<p>Does UM combine scholarships and financial aid? For example, my family has an EFC of 22,000. I went to the net price calculator (University</a> of Miami - Net Price Calculator) and it says I'll receive 0$ in need based grants if I receive a university scholarship. So does that mean I will not receive any financial aid if I receive a scholarship?</p>
<p>Also does UM match financial aid or scholarships packages?</p>
<p>Check out this link: [Grants</a> | Enrollment Management | University of Miami](<a href=“http://www.miami.edu/index.php/office_of_financial_assistance/ug/ug_aid/ug_grants/]Grants”>http://www.miami.edu/index.php/office_of_financial_assistance/ug/ug_aid/ug_grants/)
My D received a Miami Grant in addition to the University scholarship - this may not be the only non-need based grant offered - look like BFRAG, FSAG and the Non-Florida state grants all may be non-need based. </p>
<p>So to answer first two your questions: you can still receive financial aid even if you receive UM scholarships. UM will combine grants and scholarships up to the total of tuition & fees (around 42k) - unless you get the Stamps which also covers room & board.</p>
<p>As far as your final question about UM “matching” financial aid - assume you mean packages that other schools may offer you? If so, my guess is that no, they won’t consider other school offers when deciding what you offer you.</p>
<p>~Zinc</p>
<p>Zinc,</p>
<p>Was there a long wait between the S/S award notification and your Miami grant notification? The only way D would be able to attend Miami is with a minimum award of tuition and fees, unfortunately. Last week, Minnesota awarded her a departmental merit scholarship (for one year only though) bringing down the COA there to about $13K… </p>
<p>Plus I see that Wash U’s scholarship weekend (if she was even to receive an invite), for the tiny number of awards they offer, conflicts with our spring break cruise dates. I’m thinking we are down to Miami vs Minnesota. It looks like Singer/Stamps award notifications went out last year in mid-March but since all the interview weekends are in March this year, notification might be much later this round?</p>
<p>D has to confirm her enrollment and make her non-refundable deposit (I think about $250) at Minnesota around 3/29, per last year’s thread, in order to reserve an orientation/registration date. That date appears to be very important at Minnesota since there is no priority registration for Honors students, only for athletes; for freshmen, selecting classes is all done at these summer orientation/registration events so being able to book the earliest possible date is very desirable for obtaining your preferred classes.</p>
<p>At Miami, from what I have read here, it sounds as if the U is much more accommodating when it comes to helping scholarship recipients schedule their desired classes - one of the big differences I am sure between a huge public full of red tape and a smaller private… </p>
<p>So if D is lucky enough to get an invite to the Singer/Stamps weekend (still haven’t bitten the bullet and booked a flight but am watching the flight prices closely!) and gets even luckier and is awarded either a Singer or University + Gables + Foote Fellows + Miami Grant (Zinc- this last combo, I believe, was your D’s situation?), it seems as if that would all happen around the last week of March making for lots of excitement and a quick decision to be made as we cruise around the Caribbean on our first vacation in many years! On our last cruise, back when D was in 8th grade, we had unlimited internet in our cabin for $100, but it appears that unlimited option is gone now so we’ll be paying by the minute and I am at a loss as to how we would possibly receive notification of any scholarship awards (are they sent via snail mail from Miami or emailed perhaps?), consult with all of you on CC for advice and make a decision from the ship, all while dancing the limbo and entering the belly-flop contests while under the influence of Caribbean music and pina coladas? (me, I mean, since D is only 18 and quite a teetotaler). Also, I am concerned about D making such a big life decision with all those tight braids they put in on the beach in Jamaica cutting off some of the circulation to her brain…</p>
<p>My only option, it appears, is to ask that all of you super helpful folks (Zinc, rankinr, dumbo11, sujormik, dindune, VHfather, malaml, and 1tcm) agree to abstain from any alcohol consumption for the entire last week or so of March so as to assist us in making a clear-headed decision! Ok with everyone?</p>
<p>I’m in! Glad to help…! Just came home from a cruise and it was lovely! By March you will really need the stress relief!</p>
<p>IllinoisMom,
We attended S/S weekend on 2/25-26 and on 3/7 our daughter received an email (in her myUM) which contained:
<p>Then, after 2 weeks of trying to figure out where I was going to get a 2nd job to pay the tuition remainder, fees, room and board I was checking the financial aid section of her myUM (via delegate access - make sure she has given you delegate access to at least the financials) and I discovered an update on Wednesday, 3/23/11. The update was the appearance of the Mimai Grant. And I did the dance of joy! There may have been some alcohol involved…</p>
<p>Let’s see - you covered a lot of ground in your post: </p>
<br>
<br>
<p>Finally, hmmmm, give up booze for the last week of March. I’m not a religious guy but it seems that’s right in the middle of lent this year - so yeah that would probably be do-able. Altho, I think you and your family will come to the right decision (psssst, she’s going to love being a Cane!).</p>
<p>~Zinc</p>
<p>Hey Zinc! Thanks for the response, I didn’t know UM gave grants. Do you know anything else about the Miami Grant (SAT scores required, etc.?) I’ll apply for the other Florida grants as well. Thanks a lot</p>
<p>Zinc,</p>
<p>Thanks so much for all the info on the timing last year (and the commitment to remain sober to help us sort out all our financial options, also, of course : ) I am so glad to hear that those scholarship decisions, along with the Miami Grant award were made available online and hopefully the timing will work out so that we can figure it all out before we board that ship and are restricted to paying by the minute for slow and unreliable internet access. I don’t think we’ll be able to use our smart phones onboard if things are the same as they were last time. We had to turn off our phones when at sea in fact, to prevent any incoming calls or texts from generating exorbitant international roaming fees. </p>
