“not” yours or mine
We are not expecting to get financial need due to our EFC being higher than COA. We plan to submit Fafsa in late Jan-Feb. My son got $80k from Pitt in September.
We did the same with our daughter 3 years ago. She got Merit money from 11 schools and we pay zero to Univ of Florida , where she attends.
Submitting Fafsa and CSS didnt prevent her getting merit . Although most of her scholarship offers were received before we finalized the forms.
2 Likes
What is the turnaround time from application received to notification right now? Has anyone gotten an answer recently?
@roseUf2022 Congratulations to your kiddos! Yes, Pitt merit offer here was received before October 1,the FAFSA opening. After that I inquired to Pitt about filing FAFSA, since it was our first rodeo with S19, and they said it was not necessary if we were paying the balance in cash and not taking out any loans. They said the only reason to file would be if we were using the unsubsidized loan.This was new to me and may be to someone else on this forum. D22 offer came in after October 1st.
I am not sure why my post was greeted with such negativity. If this is not your situation no need to demean.
1 Like
Applied on October 13th and nothing yet!
That’s how it worked for my daughter. First year after filing FAFSA she was offered a small unsubsidized loan. She declined. After that, we havent submit FAFSA again and her scholarship has renewed each year with no problems. But I do know that some private schools want financial forms filed even for Merit.
2 Likes
Congratulations! well done.
We called Pitt before submitting the app, they said fafsa is not necessary for getting merit scholarship. Your experience is entirely in line with what Pitt has been saying - no fafsa necessary. Of course if you submit it, they may use it for funding the remaining balance via loans. If it’s submitted along with the application, they have access to the info, and there’s a concern that they may use that information in deciding how much merit scholarship to give. I’m not saying that it happens that way - I don’t know the process (first child applying this year) - but this is what I understood from the previous postings, and it seems like a smart decision to submit fafsa a bit later, like Jan/Feb
5 Likes
For those who have already received a decision, does the student get an email saying that their decision was ready, or do they just have to keep randomly checking the portal?
My son received 3 full ride merit scholarships. Pitt, Udel and Fordham. We are not full pay at all these schools but our EFC was 30,000. My son received hefty merit at all the schools where he was seeking merit. We filled out the Fafsa early. I think the key to merit especially at Pitt is to get your application in early. I don’t believe filling out the fafsa has anything to do with merit. Just my experience.
3 Likes
I got the email to check the doc center one day but nothing there until several days later where the acceptance letter showed up.
As noted by several posters, almost all merit awards are not impacted by financial need and therefore submission of FAFSA documents should have no impact on the student receiving the merit award. That’s why they are called ‘merit awards.’ Although some awards take into account both merit/academic performance and financial need, the conditions of these awards are typically explicitly noted by the college and typically tend to be in the minority of all awards (my D22 has one of these awards so I am fairly knowledgeable of this type of award). I see no where on the Pitt web site that indicates that any of their merit awards are influenced by financial need. Although we have not completed the FAFSA for our incoming freshman, it is surely not due to concerns regarding his ability to receive a merit award from Pitt.
Hi all! When I look in the PS Mobile app under Applications Status it says “Pending.” Does this. mean it hasn’t been reviewed yet? Applied October 13th
Congratulations to your son! Getting $80k from Pitt is a lot. BTW, is your daughter OOS for UF? And she got full ride? Did she apply to some special scholarship?
That is the most helpful post in this thread! Thank you!
Applied October 13th saw the admission document on the 26th, admission e-mail with personalized video (done really nicely) received November 2.
Good luck to all who are still waiting !
1 Like
You’re welcome! I’m glad that you found it helpful!
2 Likes
My daughter was admitted today. Applied 10/11. OOS, no test scores, 3.7 GPA. The letter was in the portal, no email.
7 Likes
Thanks so much for this! I would NEVER have figured this out on my own!!
Son got the merit scholarship award… 80k for 4 years, OOS. Application to acceptance 2 weeks, then 2 more weeks for the scholarship. Great relief!
8 Likes