When do colleges let you know about aid?

[JennifersLost]

When do colleges send financial aid information out to accepted students? Not until May or earlier?

[JennifersLost]

Okay, I just read that colleges usually send out the info with the acceptance letter, but my ds got accepted at University of ND before I filled in the FAFSA. What happens then?

[creekland]

We found out about basic merit aid rather quickly - very shortly after the letter of acceptance (but not with it).

 

We found out about more merit aid after a scholarship weekend junior was invited to (scholarship weekend in latter Jan, we found out in early Feb). My son did NOT win the high merit scholarships he was competing for.

 

However, shortly after we figured he'd need to seriously consider choice #2, we heard about our whole financial package (more merit aid and some need-based aid) that made choice #1 super affordable. That was in latter Feb for this particular (private) school with rolling admissions. My son was easily in their top 25% of students stats-wise, had good LOR's and is going for a major this school likes to promote. We're also 11 hours away, so not super local.

 

Some schools don't notify of acceptance until as late as April 1st, so I would guess financial packages could be that late as well.

 

You definitely won't find out about need-based aid until after they have processed FAFSA.

[AngieW in Texas]

My dd got her merit award letter just three weeks after her acceptance. She got her admit letter in November (online notification was just one week after they got all her paperwork) and she got her scholarship letter mid-December.

 

I'm pretty sure that need-based awards wouldn't come until after you've filed FAFSA and you can't do that until at least January 1st. The school my dd is going to recommended that you get your taxes done as quickly as possible and then file the FAFSA because they couldn't start processing until after they got the final FAFSA (which needs information from the tax form).

[JFSinIL]

Any time between now and May 1st.

[FaithManor]

We received final letters of "total aid award" in May. But dd got letters previous to that when scholarship deadlines were complete and decisions were made. For instance, she received scholarship letters in March, April, and May from all of the colleges she applied to and was accepted at but then the final total didn't come until about Mid-May. Most wanted a final decision by June 1st so they didn't give her A LOT of time to make her final decision.

 

Faith

[Photo Ninja]

The time line depends on the school. Some give merit scholarship info in the acceptance letter. Others wait until after their FAFSA filing deadline. One ds received his with his acceptance letter. My dd won't know until sometime in Feb. because the deadline to apply to the school and be considered for a scholarship is Feb. 1. She received her acceptance letter last Sept or Oct, but has to wait to hear about merit scholarships. You won't know about other aid until after you file the FAFSA and the school processes that info.

[QueenCat]

Merit aid offers can vary, even with the same school. Older ds got his merit offer in March of his senior year. Younger ds is now a senior, and got his offer in December. Both applied in early fall. Difference is younger has an ACT in the low 30s, older in the upper 20s. Both were told early on they'd been accepted in to both the school and the honors program. With younger, the honors program acceptance accompanied the merit letter.