Years ago, one of my sons was accepted to Wash U with a large “merit scholarship with a need-based element,” whatever that is. I can’t remember exactly what they called it, but it was something very close to that.
Anyway, the reason I’m posting is to give you a personal example of one student’s Wash U FA experience, and to say that I agree with:
(1) @mom2collegekids: “WashU is very careful about who it awards merit. They tend to target: very high scores and students who add regional or ethnic diversity to their school.”
with (2) @Erin’s Dad: “merit aid at Wash U is HIGHLY competitive. The chances of getting any are extremely low. Is it worth waiting a year to find out you can’t afford it next year?”
and with (3) @BrownParent: “I would not pay a 30k premium for Wash U. Especially when he did not do his part and apply for merit. You are assuming too much to think he will get it. I would take another college that is offering the $120k.”
My son did not bring regional or ethnic diversity to the school, but he did have incredibly high scores in all areas. In most areas, he could not have scored or ranked any higher. He applied on time for every one of the widely publicized large scholarships for which he was eligible, both university wide and major-specific. He completed the FAFSA on time and did everything he needed to do to have his name in the hat for all potential financial aid at the university. He ended up with a large scholarship that was NOT one of the specific, big-named scholarships to which he applied. In fact, the scholarship that he did earn was not publicized anywhere on the website, that we could tell.
Anyway, at the time, tuition and fees were about $42K per year. His “scholarship” was for $30K per year. He also got (per year) $2K for Federal Work Study, $2K for a Perkins Loan (that shocked me – I didn’t think we qualified, and neither did any other school), and $3.5K for a Federal Subsidized Stafford Loan (they were one of the only schools in my memory who offered my kids a subsidized loan). His total package for a cost of $42K (that’s tuition and fees only) was for $37.5K, of which $30K was “free.” We also would have had to come up with the cost of room and board.
It’s certainly nothing to sneeze at and I would never complain about such a generous package! We were very grateful and honored to receive it! BUT, it was the one of the least affordable packages from all the schools to which he applied. AND, true to what Wash U advertised (at the time anyway, if not now – I wouldn’t know), my son’s Wash U aid seemed to have a heavy need-based element, more so than his packages from other schools. (Though the purely need-based aid they awarded was atypically generous for some reason – subsidized loans? Perkins loans? Hmm.)
The bottom of his award letter included these words: “Your financial assistance award is based on your academic merit and your family’s financial circumstances. Your family’s financial circumstances (i.e., financial need) helped us determine the amount of your award.”
At the time, my son and I called to discuss his award. We wanted to find out more about the scholarship. The letter didn’t say anything about “Need-based scholarship: $30K.” It said “[Person’s Name] Scholarship: $30,000.” And so, we wanted to find out if this “scholarship” was also somehow need-based. The answer we got from the person on the phone was kind of nebulous. “That’s a merit scholarship, but it does have a need-based element. Nearly all scholarships will remain the same or increase from year to year, but they may be reduced if family circumstances improve significantly.” We asked, “If one of his siblings graduates from college during this time, will this particular award be reduced?” Their answer:“Well, of course I can’t say right now whether or not that will cause the scholarship to be reduced, but we do try to keep all merit scholarships intact. His is a merit scholarship with a need-based element. It is possible that circumstances like a sibling’s graduation could affect the award, but they may not.”
And so, given that he recieved guaranteed, pure-merit awards from other schools, most of which covered full tuition, and some of which covered all expenses combined, or even some that covered all expenses combined plus stipend, my son declined his Wash U admission. We were super grateful for the very generous award, but in our circumstances, it felt too risky to accept an award that may or may not be reduced over time.
I hope that this helps you feel a little better about your son’s failure to meet his FA deadlines and the ensuing lack of Wash U scholarships. My son was a super-tippy-top student, and he did get a nice package that I really don’t want to poo-poo! But it did not match most of the packages he received from other schools. I’m just guessing that even if your son did manage to complete the FA paperwork on time, unless he is a tippy-tippy-top student who will have a consistent “financial need” over all 4 years, it’s probably not likely that his Wash U package would have matched his other offers. Just guessing, of course. But at least it’s a somewhat educated guess!
I would not recommend a gap year in hopes of obtaining one of these elusive scholarships. Especially considering that any awards he does earn there would likely have a need-based element. And especially since he already earned some nice scholarship packages from other (what I assume to be good) schools! Most kids don’t get to attend their first choice school for one reason or another. And, in my experience, most end up very happy with the schools they do attend. I will just bet he will be happy at one of his other schools and that he will soon forget the “pain” of not attending his #1. Congratulations to him (and to you) for a very successful college application cycle! It’s remarkable that he was able to earn a handful of $30K/year awards! He’s a smart and lucky guy!
(I pulled out my son’s old Wash U file to look all this stuff up. It’s not just based on memory.)