If people would like to send me their NNNP (from class of 2023) anonymously, I could post a list. I would be glad to keep it through summer (it may lapse at the start of a new school year).
I’m not sure I would list instrument or voice part as there is such variation in need for these from year to year. I would distinguish music vs music ed.
If I get at least 3 private messages, I’ll post a list. But I’ll give people some time before I post it (how about by end of June?). You can list NNNP for all schools from which offers were received.
I could post:
SCHOOL NAME A (BME) NNNP1
SCHOOL NAME A (BM) NNNP 2
SCHOOL NAME B (BA) NNNP1
Etc.
Caveat: at some schools music lessons or accompaniment are included in the cost—if known that they are, I can star these.
I agree that the variety of programs and funding sources (and relative chances at music and academic merit) make for a giant learning curve.
I am hoping that providing an idea of real net prices (even if financial need or instrument need that year nudged those numbers up or down) will allow families to see the cost ranges they can expect so they can decide what they can live with.
I know our journey gave my D some unexpected choices she never dreamed she’d have.
As a reminder, I’m defining NNNP as the net price after being awarded both academic and music merit funds but before need-based ones.
While that is sometimes hard to distinguish on an aid letter, “President’s/Trustees’/Dean’s” scholarships (and anything called a scholarship, or even a music award) fall into this merit category (and are often renewable for four years).
Sometimes School Name or State Name Grants lower on the list are need-based and can vary from year to year based on your FAFSA or PROFILE forms. With work-study and loans these make up the financial aid part of the total package.
Definitely putting the cart before the horse here, forgive me. Kid is prepping applications and practicing for prescreens. Assuming that we make it past that round, is there any strategy with regard to timing of auditions? Financial aid (need- and/or merit-based) will be a deciding factor for us. If a school has two or more audition dates, is there any danger in waiting until the last one? (May be a necessity due to scheduling conflicts) I’m assuming that schools wait until after hearing everyone to begin portioning out funds, but is that correct? Anyone have any insight on this?
My son applied to only four schools. Of those, three schools notified him of music admission and scholarships after the last audition date. At one school he was notified of acceptance and scholarship just prior to the final audition date (I think he auditioned on the earliest date at that school). . I don’t know how that affected anyone else’s chances though. Maybe they didn’t have a ton of people auditioning on his instrument at the last date and felt they could safely send some acceptances early. It was also a small music scholarship where he had already been awarded a large automatic academic scholarship.
Honestly, we had a spreadsheet for audition dates and his other activities. There wasn’t a lot of strategy to choosing dates, they fit where they fit. At maybe one school we had a choice of two dates. The others only one would work.
What I think is, auditioning early or late at the same school wouldn’t matter especially at small conservatories but audition quality / preparedness matters most at any conservatories. They probably wait to get all same instrumentalists / voice types auditions done, then decide to distribute merit scholarships depending on qualified applicants with or without financial need and school needs (opening). If music school is large or in large university, they may start offering a scholarship at same time of acceptance without waiting for all live auditions (like Berklee does for Early Action).
I agree that preparedness is the most important thing. Most if not all schools wait to hear all applicants before deciding how to apportion their money.
However, we found that keeping the most important auditions for last was a poor idea for another reason — my S burned out. He had one early action audition in December (he was nervous but it got the kinks out), one in early January, and then three back to back over one week in late Jan/early Feb. He felt those three were by far his strongest. He then had two local auditions in March, which went okay, but by then he was over it. It was hard to even get him to go. It’s a long season, especially if you start in December.
What we found is that music schools that are part of larger universities, the money came in two waves - one was an academic scholarship which came pretty early on (since these kids have to apply early for audition/prescreens they often fall under the Early Action window) and then music scholarships came once all auditions for that instrument/school were completed. There were outliers, of course (like Canada!) but this is a good rule of thumb.
I seem to remember that Jacobs (IU Bloomington), sent out an initial scholarship grant soon after the acceptance came (a week after my S’ audition). A further scholarship was added on later after all auditions were done. I think schools with rolling admissions might do this.