<p>Re Minnesota’s COA, the $2k departmental scholarship and a $1700 undergraduate research grant are for one year only. The other scholarships, the Gold National, which covers the out of state differential each year and does increase each year to cover that difference in cost, and the $5K Bentson, each continue for four years. </p>
<p>While flights to Miami are more expensive than those to Minnesota, the cost of all that winter apparel alone would likely make that all even out : )</p>
<p>I’d also be glad to help Illinois Mom, but I don’t think you are giving you and your daughter enough credit. Once all the offers are in, things will get much clearer, especially if she is down to 2 schools. We also just got back from a cruise, and your post made me LOL. I agree with Zinc’s timing. D’s experience was flawless in getting classes she wanted. Her original schedule she received was not to her liking, but one meeting with her advisor and she had the exact schedule she desired. And I have to say, Miami weather sure beats Minnesota’s weather!</p>
<p>Also, not sure what cruise line you are going on, but we just got back from a Royal Caribbean cruise. I did keep my Iphone off for most of the trip, but I did check my emails for work. They had an internet package you could buy that was pretty reasonable (x dollars for x minutes), and you just put a code in your phone, so you don’t have to bother with the ship computers. Probably all the major cruise lines have similar packages. But hopefully you will know everything before you board, and you can relax and celebrate her decision.</p>
<p>Dumbo11, </p>
<p>Thanks for all the info on scheduling classes; I am glad to hear that they fixed your D’s schedule so quickly and easily! The bureaucracy at a gigantic public definitely gives me pause. D went to tiny private schools through 8th grade - a 6th grade graduating class of 3 (Montessori school) and 8th grade class of 8 kids - so jumping through bureaucratic hoops is something we were able to avoid until high school started 
I have heard that Miami is very accommodating and really tries to make things run smoothly for their students, which was certainly not what we saw a friend’s kid experience a few years back at our huge flagship in Illinois; miles of red tape and long delays were encountered when he attempted to change his major to one which was offered in a different college within the university 
</p>
<p>We are crossing our fingers that the timing works out, even with the interview weekends running later this year, so that all decisions have been made before the big boat leaves port, but if not, we are also on Royal Caribbean, on the Allure, so will make sure to purchase that package of minutes for at least one of our Iphones! I haven’t looked much into the details of this trip since guiding D through the college planning process falls under my jurisdiction, while DH and DS are coordinating the details of the trip, which we are taking with the same good friends we cruised with four years ago, and who are lucky enough to have already married off both their gainfully employed daughters and are now footloose and fancy-free :)</p>
<p>IllinoisMom: You are going to LOVE the Allure! That is the ship we just sailed on. It was our favorite cruise ever. Call your travel agent and see if they will ask RCI to give you a coupon book. We are diamond members, and our coupon books each came with 30 free internet minutes. A good travel agent should be able to get you one that at least has discounts. Wow, your D really had small classes. She probably would thrive at Miami. Really hoping this all works out for you!</p>
<p>I want to stress a point about the Miami Grant. My daughter was offered the University Scholarship and a Singer invite. She did not get the Singer but was offered the Gables for 4k. The Miami grant came much later. As Zinc said, it was listed on the financial aid web site and an email alerted us that there was a “change” in our financial aid. I know I’m a lot more cynical about this whole college app process than most of you but I can’t help thinking that if we accepted enrollment earlier, she would not have been offered it. So, my point is that if you make the decision in favor of UM, there is no reason to accept enrollment before the last min, especially if there is a chance they will offer you more $.</p>
<p>Dumbo11-</p>
<p>Thanks for the tip re a coupon book; will ask DH to contact our travel agent about obtaining one, or two perhaps, since DS has booked his own cabin (an inside balcony facing Central Park that he is graciously allowing D to share with him - should be interesting since they are both extremely messy to put it kindly…</p>
<p>Malaml - I completely agree with you. An early acceptance gives schools no motivation to up the ante! In any case, D will not be able to attend without a minimum of the Singer, or the combo of University/Gables/Miami that Zinc’s D received. I believe Zinc has indicated that his D’s total package of those three awards added up to an amount roughly equal to the Singer; was your situation the same? </p>
<p>D won’t confirm enrollment anywhere until the last possible date - which in the case of Minnesota, unfortunately, may be around March 29th, in order to secure the earliest possible registration/orientation date (an in-person two day affair held on campus in early summer; is Miami’s initial class selection process done online?) </p>
<p>I notice you said the Miami Grant notice came much later? Do you happen to recall if that notification arrived around the time Zinc’s D’s did, around March 23rd, or was it perhaps not until April? We do arrive in Miami a day prior to our cruise (just in case a blizzard hits, to ensure we make it down there in time) so IF we do luck out and D receives one of those Stamps/Singer weekend invites and if everything goes our way, it would be the perfect time to stop by the campus on March 24th and give the admissions/scholarships people a big group hug! Or sob on someone’s shoulder and beg them to reconsider : )</p>
<p>Here’s where we enter the gray-zone. We paid the $300 enrollment deposit 1 day after getting the results of the S/S weekend. And then 15 days later were notified of the Miami Grant. So, while I agree with malami that there is no need to rush to accept and there may even be some value in waiting to see if the grants come in, for us UM was the dream school and there was no question she’d be attending, grant or not. </p>
<p>@3176401 - I have no idea about the criteria for being awarded a Miami Grant.
