<p>Hi, I am just wondering if Virginia counts outside scholarships as part of the financial aid, or considers outside scholarships after determining aid provision? Like, if someone's estimated contribution is like 20-30k and they are getting certain outside scholarships, can these be used to pay partly for the student/parent contribution?</p>
<p>Most schools make you notify them if you receive an outside scholarship and they adjust your financial aid package accordingly. So no, it usually does not count toward your family’s expected contribution. However, it can be somewhat beneficial if you received a lot of loans in your package…some schools will take away your loans before your grant money. Then again…some won’t.</p>
<p>UVA will take away work study awards, then unsubsidised loans, then subsidised loans, etc. Grants are touched last.</p>
<p>What I haven’t found out yet is whether a $1,000 scholarship translates into a $1,000 downgrade of my workstudy award. We’ll see…</p>