<p>Do we have to tell the college you're going to the outside scholarships you'll be getting? (Well I know they say you must), but do they really know if you don't? Are they going to lower the amount of money they give me since I have outside scholarships?</p>
<p>Yes you have to tell them. Particularly if you are receiving any federal funds. Yes, it may affect your FA from the school.</p>
<p>Don’t even think about hiding an outside scholarship! Not telling them is fraud and you will probably be kicked out and could face charges if they find out.</p>
<p>Yes, absolutely. And also, don’t think they won’t find out on their own - most scholarship providers send out press releases, including to your college’s communications office.</p>
<p>… And most (though not all) private scholarship awards are sent directly to your college’s FA office. They’ll know.</p>
<p>Your need-based aid may (usually will, but not always) be reduced. This doesn’t mean that merit scholarships are a complete waste; you college may apply the scholarships in place of loans or your work-study requirement.</p>
<p>Call your FA office as policies vary from school to school. If you have any unmet need they’ll likely apply it to this first, then possibly to any self-help aid like work-study or loans. If your awards already meet your full need, another poster recently suggested that if you have high unbilled expenses, such as transportation or a computer, you may ask them to increase your COA instead.</p>
<p>D received a $1,000 from a professional organization that H belongs to. </p>
<p>We instructed the organization to put it on D’s Campus Wide account to pay for books, so the difference it made to the aid package was minimal, $1,000 was moved from subsidized Stafford loan to unsubsidized Stafford loan. So no grant money was lost. </p>
<p>When the organization learned from us that many times the school will reduce grant money by that same amount, (it benefits the school & not the student) they then decided that would be their policy, the funds would be used for books & personal expenses & they would put it on the student’s account.</p>
<p>What about outside scholarship money from a civic organization that pays it directly to the student to be used for books, personal expenses, travel, etc.? Does this get reported? If you aren’t getting any financial aid , do you still report it?</p>
<p>Yes, it’s reported. It generally reduces your need. No, if you’re not getting financial aid, you don’t need to report it; there’s no one to report it to.</p>
<p>S was offered a full scholarship to a UC school. This was not financial aid but rather merit. He has received several local (cash directly to him), business and private scholarship ( check issued to University and S). We were told by the financial aid office he would be given back this scholarship money at end of semester. We are looking to save it for med school. Does this sound as though the financial office is correct?</p>
<p>It could be. At my son’s school, any credit in their account can be withdrawn (max withdrawal is $300 at a time, I think) as cash or money order. S receives no need-based aid, though. Between H&I and grandparents, we pay tuition in full each semester (there’s also a small amount of merit aid in the mix). Then when the campus job $$$ is deposited to his student account each month, he can withdraw that and use it for his off-campus housing and food expenses, because there’s no tuition balance owed.</p>
<p>elizabeth2, because the scholarship is merit, and not need-based, it is perfectly reasonable that the outside scholarships have no effect on the aid he receives. His merit hasn’t changed. Only his “need” has, but since there’s no requirement for “need” for his scholarship, it shouldn’t matter.</p>
<p>And congratulations!</p>
<p>//If you have any unmet need they’ll likely apply it to this first, then possibly to any self-help aid like work-study or loans. //</p>
<p>That’s what I’m wondering about. Let’s say that the COA of a school is $45,000 and a person is awarded $43,000 in their financial aid package. There’s a $2,000 difference, but if a person has outside scholarships that will cover the $2,000 gap, would they have to report that? I don’t understand why you would since you need the $43,000 you’re getting and the $2,000 from outside scholarships to cover the entire $45,000 COA.</p>
<p>The outside scholarship would have to be reported to the school. To not do so would be fraud and the school can expell you (especially if they have a honor code) and make you responsible for repaying all monies they have given you.</p>
<p>What they usually do is reduce the self help aid in the FA package (student loans, work study). Then they reduce their self-help institutional aid.</p>
<p>If the $2,000 gap is because of your parent contribution, the outside scholarship most likely will not cover it.</p>
<p>I didn’t think there was any such thing as a full merit scholarship at the UCs. Can you say what this one is called?</p>
<p>We did not think there was one either! Even the financial aid office was rather taken aback. The Chancellor had had kept track of research S has been working on for the past few years and wanted S as a part of a program. So, scholarship does not have a name at least that we can see. S wants to go to medical school and we are trying to keep all scholarship money put away for the next level.</p>
<p>At my d’s school, the outside scholarships are applied according to our choice 1) to reduce d’s contribution during the year 2) to reduce her summer requirements 3) to reduce any loans-- which we don’t have because the school eliminated all loans in our income bracket. You might look into the way the school will apply your outside scholarship. It might reduce the amount of grant/scholarship the school gives you, but rather your family’s contribution. If, however, your grant from the school covers everything you will need to pay, then the outside scholarship could reduce that grant, so check out the individual school’s policies.</p>
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<p>Sometimes these outside awards, especially those given out through the high school and paid directly to the student, are not considered scholarships by the colleges. If you’re receiving FA, it’s a good idea to just call and ask them what needs to be reported as it varies from school to school. At my D’s (SUNY) school, they do not consider the $100-$500 civic/merit/athletic/memorial “awards” given to seniors to be scholarships and do not want them reported. The Dollars for Scholars and other scholarship money (ie. credit unions, workplace, etc.) generally are payable to the college or to the student and the college. Those are reportable and, at D’s school, used to reduce self-help aid first. They said they would consider a one-time COA adjustment for a computer, if requested in writing with supporting documents :)</p>
<p>What if I applied for FA, and only got an unsubsidized Stafford loan and work study? What possible use is it to report a couple of $250 checks from private organizations that are made out to me? I’m already frankly paying 100% of the cost to attend. Sure, a few thousand of it is being laundered through the sham of a loan (which I have to pay back) and workstudy (which I have to pay up front). So what heppens if I report it, they reduce my work study so I have to pay… oh, exactly the same as before.</p>
<p>Guess what I’m asking is: If my whole so-called “aid” package is comprised of an unsub’d loan and work study, what is the logic in me having to tell them I got $500 from someone? </p>
<p>Thanks for any opinions.</p>
<p>EDIT: I should also mention that
1.) both $250 checks were in my name only,
2.) the organization had/has no idea where I am going to school,
3.) they were for merit.<br>
Don’t know if any of that affects the answer or advice.</p>
<p>The logic is that the reporting is required. Do you really want to risk your place at that school, and a possible fraud charge as well, over “a couple of $250 checks”? </p>
<p>The odds are that these checks will have no impact on your financial aid package anyway, since they’re all loans and work-study anyway. So just report them.</p>