REMS Program / Early Decision or Regular Decision?

So Rochester remains my daughter’s top choice even over some reach schools, we are having some trouble picking safety school’s she would be happy with and thinking she is getting closer to being a candidate for early decision. The deadline is November 1st so would need to jump on finishing up her application and getting the other recommendation letters.

A few concerns / questions that have come up while researching.

At our info session they emphasized applying as close to December 1st as possible vs the application deadline for Regular decision as it would maximize the merit based aid package. Basically they said they start with a pool of money and as they start awarding it goes down and later submitted / reviewed applicants will get less aid. The calculator for family contribution works out roughly as follows, with her minimum merit based aid at $7,500 per year (awarded Bausch & Lomb Honorary Science Award) than they will meet 100% of need but is around $8,000 per year in loans. If she gets in the $20,000 per year merit range it goes down to around $3,000 per year in loans.

So as I understand the REMS process its super competitive with around 500 applicants of which 50 get notified mid January if you are a finalist or not. If not you then can be put in the regular decision pool (already well past the regular decision deadline and further behind in line for merit based aid). Then of the 50 that get invited for interviews only 10-15 will be accepted and the rest are then put back in the pool and tbh will likely be accepted but way behind in the line for merit based aid.

Also I seem to understand it as you can apply Early Decision and REMS, if accepted early decision it does not on the surface mean you get better merit based aid but since you are accepted Mid December you get your package put together when they have full funds available for awarding the packages. Also the caveat to this is you must agree to go to University of Rochester even if you don’t get into the REMS program, but she is 100% okay with that part of it.

The real only hesitation as this point is committing before seeing the actual package but the low end of the range is doable while not ideal and seems like she would get a better offer early decision vs regular because you can’t apply RD and REMS, that part is one or the other and if you don’t make REMS you go RD on the very tale end of the merit based aid funds being passed out.

Finally does anyone have any input of CCS non-custodial parent waivers and if that can be done prior to applying or as part of the application process. My “daughter” is technically not my daughter and her biological father is not listed on her birth certificate, has never met her, has never provided support to her, and will likely never meet her. I know its not common but from what I read it’s pretty much the case that the waiver was created for but don’t want to sign a commitment and her have to go through an emotional path of finding him and introducing him to her life.

@skateguy50 I can’t answer all these questions, but as a student applying to REMS myself, I had emailed the admissions office of UoR regarding the same inquiry of the status of my regular decision application if I were to get an interview for REMS. The exact reply was:

If you are interested in applying for REMS, you will need to have your application complete by November 15th, which would automatically mean that you are considered for the Priority Deadline of December 1st, since all of your application materials would already have arrived in our office at that point. There is no separate application for Priority Deadline, but there is an additional REMS essay supplement that needs to be a part of your application as you complete that by November 15th.

Basically, even with REMS you will be considered for the priority merit scholarships. Hope that clarifies some things.

Thanks for the feedback, her interview is later this month and planned to ask about it then. If it has no impact she is really leaning to not doing early decision and comparing full packages together. REMS is a stretch for her as her volunteer time has not been hospital specific but would like to put herself in the applicant pool if it won’t adversely affect her regular decision package.

@skateguy50 Yup, I’m in the exact same boat. Let us know what the interviewer says.
And good luck to her on her interview!