<p>I toured Northwestern recently and was told that they offer absolutely no merit-based money. I don't qualify for any need-based aid, but paying for this extremely expensive school is something I cannot do. Does the school offer any scholarships or anything merit-based?</p>
<p>You can get 2,000 a year for being a National Merit Scholar.</p>
<p>Other than that, there’s one or two others at this website:</p>
<p>[Scholarships</a> & Grants: Undergraduate Financial Aid: Northwestern University](<a href=“http://ug-finaid.northwestern.edu/topics/prospective/scholarships_grants.html]Scholarships”>http://ug-finaid.northwestern.edu/topics/prospective/scholarships_grants.html)</p>
<p>I don’t think I’d bank on getting much merit aid, though.</p>
<p>Hi Shannabana,
My S is attending NU in the fall as an entering freshman. There is little to no merit aid and my son turned down full rides to 5 other state/private schools to attend NU (his reach school). We were thrilled with his acceptance to NU and that he is going there - it seems to be the best fit for him and his interests and talents. I was worried as a parent how we would pay the COA, but please have your family file the FAFSA and CSS profile paperwork during the application process - you may be surprised what you will qualify for. You can also go to college board website and use their simulator (it was pretty accurate for us) and you can get a “feel” for your parent contribution. NU’s parent contribution assessment was within $10 of our FAFSA EFC. The EFC seemed to run at about 20% of your parent’s gross income and the CSS Profile takes into consideration beyond that your family assets (after an asset allowance level is subtracted) and any other extenuating financial circumstances. I felt like NU was extremely fair and reasonable in what they asked us to pay. Thank goodness S received some outside scholarships that will keep us from having to take the loan out. Although, NU was the BEST college in terms of the amount of loan they put in the FA package. There was 3500 of Sub Staf loan and 2500 of work study (his outside scholarships have erased those). Be aware, though, that whatever EFC NU decides will be your expected family contribution - outside scholarships in excess of the loan/work study amount(s) will apply FIRST to their NU need-based grant/scholarship portion before any $$ will subtract from the parent contribution amount. That said - again, in our experience, NU was pretty accurate in their assessment for us - we will cover our portion with a mix of current income and college savings - not ‘cheap’ in terms of cost but is “doable” for our family. </p>
<p>YMMV… I did notice in another forum (“making a C”) you stated you have no need for financial aid, though, so I am not sure what advice you are looking for - but I am posting the above to also perhaps help others looking at NU. It is a AMAZING school and my family is thrilled about joining that educational community.</p>
<p>Thanks for the help!</p>
<p>I don’t “need” financial aid in the sense that my parents make enough money to put me out of the running for any kind of need-based aid. However, I really don’t want to pay full price for a something like 50K/year school, especially since I’ll be paying a large portion myself with student loans and such. I was hoping NU would offer some merit-based aid.</p>
<p>I am assuming you are a HS senior next year - if your academic scores, etc. are high enough to get you into NU, then you should qualify for outside merit scholarships, too - but you must apply for them by the deadlines. My S received about 10K per year in outside merit awards from applying for scholarships in our community and from the scholarship sites - and I know a lot of kids that received more than that. It takes time to do, but you can collect most of that info this summer late and early Fall and get those in - it makes a difference and that can help take away the loan and work study portion of your FA package at NU - even a small amount makes a difference. Good luck! NU is a magical place with exceptional staff and students - we visited three times during application process and LOVED the school.</p>
<p>“Unadvertised” and without required additional application are Founders Scholarships. The scholarships are offered by the university, unsolicited, after an acceptance by NU is already on the table. The number of scholarships seems to vary year to year. The target audience - “middle class” - is not clearly defined. The idea here is to try to limit the debt burden for students who might have otherwise paid a significant percentage of costs out of pocket. </p>
<p>Founders Scholarship</p>
<p>Summary:
Northwestern created the Founders Scholars Program in 2007 to honor the nine individuals who founded the University in 1850.</p>
<p>Eligibility:
Awards are offered each year to a select group of incoming students from middle income families. While academic credentials weigh heavily in the selection process, other criteria taken into account include student essays, recommendations, leadership experience and potential, and academic interests. There is no separate application to receive consideration for a Founders Scholarship. Eligibility for renewal beyond the freshmen year requires a cumulative GPA of 3.0 which is reviewed on an annual basis. Recipients must be enrolled at least half-time to maintain eligibility. (Please note: Any reduction in tuition charges may result in a reduction of scholarship funds. Please review the Term-Pricing Policy on our Eligibility page.) </p>
<p>Award range:
$14,750 average award in 2008-09. These scholarships are renewable for four years so long as students make satisfactory academic progress.</p>