<p>My D1 rec’d several merit scholarships offers and we never filed a FAFSA. D2 has BU on your list, so your statement caught my eye and I visited BU’s site today:
“Most merit-based scholarships do not require an application for financial aid. However, we strongly encourage merit award candidates to complete the forms required for need-based aid, if they believe that they may need financial aid in addition to their merit award. Merit award recipients who have applied for need-based financial aid will be considered for any need-based aid for which they qualify beyond the amount of the merit award.”</p>
<p>(I am not sure if the first quote box worked as I have been “quote challenged” in the past).</p>
<p>Thanks for all replies. My kid applies to many schools including MIT, UPENN, UNC, Emory, WashU, UND…
Yes, some schools like Emory don’t consider financial need for merit scholarship, but we wouldn’t know the final result until March. So I guess I need to file for financial aid before I know the result for in case no merit aid is available. AND as bhmomma mentioned “most schools encourage merit award candidates to complete the forms required for need-based aid”. But my kid’s dream schools at this moment are MIT and UPENN. So I was hoping that I can get some financial aid from those CSS schools. I called MIT yesterday and the office said that I can submit the NCP waiver request but it can’t be rejected. They did’t tell what are the points they will be looking to accept the waiver.</p>
<p>*But my kid’s dream schools at this moment are MIT and UPENN. So I was hoping that I can get some financial aid from those CSS schools. I called MIT yesterday and the office said that I can submit the NCP waiver request but it [can] be rejected. They did’t tell what are the points they will be looking to accept the waiver. *</p>
<p>You won’t get aid from those schools without the waivers. If you don’t get the waivers, they won’t even process your aid request. </p>
<p>You need to sit your child down now and explain that he absolutely has to have affordable back up schools that he’ll apply to in case these waivers do not get accepted. </p>
<p>You have to understand, many NCPs don’t want to pay and schools can’t just hand out waivers. Heck, many CPs don’t want to pay either. Waivers are really for situations where the dad has NEVER been in the child’s life or similar extreme situations. The waivers aren’t for NCPs that just don’t want to pay or fill out forms. </p>
<p>Seriously, your child needs to apply to 2-3 financial safety schools where he’d get very large merit for his stats. Do you know what your FAFSA EFC would be? Is it low enough for Pell Grants? Do you know how much you can afford to pay each year? </p>
<p>I know that such news is hard to deliver to your child who has dream schools in his head, but if you go back and read old posts from kids who didn’t have financial safety schools, you’ll see a lot of very upset kids posting that they have acceptances but NO affordable schools. If things work out, then the safeties won’t be needed, but if you don’t get the waivers, you don’t want your child with no affordable acceptances.</p>
<p>OP, listen to this advice. Even though it stinks to have to tell your child this news now, you will be in a lot better shape than those parents who don’t break the news to their kids until spring, when a lot of options are no longer available.
In March and April there will be a lot of posts on this forum from kids who are really stuck, and feel betrayed by their parents because the parents DIDN’T tell them the honest truth.</p>
<p>*You need to sit your child down now and explain that he absolutely has to have affordable back up schools that he’ll apply to in case these waivers do not get accepted. *</p>
<p>I didn’t write that very clearly. You child needs to apply to 2-3 back up schools NOW. The way I wrote the above sounds like he should apply to safeties if his waivers aren’t approved. It would be too late at that point.</p>
<p>The reason why your son needs to apply to 2-3 financial safeties NOW is because the schools that give large merit scholarships often have early deadlines for scholarship applications (like mid Nov or Dec 1st) …much earlier deadlines then the apps for the actual schools. </p>
<p>His financial safeties should have assured very largemerit scholarships for stats. He can also apply to some schools with competitive merit, but those can’t be safeties since winning those scholarships is unknown. </p>
<p>Can you tell us what your son’s major will be, what he likes about those schools, and what his stats are? If so, then we can point you to some schools that might work and give you large merit scholarships.</p>
<p>The COA at BU is 56,922. If your child geta a merit scholarship (no matter what the amount) and you can pay the rest, there will be no need for you to apply for financial aid.</p>
<p>However,</p>
<p>Even on the rare off chance that your student gets a full tuition scholarship, and you need financial aid for the remaining 16k, if you don’t apply for finanical aid, then you will not receive any aid.</p>
<p>So unless, you already know that you are a full pay family, are prepared to pay the full freight and any merit money received is gravy that will reduce the COA, it is in your best interest to file the FA forms.</p>
<p>I do not see it this way since there are very few schools that offer full ride (tuition, room, board, books, stipends) unless;</p>
<p>you chose a school that as a NMF and can get a full fide
you are highly recruited athlete getting a full ride for your services
You are a tippy top applicant admitted to a school that gives full ride scholarships upon admissions.</p>
<p>Otherwise, even if a student gets full tuition merit $, there is going to be some money that the family will have to pay. If the family is in a position to write their check, then there is no problem and no one will need to apply for finanical aid. This example is more the exception than the rule. For many families, even if the student gets half tuition, that family will still have to come up with ~ 30k. Again, if a family is in a postion to pay this and there is no need to apply for financial aid, great!! Again, these types of situations are more exceptions than rules. Also keep in mind that there are not going to be a ot of these type of scholarships floating around.</p>
<p>However, there are families that even after the full tuition scholly, the balance can be a stretch for the family (especially if the family has a high EFC, is house rich or may not have enough money to pay the balance. This family will need to apply for FA so that minimally their child will be in the position to borrow sub/unsub stafford loans.</p>
<p>I would recommend that you do a search for Barkowitz (poster) on the financial aid former. He used to post on CC when he was the director of Financial Aid at MIT. Perhaps his postings can give you more insight. His blog is still archieved on MIT’s website at </p>