It’s not a guaranteed award.
I spoke with the UC financial aid office today.
Apparently, UC now sponsors awards through National Merit Scholarship Corporation. Up to $2,000 and stacks with other awards. Notice will come from NMSC. No other UC NM award.
Other outside scholarships reduce grants (need based awards) 50 cents on the dollar. A $5,000 outside scholarship reduces UC grant by $2500. This doesn’t apply to a NMSC college-sponsored award.
I’m sure what I heard. Whether it is correct is another story.
Also spoke with NMSC. They could tell me over the phone if my son had received a NMSC-sponsored award or a company-sponsored award. Letters are going out now. College-sponsored awards determined in May.
@JerryTN did they say anything about whether it’s a competitive process for those $2,000/yr. awards? In the past pretty much everyone we know who attended UChicago as an NMF received the $4,000 per year and of course if you didn’t receive anything from NMSC directly UChicago made up the difference. Now - it sounds like the $2,000 isn’t a guarantee for UChicago NMF matriculants? That would suck.
@JBStillFlying Unfortunately, I have no information on how many, or how competitive, the UC/NMSC scholarships are. Planning for the worst.
National Merit Scholarships from University of Chicago are now live on NMSC portal for those who specified their first choice early on. My daughter was offered $2,000 per year.
So does that still mean $2k from UChicago in addition to the 2k from NMSC? Or is it now 2K overall? And what does it mean for subsequent years? My daughter got the total 4k this year and I am wondering whether this will change next academic year…
@MindLife is your daughter class of 2020 or 2021?
@JBStillFLying Class of 2020
@Mindlife you should probably review the terms of the scholarship(s) she received last year to see what they say about renewal. If they promised a set yearly amount and she met the satisfactory academic progress criteria then she’s probably fine. You can always call to get clarification.
How did your D’s scholarship work, exactly? Did she receive $2,000 from NMSC and another $2,000 from UChicago?
@JBStillFlying You say that UC/NMSC awards are posted for “those who specified their first choice early on.”
Any idea of the schedule for those who made UC their first choice later?
Are these awards posted - and pretty obvious - on the NMSC “OSA” portal? Thanks
@JerryTN when your student logs on, if there is an award then there will be a message and a 4th item on the main menu of the portal. They told me that there will be additional updates for those who specified later on (though tbh I’m not sure of timing there. My kid specified her first choice before 3/1 and was included in the first batch of names that went to UChicago so we knew that if it didn’t show up yesterday, it wouldn’t be happening at all ). Definitely give NMSC a call to ask that question so you have a better idea of timing. They are actually very helpful. Also, they are mailing notifications out but of course checking online is much faster.
@Mindlife your student should be grandfathered. Her scholarship falls under the guidelines referenced in the 2016-17 FA Handbook so will not be modified if any of those programs change in future years. That’s what FA told me, at any rate. Here is the link to the FA Handbooks. My daughter and everyone else entering this fall will need to follow the 2017-18 Handbook (btw, a quick perusal of both 2016/17 and 2017/18 seemed to give no mention of National Merit specifically).
http://financialaid.uchicago.edu/resources
For everyone else, waiting, what I heard from FA this morning is the same as what has been reported upthread. NM scholarship money is now limited to what NMSC offers and I think the renewable stipend for a college sponsored award is up to $2,000 per year. UChicago will not be supplementing that amount with additional dollars related to National Merit.
Good luck to all waiting - here’s to hoping that all the UChicago NMF’s get something!
D’s spring quartr bill says:
$666 NM Supplement Schol
$666 U of C National Merit Schol
Those numbers were $668 in the fall to add up to 4K/yr. Barely covers the student fees which were $884/quarter. May be time for them to stop charging $95/quarter for mandatory U-Pass (CTA pass). DD has gravitated to Uber which is about $5/trip to the loop if she does the Uber Pool.
And you know they tell the kids that they get “free” bus passes. At least that’s what my daughter told me when she came back from her spring overnight. LOL
U-Pass is automatically covered by the university if you’re on any kind of financial aid.
I easily use the $95 a quarter out of it and try to encourage people to use public transit. The $5 to the loop adds up - and is totally not worth it when we have the 6 for free.
My daughter has received financial aid (grants, work study, etc.) and the UPass is definitely included in her cost of attendance. @HydeSnark, are you saying that it won’t actually be billed to her? I haven’t read that but we also haven’t delved into the FA policies yet.
@JBStillFlying I believe so. That was the stipulation that made U-Pass pass
Here is what I found regarding UPass and I’ve posted out a couple of the FAQ’s which seem the most relevant:
https://college.uchicago.edu/student-services/cta-u-pass#No3
"How much does it cost?
U-Pass operates under a per diem system, in which participating institutions are charged a fixed amount per cardholder per day that the card is active. Under UChicago’s academic calendar, this comes out to approximately $95 per quarter.
Will the fee be covered by financial aid?
For students in the College, U-Pass will be covered as a part of financial aid packages for students receiving aid, just like any other student fee. Students in the College not receiving aid will be charged the $95 per quarter as an additional fee, in the same manner as the student life fee."
What this means - based on my daughter’s FA award letter - is that the cost is factored in when calculating aid. It’s definitely part of total direct costs and will appear on the bill. Those kids who have financial aid will then see their grants etc. applied against that total direct amount and be on the hook for paying the difference. There is no separate $95 per quarter charge that you have to fork over. Those w/o FA will just see it included on the bill and be on the hook for paying 100% of the total direct costs.
Thanks for the information on the NM scholarship, @JBStillFlying!
Just want to echo the point @HydeSnark made about the U-Pass. Hyde Park is a wonderful neighborhood, and it’s possible to leave the area just a handful of times each quarter. That doesn’t mean it’s a good idea. There’s a huge city out there, with lots to do and see. Not to mention the fact that the cost of living is inflating your quarterly bill and personal expenses anyway - so why not experience the upside of living in Chicago?
Many things a student will do at UChicago require the CTA. Going to visit the city? Watch the Cubs/White Sox/Bulls/etc. play? See a concert or a show? Do any or all of the above, or something else entirely, with your house? These things all mean a round trip with the CTA.
Even those who are only here to work, work, and work can’t escape it. Many internships will hold interviews in the Loop, and some classes (architecture, for instance) include field trips downtown. If your daughter ends up volunteering or spending work-study hours with the Neighborhood Schools Program (a wonderful initiative that now employs close to 500 students and volunteers, including yours truly), that will likely mean trips out of Hyde Park. And, of course, the CTA is far cheaper than an Uber to or from the airport.
In short, for most students, the U-Pass is well worth it
As a parent who has seen Uber eat into one of her kids’ college funds, I couldn’t agree more! When I lived in Chicago we learned the bus and train schedules so that we could get around. No Uber in those days!