Places giving little or NO MERIT AID

Parents Forum
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<p>It is confusing as colleges like Colgate will state that they don't give merit aid, but on their undergrad program site, I found a list of all the various awards and prizes that are offered, not hundreds, but quite a few in each area of study & from my nieces experience it isn't just a piece of paper, there is money attached- for example

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Music:
The Class of 1909 Music Prize - established at the 40th reunion of the class and awarded by the department to "the person who has, during the year, contributed the most to the advancement of the standards of musical performance on the campus."</p>

<p>The Donald Lloyd Cotton '36 Prize - established in 2002 by the Cotton family, created in honor of Donald Lloyd Cotton '36. This prize will be awarded to an outstanding first-year music student or students.</p>

<p>The Felix Eyle Memorial Prize in Music - established in 1991 by Mrs. Felix Eyle to provide an annual award to an outstanding violin student at Colgate. The recipient is chosen by the faculty of the Music Department solely on the basis of talent, not on financial need. The student will be featured during a normally scheduled concert.</p>

<p>The Robert G. Ingraham Memorial Music Prize - established as an annual award to the graduating senior who, in the judgment of the president, dean, chair of the Department of Music, and director of student activities, did the most to promote and stimulate good music as an undergraduate by voluntary activity, leadership, performance, or participation in the band, orchestra, choir, glee club, or any other musical endeavor, individual or group.

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<p>"What if I receive an outside scholarship?
Colgate allows a student to receive the full benefit of an outside award and will reduce a student's loan and/or employment eligibility and family contribution by the full amount of the outside scholarship. Entitlement awards from state or federal sources as well as tuition subsidies based on parents' employment are not covered by this policy and reduce Colgate Grant dollar for dollar. The combination of outside awards and financial aid from Colgate cannot exceed our cost of attendance.</p>

<p>Just to make it more complicated "</p>

<p>EK4, to make it even more complicated, I am quite certain that Colgate left a small ambiguity in their statement. The family contribution that can be reduced by outside scholarships is not the same as the EFC calculated via the FAFSA. If a school uses the CSS and determines that the family conrtibution should be higher than the FAFSA EFC, then this "updated" family contribution is indeed subject to be eliminated by outside scholarships. Colgate did however cover its base by adding the last sentence about not exceeding the COA, which would happen if the Federal EFC is reduced by outside awards.</p>

<p>In general terms, unless a student obtains a package of 100% merit aid, it is not possible to reduce the Federal EFC.</p>

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<p>..and then there are some so called "prestigious" awards that have no money associated with them at all. We were very excited when S was notified that he was an Echols Scholar at UVA - because we thought it meant he got a full scholarship! We kept looking for the financial benefit associated with this "prestigious" award, but never found it. :)</p>

<p>That was pretty confusing too. I think a previous poster suggested that UVA be added to the Nominal Merit list. ( I'd probably second that based solely on our personal experience.) I know they have "Jefferson Scholars" that do get some money, but not sure how much or how many in relationship to the number of applicants.</p>

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<p>1sokkermom, you are right that there are also "awards" that are not monetary scholarships that can be awarded when admitted. Echols is one example. </p>

<p>My kid was selected as a Tisch Scholar. This is not a merit award with a scholarship. Just to not be confusing, earlier I mentioned a $20,000/year for four year scholarship she won at NYU/Tisch called a Trustee Scholarship and that is a merit award but separate from being selected as a Tisch Scholar. However, while Tisch Scholars do not get any scholarhips, I feel there is some monetary benefit of a different sort. Tisch Scholars entails many things but ONE thing it includes are two fully paid trips. One is in freshman year to Appalachia but the second one is to a foreign country. This year was India, and other years have gone places like Cuba, Viet Nam, and so on. This coming year it is to Brazil. It is a "benefit" and something that costs money. Granted it doesn't bring down the tuition but it is certainly an educational trip that is free.</p>

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<p>
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I know they have "Jefferson Scholars" that do get some money, but not sure how much or how many in relationship to the number of applicants.

