<p>I'm currently an honors student at Baruch College (CUNY) and I have recently been essentially swindled by the college. As entering freshman they offered us a full tuition scholarship based on my academic record in high school. Now this year, in my sophomore year, they're choosing to change the terms of my merit-based scholarship by making it a need-based scholarship. They deduct whatever financial aid I receive from the government (tap and pell) from the scholarship amount. So now I'm receiving no scholarship from the school whatsoever, whereas somebody with a high EFC would receive the scholarship. Last year I received the full-tuition scholarship regardless of my "need", but this year its a totally different story. Has anyone heard of a college doing this? Is it legal?</p>
<p>Legal - yes.</p>
<p>'fair' - hell no.</p>
<p>unfortunately I have heard of other colleges doing this after freshman year, forcing students to take on great debt &/or transfer to another school</p>
<p>Do you have the original letter stating the terms of the scholarship? If you have the original information, and it clearly states that this is a renewable scholarship providing you meet criteria, then it seems to me that you have grounds for protest. My kids scholarships all stated grounds for renewal, etc in the original offer.</p>
<p>That's awful. I haven't researched the CUNY honors program in depth, but I was under the impression it was full tuition for four years (maybe that's just on one of the campuses?). I heard on the news last night that the governor wants to make CUNY free for everyone under a certain income ($2,000 a semester now?).</p>
<p>Unfortunately there probably was some fine print in those scholarship documents telling you there was no guarantee for the second year.</p>
<p>There was no fine print or anything that I missed, and I do have the original letter that states its for four years and its a full-tuition scholarship. I really don't know where to go from here.</p>
<p>OK...I'm confused. You say you have a full tuition scholarship...but the school is deducting any federal aid from that amount. Are you still receiving full tuition...but now it's from the government? If so, what is the problem?</p>
<p>Macaulay</a> Honors College | Prospective Students</p>
<p>Is this the program you're in at Baruch? It says on the website that all Macaulay honors program students get free tuition. Or are you in another honors program?</p>
<p>They changed the terms (i.e. deductions now) from this year to last. Had I known that the terms of the scholarship would be changed I would've just transfered to a different college (where I wouldn't have to pay anyway, because my EFC is that low). The difference is that now I receive no scholarship money from the school, when I earned it based on my merit by accepting their acceptance.
If you know you're receiving a full-tuition scholarship, and will also receive financial aid theres an expectation that (as what happened last year) I will get an additional amount left over (which happens with all merit scholarships, if you apply for enough of them or in my case go to a low-cost school). I took this into consideration so that I could put off working and focus on school during my academic years (aka helping out my family without affecting my grades).</p>
<p>Hi Muffy,
I'm not in the MHC, I'm in Baruch's own honors program.
[url=<a href="http://www.baruch.cuny.edu/honors/admission/index.html#hs%5DAdmission%5B/url">http://www.baruch.cuny.edu/honors/admission/index.html#hs]Admission[/url</a>]
"Entering freshmen are accepted into the Baruch College Honors Program either as University Scholars [Macaulay Honors College] or as Baruch Scholars. All Scholars are supported with four-year full-tuition scholarships, intensive advisement, an enriched education, an active honors community, and a number of other benefits."</p>
<p>So before you were getting a full scholarship from Baruch. And you were also getting Pell and also getting TAP? So the Pell and TAP funds could go towards other expenses besides tuition? And now the Pell and TAP are covering tuition and you are getting 0 from Baruch? Is that the situation?</p>
<p>Yes thats the exact situation.</p>
<p>As long as they are providing you full-tuition, then they have met their side of the deal. Sorry. Perhaps you can transfer next year? Start preparing those applications.</p>
<p>It does sound morally wrong, especially if you decided to turn down other schools because of the Baruch deal, but other colleges also do things like that with FA; they'll use the outside grant to reduce their own grant. Do the Baruch honors scholars who don't qualify for Pell and TAP (because their families make too much) still get the full merit scholarship?</p>
<p>Anxiousmom, they aren't providing it though. The terms last year was that I received a full-tuition scholarship despite my financial need. Had I known they would be changing the terms on me a year later I would have attempted to transfer when I was a freshman. Right now its not feasible for me to transfer because child support from my father will not extend the extra year(past 21) that I would need to make up at any other institution. </p>
<p>Muffy, but isn't there a difference between a grant and scholarship (merit based)? Yes the baruch scholars who don't qualify for Pell and TAP do get the full merit scholarship. </p>
<p>To me this seems to be an institutionalized poverty gap widener. The children from fortunate families get even more money, even though their parents can afford to pay the tuition. So they can use the money their parents don't have to spend on tuition on other enriching activities such as studying abroad or summer courses, or applying for non-paid internships.</p>
<p>I don't understand why I am any less deserving than a student with a high EFC.</p>
<p>Do colleges often use this bait-and-switch technique on students?</p>
<p>so have you contacted somone at the honors college? what do they say?</p>
<p>So they are deducting the grants from the scholarship- do you get a Stafford loan? is it subsidized?</p>
<p>We may have a higher EFC than your family does, because my D didn't qualify for a Pell grant, but she took out the maximum Stafford loan every year- in addition she earned $3,000 working full time ,each summer that she saved and put toward college tuition- she didn't look for unpaid internships.
( she also worked during the school year- so I don't think you can generalize and say that students who have higher EFCs are less deserving particulary if they contribute by taking out loans and working to the costs of their own education.)
Your school doesn't meet 100% of anyone, and costs actually look to be pretty reasonable. About the same as tuition at my community college anyway.
Try calling the honors college and let them know whats up.</p>
<p>what is your EFC? if it is zero and the tap & Pell cover tuition- you still should be eligible for work study & a Stafford loan that will help with room and board and expenses and books.</p>
<p>Did you talk to anyone in the financial aid office about it? Or the head of the Baruch scholars program? When I was in school many years ago, I had a need based grant from the school and merit scholarship from outside (you have the opposite problem) and wasn't allowed to have both; I think this still may be the case at many colleges. Once you have an explanation from FA and scholars program, you can start writing to the top people at Baruch and CUNY and whatever politicians are interested? I know that's a pain, but sometimes it can get results. It really doesn't seem fair when CUNY is trying to attract top high school students to change the rules at this point.</p>
<p>Emerald, I understand the situation for different schools varies. I got both a subsidized loan and an unsubsidized loan to pay for extraneous circumstances. I also worked over the summer 40/hrs a week. I dont mean to come across as making that generalization. But I don't believe I'm less deserving of a scholarship because my EFC is lower (which is essentially what is going on here, in my case). I don't know about your daughter's case. An example of what I see is students who go to Europe 3 times a year for vacation getting scholarship money from the school, and here I am never having been outside of the country getting no scholarship money. Either we all should get the scholarship or none of us should. At the beginning of the semester I planned to study abroad for my winter break with that money. </p>
<p>Everyone is well aware of the situation. The director of the honors program has no authority over the finances of the school (including the scholarship). I've been put on the endless bureaucratic path, and last week I reached the vice-president of Baruch. He basically attempted to twist words at every moment and he wasn't there to listen. His final point was to try to make me beg for money "so why do you think you need an extra $2000"? It was a pretty disgusting experience seeing how fake and cold somebody can be. My next step is the president of the school, she seems sincere.</p>
<p>Good luck with the president. I know kids at my D's hs have been applying to the CUNY schools and a big attraction is the perks they give honors students. I think people getting Pell grants have under $40,000 in income so I'm sure your belief that you would have the extra funds was a factor in matriculating at Baruch.</p>