Schools deny and WL applicants all the time because of FA. There is not enough FA $ to go around. That’s why the best policy is to cast a very wide net if you need FA in order to attend prep school.
fears of not receiving admission due to needed aid are not unfounded at any school, but choate’s situation is unique compared to its peers because of the (smaller) amount of money available for aid. (one of choate’s biggest weaknesses is with the small-market professional family for whom a [relatively] modest aid award would be the difference between going and not going, but that’s another discussion.) choate is also much more transparent regarding who gets rejected or waitlisted because of lack of fa money, which is a fantastic thing, atmo–more schools should be open about the reality of which kids get showered with aid and which kids get nothing or too little to enable attendance. schools do indeed reject all the time due to fa needs, but not all of them are honest about it.
pomfret is good about saying up front that you might be admitted with a demonstrated need of aid and receive nothing due to resource allocation. other smaller schools go hard after certain applicants with foolishly generous aid packages and leave nothing for scores of other.
but beyond any individual school and any certain set of policies and resources, if you are serious about attending a boarding school and need boatloads of financial aid, play the game to win. that means getting an admission and requisite aid SOMEWHERE. don’t be hung up on choate or home. pomfret or home. if you are a big-6 or nowhere sort of family, then go ahead, but don’t be surprised if you’re home next year when you might have been a top prospect elsewhere.
be a skeptical and cynical consumer. learn all you can but don’t necessarily trust everything you hear. do your best to maximize your returns for all the effort it will take.
this gets repeated over and over and over in the boarding school world, here and everywhere else, because it is the reality for financial aid families.
If Pennsylvania is within your scope, I’d suggest you look into Westtown School just outside of Philadelphia.
Kent is very generous with FA. 8.6 Million last year. From the website:
The mission of our need-based financial aid program is to make it possible for highly qualified applicants to attend Kent regardless of financial resources.
2016/17 Financial Aid Budget: $8.6MM
% of population receiving financial aid: 42%
Average award: $36,500
Need-Based Aid: Application for financial aid is available to applicants who believe they cannot fund the full cost of a Kent education. Families apply for need-based assistance at the same time their child is applying for admission. Eligibility for aid is determined on a case-by-case basis depending upon demonstrated need and the availability of financial aid budget. Kent currently awards approximately $8.6 million in financial aid and our awards range from $5000 up to the full cost of tuition depending on each family’s individual circumstances. To those with the highest need, Kent also offers assistance with fees, books & school supplies, laundry service, health insurance, and school sponsored trips.
2016/17 Need-based grants awarded: $6.1MM
Average Need-based grant: $38,500
Merit Scholarships: Through Academic Scholarships, Kent seeks to recognize the best and brightest of our applicants who do not necessarily have financial need. Merit scholarships are awarded according to specific applicant qualifying criteria and do not require an additional application beyond the standard application for admission. Recipients are identified by the Admissions Committee and qualifying students are notified that they have qualified for an Academic Scholarship at the same time they receive their offer of admission.
2016/17 Merit Scholarships awarded: $1.6MM
Average Merit Scholarship: $13,700
Merit Awards:
Kent Scholarship: Recognizes the highest caliber of applicant in all areas, including extraordinary academic accomplishment, demonstrating exceptional personal and leadership qualities, and extra-curricular involvement
Headmaster’s Scholarship: recognizes leadership qualities, personal and academic excellence
Partridge Scholarship: recognizes academic excellence, carries a minimum standardized test score requirement in the 90th percentile (or its equivalent) or higher
Episcopal Schools Scholarship: reserved for academically qualified applicants currently enrolled at an Episcopal School
Agree with @FatherOfOne. Westtown and George School are both worth a look and near enough to each other (and similar in many ways) that you could see them in one trip. I think half of the students at George get FA. Not sure what Westtown’s FA stats are, but it is philosophically similar, so I would suspect FA is comparable as well.
If you are planning on looking at Lawrenceville, take a short sidetrip to visit Peddie as well. From their website…“This year Peddie awarded over 7 million dollars in financial aid to assist approximately 40% of our students.”
Peddie is a great school for FA families with lots of shiny new money to throw around. There are so many schools that aren’t the same eight or 10 you hear about on here all the time & maybe you or your kid will be the dream applicant.