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<p>March 22, 2006 — Hailing from 24 states and the District of Columbia as well as India and South Korea, 96 finalists competed in Jefferson Scholars Selection Weekend March 16-19 on the Grounds of the University of Virginia. At the weekend’s conclusion, the Jefferson Scholars Selection Committee of the Jefferson Scholars Foundation extended offers of a Jefferson Scholarship to 44 of the finalists.</p>

<p>The merit-based criteria for selection as a Jefferson Scholar are demonstrated excellence and exceptional potential in the areas of leadership, scholarship and citizenship.</p>

<p>Jefferson Scholarships cover the full cost of attending the University, including tuition and fees, room and board, books, and other expenses.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.virginia.edu/topnews/releases2006/20060322JeffersonScholars.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.virginia.edu/topnews/releases2006/20060322JeffersonScholars.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

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<p>
[quote]
It is confusing as colleges like Colgate will state that they don't give merit aid, but on their undergrad program site, I found a list of all the various awards and prizes

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There is lots of chances for ambiguitity ... Cornell itself does not give merit aid but the school administers merit based scholarships that are funded by non-University resources. So if I set up a 3TOGO scholarship fund I could ask Cornell to administer the fund and 3TOGO grants would show up in the Cornell aid packages and they would be merit based aid but Cornell itself is still not providing merit based aid ... yikes. (At least they did this years ago and I assume they still do)</p>

127

<p>Read fast - this may not be up long. ;) </p>

<p>Sticker Shock, the problem comes in when there is so much erroneous information being given out by the OP these days that the fact checker folks can't keep up. </p>

<p>I am certainly a very vocal fan of merit aid - look it up.;) I also have championed the plight of middle class folks on this board in the FA wars. My daughter received direct institutional merit awards of @ a million dollars last year from top 100 institutions. Yep. We cast a wide net. LOL. I'm willing to help if I can. PM me after searching on my name + merit or my name + scholarship.</p>

<p>Knowing full well that this will be considered too pointed by some , but jeepers this is a a necessary public service......</p>

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<p>Then where exactly did that SAT come from in the first quote?</p>

<p>And then , one day later (be sure to check out that SAT combined score).


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<p>Was there a special midnight grade your own SAT?</p>

<p>Folks, something ain't adding up - or maybe it is.;) </p>

<p>As a graduate of Picker ( my wife went to Zollman) I want to single out this next one for special merit as being dangerously incorrect</p>

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<p>Usually people come on the board, maybe lurk a little , maybe ask questions, tell the same story every time, maybe use the search function, maybe seek out posters whose kids received merit awards last year. I think that model works best. Study first. Answer questions second. But as always, JMO.</p>

<p>Fire away. And feel free to dredge up episodes of inconsistant facts in my history. You won't find any but maybe it will keep y'all busy looking. ;)Inconsistant thought? I'll plead guilty now. But if you could, save the best barbs for tonight when I get back. ;) It's so much better in real time. Climb into flame retardant suit, and THEN press Post..</p>

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<p>Thanks for the link Xiggi. Based on that total number (44) of Jefferson Scholars, and approximately 16,000 undergraduate applicants to UVA, I would definitely call this merit program "Nominal" at best! It appears that it is a great program for those that get it, but the chances of getting a Jefferson Scholar are very slight!</p>

<p>From the link: "The Foundation identified finalists through two avenues: 45 regional competitions around the country, and a separate competition that permitted a review of all Nursing and Architecture School applicants and every student, including international applicants, attending schools not eligible to compete in the regional competitions."</p>

<p>It appears that nursing and architectural students were given a "special" look. The school may be trying to boost enrollment in those programs.</p>

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<p>wouldn't you have to be accepted and attending UVA to be eligible for a jefferson scholarship?</p>

<p>There are only 3100 spots in teh class of 2010.
It also says that they are committed to meeting every students financial need 100 %
It doesnt say anything about in or out of state</p>

<p>That seems unusual for a public university- it is public isn't it?</p>

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This is the third class to be admitted since the University created its innovative AccessUVa financial aid program under which U.Va. commits to meet 100 percent of every applicant’s demonstrated financial need.</p>

<p>Through AccessUVa, the University has made an annual commitment of $20 million in need-based grants to undergraduates. The program is designed not only to keep a U.Va. education affordable for the lowest-income students, but also to address the concerns of middle-income families who are squeezed by the rising cost of tuition. By limiting debt — or eliminating it altogether, in the case of students with the most need — AccessUVa offers assurances to prospective students that if they are eligible for admission, they can afford to attend the University.

