<p>For those who got full tuition award, I would guess that you could get equivalent grant from a top 15 school if your parent’s income is not high. However, it appears that UPitt is more generous than CMU, right?</p>
<p>A good number of upper middle class folks who live on the East Coast or other higher cost of living areas do not qualify for the monies you are talkng about, ace550. However, they don’t make enough to just write the check either.</p>
<p>In general, Pitt seems to give more merit money than CMU, which also draws a different type of student, IMO.</p>
<p>For those who got full tuition award, I would guess that you could get equivalent grant from a top 15 school if your parent’s income is not high. However, it appears that UPitt is more generous than CMU, right?</p>
<p>Well, sure…if the income isn’t high, then the student could get the same or MORE from a top school that “meets need.” The problem is that many kids with high stats do not have a lot of need or may have NO NEED. </p>
<p>It seems to me that a lot of people who live in especially pricey and/or high tax areas really don’t have much left over each month…at least not enough to put $40k+ per year towards college for a few kids. </p>
<p>I was shocked to hear how much my Long Island friend pays in property taxes for her modest-sized home. Ridiculous! No wonder they opted for schools that would give their child lots of merit. According to FAFSA, they have no need, but in truth, they had a lot of need. lol</p>
<p>as for UPitt vs CMU…I don’t think CMU really wants to give much in merit, and may not have the funds to do so. They may want to focus on need based aid.</p>
<p>M2K,</p>
<p>Indeed, that is why you successful youngsters in those areas should plan for multiple kids with little age gap. :D</p>
<p>I pulled out the letter that my daughter got when she was offered the full tuition scholarship at Pitt. It indicated that of 24,000 applicants, 4% were offered the full tuition scholarship. That’s about 960 students. So, if your child has stats that would put them in the top 4% or so, I would definitely have them give it a shot. And that’s just for the full tuition. I don’t know what the numbers/percentages are for students getting less than full tuition. My daughter did not apply early, but she did submit an essay with her application that she invested a great deal of time, effort, and thought on, as well as a resume and some letters of recommendation. She also had a lot of ECs. If your child is close on the stats, but has great extra-curriculars and can write a well-crafted essay, I would still have them give it a shot, and just to be sure, apply early. </p>
<p>As for offers from higher ranked schools- yes, she had several, but they were need-based only, and even with aid, we would have been looking at 100-160K for 4 years. My daughter really liked Pitt, especially the honors college, and stated outright that she would prefer me to pay for her grad school so that she can graduate debt free. Thank goodness she’s got a good head on her shoulders! Many, many people were pressuring her (and us!) to go for prestige. They aren’t the ones paying for it, though.</p>
<p>Indeed, that is why you successful youngsters in those areas should plan for multiple kids with little age gap</p>
<p>Yah…we should just all be spitting babies out like Pez dispensers just for financial aid. lol ;)</p>