Looking for a comparison please thanks!
Both meet full documented need, and both include loans in their packages. On the need-based-aid side, you will learn much more by running the Net Price Calculators for both schools, with your specific information, than by asking for generalized comparisons.
https://npc.collegeboard.org/student/app/scrippscollege
https://npc.collegeboard.org/app/pitzer
On the merit aid side, so far as I know, merit at Pitzer tops out at around 5K/year, whereas Scripps’ maximum merit offer is $27K/year. Merit and need-based aid will not “stack,” however, so if you require need-based aid, it won’t matter to you whether the school is generous with merit, unless the maximum merit offer exceeds your documented need.
Isn’t the NPC the same for all schools? Or do they differ?
thanks aquapt~
They do differ - that’s why each college has its own calculator. Even among full-need-met colleges their formulas differ, both in terms of how they calculate your need (for example, different schools consider assets like home equity differently) and in terms of how they assemble their aid packages (for example, some schools do not include loans in their packages at all; some include loans for all but the lowest-income students, and some require all students on financial aid to incur debt).
The NPC is not an absolute guarantee of what a given college will give you if you’re accepted, but it’s usually a pretty good approximation of what you can expect. The differences among colleges will help to show which ones have a formula that’s more advantageous for your particular situation. Definitely run the individual NPC’s for all the colleges you’re considering.