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<p>
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The undergraduate scholarship is the larger and more visible of the foundation’s offerings, but this may change in the near future.</p>

<p>Wright estimates the cost of expanding the fellowship to be in the neighborhood of $50 million, about half of the total $100 million that the foundation’s current capital campaign hopes to raise.</p>

<p>Of the remaining $50 million, Wright said $40 million will go toward small expansions in the undergraduate scholarship, to the tune of about five additional scholars per class for a total of 35 to 40 a year. A large portion of that money also is required just to continue to meet the cost of tuition, which has steadily risen in the past several years.</p>

<p>Source <a href="http://www.virginia.edu/insideuva/2005/13/jefferson.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.virginia.edu/insideuva/2005/13/jefferson.html&lt;/a>

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<p>I am still trying to understand WHAT it is that needs to be exposed. As I expressed earlier, there is a strong debate about the (ab)use of merit aid in this country. I believe that most experts do agree that the essence of financial aid is based on need. The fact that many schools align themselves with such position is entirely within their rights, as they are private schools or offer privately funded scholarships.</p>

<p>However, behind the position also rests the fact that scholarships need to be funded and that donors decided to support a certain type of aid. Funds that were raised to offer grants and scholarships to the needy cannot be earmarked for other purposes. </p>

<p>I am going back to a question I have posed several times: what is the measurement yardstick here? In other words, how little is too little? Do we expect every school to use merit aid in the way WUSTL, ASU, or Tulane does -or did?</p>

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<p>"wouldn't you have to be accepted and attending UVA to be eligible for a jefferson scholarship?"</p>

<p>That's a good question. The offer of a Jefferson Scholarship may actually be the enticement for an applicant to attend UVA over another school. However, it seems that the offer must be made before an applicant has that decision to make. It is possible that the 44 offers are made to those in the "accepted" group, not necessarily the final matriculant group. If the offer is made to an accepted student who decides not to attend UVA, another offer may be made to another "accepted" student.</p>

<p>UVA accepts a much higher percentage of in-state students (67%) than out of state students (33%). It is not clear how the scholarship money for this program is divided.</p>

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<p>Cur-- I'll see you at our Picker reunion where I intend to complain mightily about the plight of the upper middle class which doesn't qualify for need based financial aid.</p>

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<p>Is Picker the place that had really good merit awards for goat herders?</p>

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<p>Blossom, I must agree that there is an element here that schools "owe" families and some families are complaining that they do not qualify for aid. I realize it is tough for those in the middle. But if someone is making over $150,000, and even thinks $5000 is peanuts, I don't have a lot of sympathy. It is tough for many people and college is a huge expense and sacrifice financially for most Americans, unless very wealthy and can just write a check. I have read "complaints" by a poster here on other threads about the Ivies not giving out Merit Aid. They do not have to do so. It certainly is fair. Every student who attends has merit. They have many qualified students who they turn away, as well. They don't need to lure anyone. However, they fairly disperse 100% of need based aid. We never EXPECTED aid and are grateful for any that our kids' schools have given. It surely helps. In another post from a couple of weeks ago, I'm reading misinformation about merit aid at places like where my kid goes, NYU, saying to forget it unless one has a hook. My D gets merit aid and did not have a hook. Every person admitted to her program, for instance, has artistic talent. The scholarship weighed all sorts of factors. But she had no hook beyond anyone else in her program. Some misinformation abounds here. That is why I am grateful that we have many posters here who continue to post and offer their time, yet are long past the college admissions process themselves. They have much to offer to those starting out here.</p>

135

<p>Wow! Glad to see my thread is alive and well and no longer going "nowhere"
Curmudgeon - all hypo's put foward for advice and one for a neighbors kid.
Glad to see you're on board.. if only to brag about your kid. Anyway you're no longer "lurking" Sorry if you and the rest of "Vets" feel threatened. Also, I didn't know there was a protocol associated with these postings> Okay let me get this straight, I read in awe the postings of you and your all knowing ilk, then I contemplate your vast knowledge. Then, and only then do I actually post something. Once posted if it doesn't meet with the approval of you and the rest of the resident experts I fold like a beach chair in a 40 knot wind. I don't think so.. THE LIST REMAINS You may not like it because the aps may drop at some of these places... and let's be honest if people know the truth.. maybe they don't waste thier time and money applying to your favorite school. Maybe applications drop and, with the amount of freshman slots remaining static, maybe your schools selectivity index drops. Ouch!</p>

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<p>attaching the link to the list of schools that current use the CSS profile (most likely giving need based aid) so that they can be eliminated from OP's list.</p>

<p><a href="https://profileonline.collegeboard.com/PXRemotePartInstitutionServlet/PXRemotePartInstitutionServlet.srv%5B/url%5D"&gt;https://profileonline.collegeboard.com/PXRemotePartInstitutionServlet/PXRemotePartInstitutionServlet.srv&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

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<p>THE LIST REMAINS </p>

<p>Indeed, but in a new thread. It is available at the link posted below. We hope that the new thread will contain more factual evidence and fewer arguments. </p>

<p><a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?p=2747675#post2747675post2747675%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?p=2747675#post2747675post2747675&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>