<p>There are so many definitions, but I want to know what most people consider a "full ride" to be.</p>
<p>I'm thinking it's all merit based...but at the same time (most of the time), you get need based grants because you're competent enough to attend college.</p>
<p>Covering the entire COA (tuition+room+board+fees+books+all personal expenses)? Or is it just tuition? Or is it tuition+room+board? Or is it tuition+room+board+fees+books??</p>
<p>I would consider it “COA (tuition+room+board+fees+books+all personal expenses)”, but I don’t know… out of curiosity, what does COA stand for? (cost of all? :P)</p>
<p>(And that was my 1000th post :O)</p>
<p>COA is Cost of Attendance and includes ALL of the costs the college estimates you will have to attend for the year. </p>
<p>I would say that a “FULL ride” would include financial aid that covers the full cost of attendance.</p>
<p>However, I would also say that a full tuition scholarship would be mighty good too!!!</p>
<p>Remember that any scholarship or free money that is awarded above and beyond Tuition/books/fees is considered income for the student too. So if your financial aid award include money to cover room/board/personal expenses…that will be taxable income.</p>
<p>^Thanks for the clarification!</p>
<p>$$ for room, board, and personal is considered income? </p>
<p>Wow - I did not know that. Is it considered income for the parent or does the student have to claim it?</p>
<p>Financial aid for room/board/personal expenses is considered unearned income for the STUDENT…not the parent.</p>
<p>So, how does that effect the students FA for the next year?</p>
<p>…I’m 17, I am not familiar with taxes…</p>
<p>Here’s a link that might help clarify. [Taxable</a> Income for Students](<a href=“http://www.irs.gov/individuals/students/article/0,,id=96674,00.html]Taxable”>http://www.irs.gov/individuals/students/article/0,,id=96674,00.html)</p>
<p>So institutional scholarships (based on merit) are still considered financial aid?</p>
<p>Financial aid comes in two forms…need based and merit.</p>
<p>Need based is based on your financial need.</p>
<p>Merit is based on the academic or other qualifications you bring that would make you well qualified to receive an award.</p>
<p>SOME aid is merit with a need component…in other words, you must have need AND qualify for the merit award.</p>
<p>What if need had nothing to do with it? For instance, I applied for these scholarships the same time I applied for admissions and ended up getting them. Then months later, I got my financial aid letter, and my scholarships are listed there.</p>
<p>You have received a MERIT award. Congratulations. It is considered MERIT BASED financial aid and it is what many hope they will get if they do not qualify for need based financial aid. It is money the school is giving you that makes it more affordable for you to attend.</p>
<p>ross25,</p>
<p>Good job! Make sure you understand the conditions for keeping your merit aid, such as minimum GPA or a requirement to pursue a particular major.</p>
<p>For our family, Full Ride = COA covered entirely in grant aid, no loans, no work study. I don’t think a full ride has to be merit based. My son’s offers were need-based, with some merit grants. </p>
<p>If a school offers a full tuition scholarship, but does not cover room/board/books/expenses, that’s not a full ride, as far as I’m concerned.</p>
<p>If a school is offering free tuition, then I just call that a full-tuition scholarship.</p>
<p>If a school is offering a scholarship covering tuition, room, board & books, then I would consider it a “full ride,” even though the student still has to pay for personal expenses and travel.</p>
<p>If a school is offering tuition, housing, and a few other goodies, I call it a “near-full ride.”</p>
<p>I consider anything that covers tuition, room, board, and other billable fees to be a full ride. Non-billable expenses (personal expenses, travel, board, and books) are up to the student and the parents; that’s what jobs are for.</p>
<p>applicannot: That’s what we call the <em>gravy</em>. 
Son gets about 1K a semester from his school for things like personal expenses, travel. Mmm, gravy!</p>