@cc665544 your experience directly contradicts mine at Vanderbilt, where our financial aid package was revised without reduction in need-based grant aid upon receiving the national merit award. INSTEAD, Vanderbilt supplemented the Natl Merit award to a 5k/year renewable merit award that directly reduces our family cost each year over what had been awarded before the natl merit was received. http://www.vanderbilt.edu/scholarships/additional.php describes the award.
@2023dadofthree , I am really surprised at this contradictory experience. My daughter had received the 8K Curb leadership merit scholarship which had already cut into her need based aid and we were clearly told by the financial aid officer that the additional 2k national merit money(if we made Vanderbilt first choice with National merit corporation) would also cut into her need based aid. These 2 facts actually influenced our decision to go with UF and not Vanderbilt. Do you see the work study grant in your aid package? If not that implies you had a cut too, generally they cut the work study grant before then cutting into the need based aid.
I really fail to understand the purpose of these $2k, $5k, $8k per year scholarships if they are going to cut into need based aid. Whom do they help? Maybe only the full pay ones.
@peachActuary73 - no, they didnât ask for anything. All of our info is in the CSS/IDOC system, though. I have no idea. Weâll try to call tomorrow, I guess, because there is no getting through via email right now. Would be nice to have clarification since we have only 72 hours to decide.
@cc665544 I can say that for my family, once my brother is out of college I would likely become full-pay at Vandy. However, my scholarships will help significantly for that one year (as in, making the difference between being debt-free or not). I did get more than just 2k though.
@cc665544 Our package was revised with the only change being the additional 5k merit scholarship (divided into the 2k part from national merit itself and the 3k part from Vandy supplement). This reduced our estimated cost after aid dollar for dollar. Work study was unchanged.
@peachActuary73 - same with my daughter. I need to call. We didnât get anything I mean ZERO. At least the other schools gave her a little work study and a small i subsidized loan some gave a small unsubsidized loan. I just donât understand this we live such a modest lifestyle . Had save a nice chunk in a 529 . I guess thatâs why.I thought everyone was e tired to $5500/year federal?
âI really fail to understand the purpose of these $2k, $5k, $8k per year scholarships if they are going to cut into need based aid. Whom do they help? Maybe only the full pay ones.â
At all schools (not just Vandy) merit money reduces the financial need. Which means that need-based aid would typically get reduced.
So merit money (especially at full need meeting schools like Vandy) mostly helps those families with lower or no financial need. Which is a lot of families.
Since thereâs plenty of families who are determined to have no âfinancial needâ but who would still struggle to pay full sticker price.
@northwesty , yes agree. However please see @2023dadofthree post just above. I am unable to understand how the national merit award did not impact their need based aid. Are different financial aid officers handling things differently? Very surprising if they did.
Perhaps there were other factors hidden in their re-evaluation of our aid. We do have a very complex financial picture with many children in college. I would trust what they directly tell you over any extrapolation from my experience.
Yes thatâs fine. Weâve already made our decision to turn down the Vanderbilt and Emory offers and go with UF. I am not going to go back and talk with Vanderbilt financial aid office at this point. This whole need based/merit aid process at Vandy and Emory has left a bad taste in our mouth. At Emory, our daughterâs 20k per year merit scholarship was rendered totally useless as it cut 20K per year off her need based aid.
As a suggestion, for the benefit of future applicants, I think Vandy should update their website to state clearly that National merit, Curb leadership and other similar merit scholarships will cut into any need based aid offered. The way it is advertised right now, it gives false hope to applicants until the time they find out the reality.
@cc665544 - I donât blame you for having a bad taste in your mouth. I have a number of those too. Keeping to myself for now, though, so I donât start a barrage of posts about how I somehow misunderstood something, or should have done more research, or am just not entitled to my opinion and I must just be a bitter, unhappy person. Lol.
i sent in a letter of continued interest this weekend⊠any idea when the next wave comes out?
They sent out an email this morning to confirm interest.
As soon as any of you receive an offer, please post here so we know whether the second wave has come out yet. Anyone have any idea when that may be???
I want to update on our financial aid situation. We reached out to the FA office, and as it turns out, there was a mistake on the CSS - basically doubling what our estimated contribution would be. Once that was straightened out, which only took a few minutes, we received a very nice financial aid package. My son still ultimately chose a different school, but I wanted to make sure others werenât mislead by my previous post. The financial aid office was incredibly helpful and the aid package would have been fantastic.
Good luck to everyone still waiting!
Anyone receive an offer in the second round?
nothing yet
People had until today to respond. I assume the next wave will be out early this week.
My daughter got in!!! Got the e-mail this morning 
Good luck to all of you. Fingers crossed.