~Zinc</p>
<p>I looked up old emails from UM financial aid and I think the Miami grant was awarded on 4/20. The grant was small so our numbers didn’t add up to roughly the Singer amount but we also had Bright Futures which is awarded to students in Florida attending A florida school (who meet the standards) and FRAGG, which is a grant given to Florida Students who go to a private school in Florida. Now those numbers added up to the Singer amount. ( cowinkidink? My cynical self says no! ) When I called to ask about the Miami grant, mainly to ask if it was per year, the rep said it was brand new so she didn’t have any information other than it was non need based and yearly.</p>
<p>Very interesting! Zinc’s D had already accepted admission but still received the Miami Grant and Malaml’s D received it much later with the May 1st deadline looming…and in both cases, everything worked out to a rough equivalent of the Singer (didn’t know about those Florida specific funds, malaml; nothing like there here in Illinois where our flagship prices out at around $32k for a biology major and the only merit $ I’m aware of awarded to URM students or a small number of engineering majors).</p>
<p>So for the fall, Zinc and Malaml, has the U given any indication that the Miami Grant might be renewable since it’s January? It sounds like only a minor shortfall in your situation, Malaml, but Zinc, you’ll need enough notice so you can get that second job lined up, I’m guessing : ) ?</p>
<p>Illnoismom, the Miami grant is renewable. At least the non need based one that we received. I’m pretty sure there is a need based grant also called the Miami grant but that’s not the one we are referring to. Our flagship here isn’t as expensive as yours ( we had done pre-paid so it would have even cheaper) but I can’t imagine any school having more red tape than ours. In the end, it was between the flagship and UM, Mwon out mainly because of the lack of red tape. UM has been wonderful in every aspect of customer service. When you call, someone answers the phone, if you have concerns, they address them etc.</p>
<p>malaml- Many thanks for the excellent news that the Miami Grant is renewable! That is so reassuring and I am starting to get excited now about the upcoming scholarship weekend invites…Sure could use a break from the weather here in Chicagoland. My mom and stepdad just left Illinois for their annual two month stay in New Mexico, but we prefer the ocean, and a trip to beautiful, warm and sunny Miami sure would be nice to have on the calendar in addition to that long awaited cruise!</p>
<p>Dumbo11 -It’s so exciting that you just cruised on the same ship we’ll be on! We’re doing western caribbean. Did you ever check out any of the cruise boards online? I know the friends we are traveling with (who cruise at least once a year on RCI) are always on cruisecritic.com and recommend it highly :)</p>
<p>Just confirming what malaml stated about the non-need based Miami Grant being renewable annually - this from the UM website:
“Beginning Fall 2011 for new incoming and transfer students. Tuition restricted. Based on academic merit. Renewable annually based on university standards of academic progress.”
[Grants</a> | Enrollment Management | University of Miami](<a href=“http://www.miami.edu/index.php/office_of_financial_assistance/ug/ug_aid/ug_grants/#miami]Grants”>http://www.miami.edu/index.php/office_of_financial_assistance/ug/ug_aid/ug_grants/#miami)</p>
<p>Up for interpretation is “standards of acedemic progress”, but D turned in a 3.92 gpa for the fall sememster, so I haven’t started looking for job #2 yet!
~Zinc</p>
<p>We are a few weeks away from the decisions! I must admit the nerves are starting here in this house. We really appreciate all the great info about the grants, waiting to accept until the last minute, etc. I think my DS’ year he accepted at the last minute, but there was no financial change, just couldn’t decide between UM and Emory. </p>
<p>Now that it is DD’s turn, having done it before, the nerves don’t change…it’s a whole new ball game now that UM has improved their stats so much. Much more competitive for the scholarships and such. In my head I know that what’s done is done, nothing more that she can do, but the waiting is so hard!</p>