Merit scholarship awards with admission? Forum

[carbonara]

This may be answered somewhere else but I haven't found it.

I have heard that some schools (I think Michigan at least) make merit $$ offers at or around the time of admission. Of the T-14, is this true for some? All? None? I assume the need-based awards are all on roughly the same schedule given that the FAFSA only goes live on January 1st, but for awards that are purely merit, what is the typical timing of when those awards are made?

Thanks!

[2014]

Need based awards are for the most part a myth outside of HYS. Some schools say they give a combination of need and merit based aid but there is little evidence that need plays a factor at all.

As for merit aid, it really depends when you are let in and what school. By and large if you are talking about most of the T14 and you were let in at some point in January/February, you typically hear about financial aid by the first week of March or so. Since most schools have deposit deadlines between April 1st and May 1st, they try to get you scholarship info a month or more early so you have time to plan accordingly.

Some schools definitely throw out some scholarship awards earlier, or let you know that you are under consideration for a named scholarship earlier as well.

Once you get past April when most acceptances are off of hold or WLs, financial aid info comes within a week normally.

[IAFG]

Need based awards are for the most part a myth outside of HYS. Some schools say they give a combination of need and merit based aid but there is little evidence that need plays a factor at all.

It was a complete surprise to the non-admission staff administration of Northwestern that my scholarship was purportedly merit- AND need-based.

[sn20]

Need based awards are for the most part a myth outside of HYS. Some schools say they give a combination of need and merit based aid but there is little evidence that need plays a factor at all.

This is right with the exception of Penn, Berkeley and UCLA. These 3 gave me additional $ in the form of a 1-year, renewable, need-based grant. I blanketed the top 14 + UT, UCLA, Vandy.