generous FA policies, your chance of getting FA will be high too. So apply to a good mix of two types of schools if you are a strong student. Good luck!