<p>My S (a rising HS junior) has gone back and forth on whether he wants to pursue only a BM in Performance or seek a double degree (BA in a liberal arts subject). At the moment, he is leaning toward the latter. While his sole ambition in life, professionally speaking, is to "do something" in music (ideally perform), he is a very smart child who does well on the honors/AP track at school. His intellectual interest in things beyond music is causing him to think that he wants to continue to learn and study other things in college. (Indeed, one of his thoughts is to become a professor of music at a college or university.)</p>
<p>While paying for college is a challenge for us (and I have another S who is now in college), we will not qualify for need-based aid ---- assuming that we maintain our jobs! We hope that S will get some merit-based aid. </p>
<p>In poking around on the web sites of various schools offering double degree programs, I was shocked to see that double degree students at Peabody are not eligible for merit aid. They may receive only need-based assistance. In other words, if S were good enough for Peabody to accept and offer merit aid to, he could not get any merit aid if he co-enrolled in the BA program. Can someone please explain the logic in this position? (I think it more or less takes Peabody/JHU off the table for S.)</p>
<p>Do other double degree schools take the same position? And, if so, who are they?</p>
<p>Both Tufts//NEC and Harvard/NEC. Although NEC offers merit scholarships to kids in the conservatory alone, it does not give them to kids in the joint program. And Harvard, while generous with need-based aid, gives no merit. Same is true with Tufts.</p>
<p>At Eastman/UR, one can get merit from either, but not both schools.</p>
<p>Allmusic is correct about Eastman/UR. Essentially, after you’re accepted to both programs, they will each offer you a merit package. You simply choose the better deal of the two. Of course, trouble could come if you decide to drop the double major and the one you want to drop is the one giving you money.</p>
<p>That actually is not true about Peabody. Peabody does give merit aid up to $10,000/year for students. They were clear at our meeting that, unless you file the FAFSA, that’s the most you could get. And that is, indeed, what our son was offered, as we did not submit a FAFSA to them. They were not clear about what “qualified” you for more…I got the distinct impression that their policy was NOT to give more than $10K without the FAFSA, BUT they didn’t say what the level of qualification was for more than $10K if you filed…in other words, I think it might be possible to get more merit aid with a borderline FAFSA. </p>
<p>edit: oh, now that I’m re-reading your post, I see that your saying if your child were accepted to JHU as well (for DD) that Peabody would rescind the merit offer? When we asked about our son applying for DD at the end of his first year, this was never mentioned. I can’t believe that’s true–but is definitely worth a call.</p>
<p>Oberlin gives merit aid in both the college and the conservatory; but there is an upper limit, so a big award in one or the other may be all that is offered, with the effect that if the student drops the double degree it may affect the scholarship.</p>
<p>Our experience was that you pay the higher amount. You do not “…simply choose the better deal of the two.” At Eastman/UR, the UR tuition was higher (and the merit scholarships were lower). We would have had to pay the higher tuition with the lower merit. Perhaps that has changed in the last 4 years, but I doubt it. At Peabody/JHU, the same pertains. JHU tuition is higher and merit scholarships are virtually nonexistent. Peabody does not “rescind” the merit scholarship. It simply no longer applies.</p>
<p>For what it’s worth, we award merit aid up front that is good for all five years, without a need to “re-apply” in subsequent years. Up to and including full tuition. Many conservatory students attend Bard on either the Distinguished Science Scholarship (full tuition for five years as long as you major in a math/science field for your other degree) or the Distinguished Musician-Scholar program. Need-based aid can be piled on top of this amount as well.</p>
<p>I’m a sophomore in the Hopkins-Peabody DD program (history/cello), so I can probably point you in the right direction over most these other folks.</p>
<p>Here’s how it works: 1) You have to be accepted to each institution independently (Peabody almost exclusively on the 15-minute audition, Homewood almost exclusively on academic credentials); 2) You have to be accepted to the Double Degree Program (generally 25-30 students are accepted to both schools independently, but no more than 5-6 are offered slots into the program); and MOST IMPORTANTLY 3) You pay the Homewood tuition, regardless of how much (or little) your tuition WOULD be at Peabody were you attending Peabody alone.</p>
<p>Homewood administers the program when it comes to things like registration, healthcare, et hoc genus omne, so that’s how they justify making the student pay the Homewood tuition – which, again, could be higher, or could be lower, depending on the student’s specific situation. Also, see: <a href=“http://www.peabody.jhu.edu/3457”>http://www.peabody.jhu.edu/3457</a>.</p>
<p>CIM/CWR offers a dual-degree program, but I believe that one is considered a “CIM student” first and that all of the aid comes from the conservatory side.
If a student desires a B.M. in Music degree, they must meet the requirements for admission to CIM, but there is another option, which allows the student to pursue two different degrees through Case, where their music requirements are not as rigorous.
Here is a link from CWR which explains a bit:
[Case</a> Western Reserve University](<a href=“http://www.case.edu/provost/ugstudies/dualdegree.htm]Case”>http://www.case.edu/provost/ugstudies/dualdegree.htm)</p>