Hello, I HAVE started reading about the Tulane specific scholarships in this forum, thank you to all who post.
I would like some opinions on my son’s situation. I am to understand that there are some Merit awards that are part of the general application, and also awards that require a specific application. My son is a current HS Junior. 36 comp ACT, 1530 SAT (I have mis typed that as 1540 in other threads here on CC), No subject tests yet, 3.9 UW GPA, 4.2 W GPA. High scores, but relatively average ECs and grades. Too early for NMSF, but he is likely to be a SF, possible F based on estimated PSAT SI.
In a strange way, I am trying to determine if Tulane is a potential “safety” school or simply a “match”, from a finance perspective. We consider a Safety one to be that we can assume will have limited out of pocket expenses. A Match would be a school that offers likely acceptance but more limited merit awards. In other words: our EFC is much higher than we can practically afford, so we are looking for desirable safeties and matches, and Tulane may be one.
I understand nothing can be predicted perfectly, but would be interested in thoughts. Thanks,
Disclaimer: I am not connected with Tulane, nor am I an expert. I’m a mom whose kid is considering Tulane for the same reasons as your S.
Your son’s stats are competitive for Tulane’s Presidential Scholar Award, which is $32k/year if I am remembering correctly.
Your son would also be competitive for the Paul Tulane (PT) and/or Dean’s Honor Scholarship (DHS), both of which are full tuition and require a separate application.
Keep in mind that Tulane values demonstrated interest, so visit if you can, and your Why Tulane essay is not optional and should list specific reasons why Tulane would be a good fit for the student.
Tulane sometimes rejects or waitlists high stats students if they think the student is unlikely to attend.
Agree.^^ Tulane does not want to be viewed as a safety school, so it sometimes waitlists high stat students who don’t show much interest. (BTDT in my house.)
I have to agree with the above. High Stat students are often shocked about not being admitted to Tulane because they figured it was a safety. Never assume a school is a safety. Tulane is very very big on demonstrated interest. If he is truly interested in Tulane try to visit or at least go to a regional event. Be sure he completes the Why Tulane essay, it’s not really optional!
He should also complete the applications for the Deans Honor Scholarship and the Paul Tulane Scholarship. They are full tuition scholarships and he would for sure be competitive for both based on his stats. He might even be considered for the Stamps. http://www2.tulane.edu/financialaid/grants/index.cfm
Naive question: If I run the EFC (just a guideline, I know) and it says my expected contribution is 30K.
Does that mean for example the presidential scholarship wipes that out, or is it already assumed that would be part of the grants and scholarships used to reduce total cost from 70K-30K? It is unclear, specifically, because the verbiage used to describe the discount when runnign these is “Tulane Scholarships”.
Re: Tulane’s net price calculator - Sorry, no clue on that one. It spits out a horridly high number for us, and it doesn’t seem to jive with what various threads indicate re: scholarship possibilities.
My son’s stats are broadly similar to yours - higher GPA, slightly lower SAT. No ACT.
@DavidPuddy In response to your question, assuming total cost of attendance is $70,000 next year and that your son gets the Presidential ($32,000), then your cost would be $38,000. If your EFC is $30,000, then it is uncertain if Tulane would bridge the gap by giving you $8,000 in need-based aid. I don’t believe that Tulane meets 100% need for every admitted student as the Ivy League universities do. I think it depends on the student and how much Tulane wants that student as determinative of whether it will bridge the gap and meet the 100% need. This is why when students appeal they should speak to both the admissions office and the financial aid office because both offices can work together.
@trackmbe3
Thanks for the input - it helps. But, my question was actually much more “aggressive”. In other words, to attend Tulane, he would need much MORE met than just what the needs calculator spits out.
@DavidPuddy, it sounds like it might only be affordable if your son gets one of the full-tuition scholarships (DHS or Paul Tulane) or the Stamps Scholarship (full ride, very very competitive). They likely will not give aid over and above your EFC.
I agree with @suzy100 - You would need one of the full tuition scholarships or the stamps to make it affordable based on other things you have written. You son sounds competitive but he would definitely have to show interest, put a lot of work into the essays and DHS project, and even then you could not consider that a safety. But it seems worth a try!
Just to chime in, your son would likely receive the Presidential $32,000 scholarship if accepted. As others have said, Tulane apparently sometimes rejects high-stat students it feels are using it as a safety. Your son should have some real interest in Tulane if he applies; the “Why Tulane?” essay is important.
My son had a 35 ACT and a 3.94/4.34 g.p.a. He received the Presidential but did not receive one of the full scholarships, so they are competitive. I’ve got some serious doubt about our willingness to shell out $20,000 a year for tuition when he can go to Alabama tuition-free or Ole Miss for almost nothing, so I’m not sure where my son will be this fall.
My D16 got the Presidential (32k) but not the bigger ones. She chose to go to Pitt with full tuition scholarship. We could have managed 1st year, but looking at expected increased costs yearly (with scholarship flat), didn’t seem worth it. She loved Tulane–the hardest thing she did in her whole admission cycle was tell them no.