<p>It doesn't look like Fordham does interviews of scholarship candidates - do they just use the application information and recommendations?</p>
<p>They have a computer program… they plug in gpa and sat’s to find where you rank in the applicant pool and give out scholarships based on that.</p>
<p>jeez nyc2013, bitter much? last i read, you transferred out of Fordham. go away</p>
<p>We called when I was accepted to Fordham, that is their actual protocol in the words they used to explain it to us. I may have transferred out but you, who only has 2 posts, can ask many other members on this forum of my history and see if they agree that I should “go away.” I have never disrespected the school nor misrepresented it. FA is something the majority of people with experience with Fordham take issue with.</p>
<p>haha perhaps that is how they determine preliminary scholarships given to EA admits. But a holistic approach (but yes, without interviews) is often used when determining final merit amounts.</p>
<p>So, if I have a high 90’s GPA as well as a top top percentile ACT score I will likely be given a decent amount of money?</p>
<p>I found scholarship process to be hard to understand. I was a National Merit Finalist but was not offered much. I asked for a review since the website said NMF were eligible for scholarships but all I got was a form letter rejecting me from that scholarship.</p>
<p>I was an RD candidate, not EA. You will receive MERIT money based on where you fall in relation to all other accepted applicants, your rank so to speak.</p>
<p>I don’t believe that interviews are part of the “typical” scholarship review process but there are some private donors and companies who give scholarships to Fordham students and I couldn’t say anything about those, nor do I have any insight to the athletic sholarship process. </p>
<p>I recommend that all accepted students come to the Preview days and take the opportunity to meet with a FA counselor. Last year we got to meet with the person in charge of FA for the LC campus and she went through our package with us. Our concern was putting our S in Fordham and then the following year the package changing dramatically. She assured us that our package would not change regardless of an increase in our income…I was planning to go back to work once my S was in school…bc it was merit and not based on need.</p>
<p>So…unfortunately you just can’t take a good enough guess to predict what your package will be whether you are looking for grants or merit or both. IF you are given grant $$, then you do need to realize that it is tied to your need and if your income does increase, your award from Fordham can decrease in later years. IF you are given merit $$, then you will need to maintain “satisfactory” academic performance at minimum and most likely a 3.0 which given the grading policies at Fordham WILL require your hard work. </p>
<p>I, too, heard the computer program story regarding the $$ amount of the Tuition Aid Award when I first called FA after receiving the package and my S was a RD applicant. I didn’t hear it from the FA director though during my meeting. I would GUESS that the stats are plugged into a program to give a general indicator as to where you fall in the applicant pool but then your file would be reviewed holistically for the final award determination and that is where you just can’t predict what you’re going to get. Nor can you really compare yourself to another applicant. If you take two strong candidates and one has higher stats but the other plays the tuba and Fordham needs a tuba player for whatever reason, who do you think gets the $$$??? </p>
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<p>nyc2013 has been a valued member of this community and has been able to provide student perspectives having been a part of both LC and RH. These opinions are no less valuable bc he/she is transferring. Fordham will not be the right fit for everyone. There are other student posters…yenrod, sunshowers, ramfan2013…whose opinions are also of great value and they are happy at Fordham. There are also parents of Fordham students who regularly post here and we all see things from our own unique point of view. The bottom line is that these are all just opinions and you should always take them with a grain of salt. Then go ahead and form your own. </p>
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<p>See this is where we disagree. I think that FA is something the majority of people take issue with…Fordham by no means has a lock on it! 
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<p>I personally think it’s likely that you will get something but what I think doesn’t count for much bc I don’t make the decisions! As to whether you will be getting a “decent amount of money” I think that will in part depend on your definition of decent. You just have to wait and see, and if you are an EA applicant, then keep in mind your FA package could increase after the RD packages go out.</p>
<p>Good luck to all! :)</p>
<p>So if my S has a 4.0 unweighted, 35 ACT it sounds like he stands a chance to get an acceptance and maybe merit aid? I guess we did not really think Fordham offered a lot of merit.</p>
<p>Your S seems to have stats above Fordham’s average so he has a good chance to get merit aid. Of course the process is not totally predictible so you can’t count on anything until you get the actual award. Good luck.</p>
<p>when do we hear about scholarships? I got the letter w/ my acceptance saying I got the Dean’s Honor one and I know they don’t announce the Presidential ones until April but at what point to we get an actual Dean’s Honor amount?</p>
<p>Were you accepted early, and got a deans honor scholarship?</p>
<p>My daughter applied EA and rec’d a ltr stating she was awarded a Dean’s scholarship in the amount of $10K, but that the scholarship mount might increase. It’s nice but not enough to send her to Fordham!</p>
<p>SDmom2- yes, exactly. </p>
<p>Susancani- same predicamnet here, that’s why I’m interested to know when the official amounts go out.</p>
<p>My son was admitted EA. After he was admitted I spoke to financial aid office to inquire as to when info would be sent about any additional merit aid. They advised me to file FAFSA and if this was done early then we would receive info in February. They advised me to file the form even if I thought we would not qualify for need based aid as if this form was filed early they would send info in February which would include any merit aid. Otherwise, I was advised that info on merit aid might come later.(late March/April) when they put together packages for those who file FAFSA/CSS later. I called earlier this week and was advised info on financial aid and merit info would be sent out on February 10th for those who had completed early FAFSA forms. I’m hoping this is accurate. Anyone given any other info about this? Merit aid is going to be a big factor in whether Fordham will still be a consideration.</p>
<p>@334mom
We were told something very similar. Thanks for sharing.</p>
<p>I applied EA and got my decision mid-December. I thought they weren’t giving me anything, but today I got a letter in the mail saying I’m getting $10900 a year in merit aid. It also said if I haven’t filed the FAFSA and CSS yet I should, and then I’ll get a package with all my merit and financial aid in March.</p>
<p>My daughter was also accepted EA in December and received a letter yesterday saying they are giving her merit aid… extremely small compared to theresaax2’s amount. Although we didn’t expect anything because my daughter’s stats are lower than what I’ve been seeing in this forum.</p>
<p>AlohaTM: I’m in the same position. Fordham offered me $5,000 a year in merit aid, but I wasn’t expecting anything so I was pleasantly surprised :D</p>