SAT scores and Furman's Merit (non-need) based aid?

My daughter would REALLY like to apply EA to Furman’s Studio Art Program for Fall 2021. She has been invited out and I think she has a pretty good chance of being accepted. However, we are going to need merit aid and/or a scholarship to make that happen.

My question: If Furman is “testing optional,” how is Merit based aid and/or scholarships awarded? It looks like only 40%-49% of applicants submit SAT scores, so we are trying to decide if she should submit her scores or not.

And last question- Does the dept or major you are seeking have any effect on the offer a student receives?

Submit her scores if they fall within the upper 50% of the average (1320+ or 30+). Scholarships are awarded in the same way for all students, based on how good they look as a student. For test-optional students, this just means more emphasis on everything that isn’t test scores. The most recent data I could find shows that only 270 of the 711 person freshman class got merit aid which averaged around $18,000 per year per person. Furman’s scholarships (again from what I could find) are not dependent on major, but most institution-wide merit aid isn’t. They might offer a little more to a student accepted to a program they are trying to build up, but it wouldn’t be a ton.

Thanks for you input! We visited the campus last week and while she really liked the faculty and staff in the Dept of Art (they are great people!), it doesn’t look like it is the program for her. So time to rethink the list.

@hillcountryview if there is any chance your daughter would want to apply to Furman, have her guidance counselor nominate her for the Furman Scholars program. If she is accepted it guarantees at least $20,000 in institutional aid. https://www.furman.edu/financial-aid/furman-scholars-program/

That is a gold mine of a tip!

yes, that is the case. And no application fee…we will see what they will actually offer my daughter. She was a Furman Scholar.

@UpstateSCmom any update on scholarship offer?