We didn’t really factor TE into our decision on which schools my daughter applied to. It seemed so hit or miss, and I wasn’t even sure I was going to be eligible for it at my school as I’m currently working 75% of a full time position. So, my daughter has 4 TE applications out there, mostly at the schools mentioned above where chances of getting TE are slim to none (she did no ED applications as we couldn’t afford to make a commitment without comparing financial aid offers). We have TE apps in at Sarah Lawrence (already accepted with $43,500 in grants so guessing TE would just replace that if she gets it), Connecticut College, Mount Holyoke, and Muhlenberg. We have not heard back from any of them yet about TE and don’t expect to until mid-April.
Those are all awesome schools - good luck. My D23 also applied to Sarah Lawrence. Nice merit scholarship - that’s higher than the set rate TE, so that’s great!
I also wish there was more info. I have a spreadsheet so my daughter didn’t waste her time only applying to schools that were under 10%. She applied to 6 that were 11-40% and a couple that were under 10%. For the ones under 10% she knew they would be tough to get TE so she wanted to show interest. We visited those schools and spoke with admissions. One school had optional interviews so she did that as well. I give a lot of credit to Skidmore because they have a lot of detailed information posted on their website that shows how many they awarded the past several years. After we applied for TE I emailed a couple of schools and some said they couldn’t disclose any information but some were willing to tell how many they plan to award and how many applications they usually get. One school said they have a list and when someone declines TE they offer it to the next person on the list and we could email them to find out my daughter’s place on the list. The TE sounds like a great benefit initially but so many schools offer very few TE awards and if you are lucky enough to get it then $40K off of a school that costs $70-80K is still difficult for most.
Would just add that how a school defines “best” student also seems to vary. Some reviews seem more stat based why others, such as Pitt, consider stats but also other “holistic” factors, including Common Application essay and “exceptional and unique talents; commitment to community service and leadership; significant family, job, or community responsibility; and contributions to cultural, economic, or racial diversity.”
This kind of review makes it particularly challenging to know how TE selections are decided.
Definitely. I think just letting people know what the past stats (range) for TE awardees were is good, and if it’s a holistic review they can say that in the past successful applicants have shown strengths in some number of areas including (but not limited to) X, Y, and Z. Plus, as I was saying above, a real % of how many are given the award, not “below 10%” (which is often 1%) or “11 - 40%” when it could be 12% or 40%, which is a massive difference, and so on. This gives parents and students a decent view of whether to apply or not. This is not difficult information to compile and provide, IMO. 95% of institutions don’t do it, and I’m sure TE doesn’t ask them to do it. So they don’t.
Question for anyone in the group: My sending institution does not allow more than one student in the family to have TE at the same time. My elder student is on TE at their school. Doing wonderfully. In 2.5 years, his TE will be complete, and my second student will be entering her junior year. Does anyone have insight or experience on particular schools that have TE $ for existing students? Some more than others, perhaps?
My sending institution has the same policy. In our case, it would preclude you from applying for it for your second child, as it is a) not offered to all, there is a lottery, and b) entry into the lottery is only available to employees the year their child is a senior in high school.
Our policy stipulates to apply “for the upcoming academic year,” and also says if the student gets a spot in the lottery they will be certified as an applicant with the host institution(s) or with the student’s current institution listed on the TE application.
So, I’m curious about any schools that have good records of awarding TE to students already enrolled…
got it, that makes sense.
I think many schools prioritize awarding it to existing students over incoming…I just looked at my D20’s school info on the TE site and it includes this statement:
In addition to freshmen, will make award offers to transfers and/or to students currently enrolled but not on TE (sophomores, juniors and seniors) for 2023-2024
Thanks, good info. I will check the list.
My D’s college uses that same statement however when I contacted the liaison she said they have never awarded it to a currently enrolled student. Frustrating as it seems they should state that too. Very misleading. Clearly they are using TE as a hook for students that have not committed yet.
The only university that I have seen confirmation of giving TE to students already enrolled is Villanova. Not only do they say this online, my son received a letter from the school which said they prioritized already enrolled students over incoming freshman (which is why my S23 changed his mind on applying). You can search and see that Villanova’s policies have been discussed several times on here.
Eckerd does this as well. During the discussion with the admissions rep after the campus tour, they said not only do they only give out only 1 - 2 a year, but that they include current students in the consideration pool. The suggestion was that even if you don’t get it as a first year, you could come anyway, and then apply for it as a sophomore. This struck me as an odd message to send, not only because they only give 1-2 a year, but also because I’m sure that for most TE applicants, Eckerd wouldn’t be on the list of colleges in the first place if it weren’t for TE, since their COA (64k) would be too high if you had to rely on only in-house scholarships (24k, max).
May want to clarify with Fordham on their policy–but looks like they accept upperclassmen.–
"Those candidates not accepted into the TE
Program will be placed on a TE Waiting List and will be notified if any openings
become available. Alternates who are not selected may reapply for a TE
scholarship the following academic year if the host school allows upper classmen
applications (check with the host school).
I emailed the TE reps at Dayton and they said by end of Feb.
Yep. Same with Xavier. First batches end of Feb.
Just heard from Pitt. DD was awarded the TE scholarship!
My son too!!! I’m shaking!!!
My son received it, too. We are so excited.
I (as in, mom) got an email saying he got TE at Gustavus. I emailed to clarify that it meant the set rate offer previously sent to my son and not the full rate.
LoyNo emailed back and said they give out 5-10 each year but no decisions till March.