Oh ok. Thanks.
@ChattaChia
For anyone worried about not being from a school that offers the Rensselaer Medal I’ve learned that the Medal is just a form of demonstrating the school’s generous scholarship level. It gets people researching about the school more but no one should need to depend on the Medal. As I’ve noticed everyone that enrolls gets very hefty and generous scholarship and institutional award regardless. My school didn’t have the Medal because they didn’t know about it to set it up, so when I was a senior I told them about it and now it’s available and ready to be given to some lucky junior. But my award was far beyond more than what the Medal offered so I’d say don’t worry about the Medal at all, you’ll get more aid no matter who you are.
To say “you’ll get more aid no matter who you are” is in direct contrast with many posters on this forum. Many kids do not get more aid than the 25k some kids don’t get any aid at all If you got more consider yourself lucky. My daughter goes there for free and had free forming she hasn’t met anyone who’s package was equal to hers (not that they don’t exist they just aren’t that common)
Apologies if I’m incorrect, and I may be since the common data set is sometimes a bit vague, but from what I’m reading in the common data set, it says that 86% of freshman found to have financial need were awarded on average $42k.
Now I understand that that’s an average, so there were some that were less and some that were more.
Logically, if a person is sincerely worried about aid and is asking on this forum whether they will get the Medal award of 25k, they more than likely do have a financial concern and are probably in need. I don’t doubt that RPI will give them 25k or more. Sure I’m fallible, but the going record indicates that if a freshman is in need, they will get aid.
[Common Data Set: Section H2](http://provost.rpi.edu/sites/default/files/CDS_2016-17%20Final%20Version.pdf#overlay-context=institutional-research/common-datasets)
Your apology is accepted but before you speak wait until you get there, ask around then you won’t have to eat your words.
As I read it the CDS for freshmen:
- 83% of the people requesting need assistance, received need assistance. (Determined by RPI to have a need.)
- Every student determined by RPI to have a need received some assistance.
- The assistance received covered 86% of the need, on average.
- Average award was approximately $42K, of which the average need-based scholarship/grant was $36K.
- 249 Students had their full need met. (Not the same as full ride, of course.)
- Which would say that 1,110 - 249 = 861 freshman received less than full need.
- Of the 581 freshmen who either did not apply for need based aid or were determined by RPI not to have a need, 372 received non-need based scholarships or grants, averaging $21K.
All this to say - Try RPI. My son did not get the medal and at RPI, the total aid package leaves us at just a little more than our Federal EFC. Totally worth it for us.
sunnydaydream
The apologies was only if I was incorrect hahaha.
Would you like some salt and pepper with your words?
My words? Absolutely not. Come back to me after you actually go to rpi and then maybe you’ll actualy understand they aren’t handing out free degrees to 83% of the student body
@Sunnydaydream I know several people going to RPI for free or close including room and board - mainly African American’s benefiting from the Garnet D. Baltimore scholarship. Everyone I know not in that category had near-perfect SAT scores. Granted, I’d agree that’s a small percentage of the student body, but around 10-12% of students in each graduating class had perfect math and/or english scores on their SAT. 83% of students DO get need-based aid though averaging 86% of their total need met. Granted, need can vary wildly and only 15% have their full need met according to RPI - which, again, is not free. These, however, are all statistically factual and provided on RPI’s common data set used for college rankings.
@joedoe & that right there puts a question mark next to everything you’ve said if you can’t correctly interpret a simple collection of data…83 % of stidents DO NOT receive aid. 83% of the students who request it do.
I’m really done here. You can fill people with what you will once they’re there they’ll get the true story.
@Sunnydaydream I just read the common data set - I apologize, you were right. The other data I was referencing was from the other post (which I should have fact checked). Only around 51% of all students get need-based aid/are qualified. Granted, that is only need based aid. Over 90% of students receive some form of aid.
And I am there - that’s what I’ve seen and I awknowledged that it’s a small minority of students. I think you also need to improve your reading comprehension and take emotion out of a pretty stoic discussion.
My source: http://provost.rpi.edu/sites/default/files/CDS_2016-17%20Final%20Version.pdf#overlay-context=institutional-research/common-datasets
My reading comprehension? I can understand the data sheet on my own and can also understand when someone is addressing me or someone else. Thanks for the concern but there’s no emotion here just trying to give people the actual facts not the made up stuff like if you’re wealthy you won’t get a good package.
Oh. I didn’t see anyone address what happens with wealthy students at RPI. Different lens. I was looking at whether a student with need would have the possibility of attending. Yes, from the data and comments at here and during visits, I agree that RPI has resources to pursue wealthy students they want and that RPI is willing to use them to get students they want. Is that what you mean, @Sunnydaydream?
I’m encouraged that RPI is focusing on scholarship fundraising to provide good packages to even more students.
@Sunnydaydream I didn’t say you won’t get a good package if you’re wealthy. I said that some forms of aid and scholarships consider income or are need-based.
From the Office of Admissions: http://admissions.rpi.edu/aid/forms/2017-18/newstudentguide1718.pdf (check on page three, many awards say “need-based”)
I emailed my son’s GC fall of his junior year. She said that his school will only nominate a student that has some interest in RPI. He received the medal. His grades and scores are great, but there are probably students with higher scores that had no interest in RPI.
Senior here. Got the medal last year. Just chiming in to let you all know that I did not indicate any interest in RPI before receiving the award. Every high school has its own policies, so do email GC to find out for sure.
My son was awarded the medal and has tentatively received additional merit of $18,000 minimum. I am confused about the posts regarding RPI not stacking awards. Does this mean he will only receive the medal since it is more or will he receive both?
@hexigurl He will get both. You add all up as long as it doesn’t go up above the cost of tuition. Remember though, there is room and board, transportation, books, laptop fees that are side costs.
Apparently not. We just got word that since he was awarded the medal, he will not get the merit award since they don’t combine awards. This came from the coach who was apologetic about the confusion. To say the least, we are deflated since we were trying to get the cost down to our State University level.
@hexigurl I think I read your post too quickly. You are correct RPI takes the highest ‘Merit’ award and nullifies the rest.
My merit award was large although I didn’t get the Medal, my need based was covered by RPI. That’s important to consider; RPI Merit does combine with Need-Based as well as Grants.
In my bursar bill it lists each as 1. Award, 2. Grants, 3. Need-Based, 4. Loans. It then shows how much is due out of pocket.
The numbers are listed next to each, all of them get combined. I hope that offers clarity to show that RPI can be affordable and the only way to find out is by applying.