I’m applying to Questbridge next year and we have a higher income but still in the recommended range for Questbridge applicants and I have higher academics than many applicants. My dad recently started a company and I am concerned that the growth of the company will affect my aid. We currently make about $60,000. If I get in will this change the aid I get? Also I am new to Questbridge and don’t understand the effects it has on admittance. Does a Questbridge application help my chances of being admitted? If I match with a school does that help?
If you are matched through the QuestBridge National College Match you are granted a full four-year scholarship to the university you are matched to. Being matched means you are obligated to attend the school. I certainly think being a QuestBridge finalist is beneficial because you can forward your QuestBridge application to partner schools if you are not matched, and they are able to view a broader picture of you through your essays and your low-income status-which you may not be able to emphasize otherwise.
Haverford’s rule is, the match scholarship is full-need, no loans, no parent contribution for four years, and rises to offset any tuition increases, as long as the student remains eligible for financial aid. It would take a big change in income (like a lottery win) to make you ineligible for financial aid. Smaller increases won’t affect the scholarship.
If you attend a partner school without a match scholarship (ED or RD) your financial aid package will probably be more sensitive to an increase in income than if you’d been matched, the same as any financial aid award would be.
Being a finalist means you can apply with fees waived to the 38 partner schools. And simply having a reason (that is, your Questbridge application) to think deeply about your goals and college choices, your essays, your test scores and transcripts ahead of time helps you, even if you’re not selected as a finalist.