Ventures Scholars: High School e-News

"My family does not have a lot of money and I don't know if I'll get a lot of financial aid. Should I apply to a private or public college?"

Responses were sent from:
Rutgers University, Kenyon College, Illinois College, Oregon Institute of Technology, Seton Hill University, and Simon's Rock College of Bard.

When considering colleges, you need to ask two important questions: what is the total cost, and what type of financial aid is available. You want to make sure that you know the exact cost of attending a school, including books, room and board, and fees, not just tuition. You also need to know whether the school offers need-based aid or merit-based aid or both. Need-based aid is determined by subtracting your family's estimated contribution (this information comes from the FAFSA) from the total cost. That amount is your demonstrated need. Some schools will meet 100% of need, and others will only meet it partially. Merit-based aid is generally based on your academic and/or extra-curricular strengths and can vary from a few hundred dollars to a full scholarship.

Most schools publish, either on their website or in college guide books, the percentage of students receiving financial aid and the average aid package. Use that data, in addition to the above information, to help you determine if particular colleges are realistically within your financial reach.

Patricia Krahnke
Senior Admissions Officer
Marketing & Communications
Office of University Undergraduate Admissions
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Room 202
65 Davidson Road
Piscataway, NJ 08854-8097
732/445-7306
krahnke@ugadm.rutgers.edu
www.admissions.rutgers.edu

I would suggest first looking at colleges that fit what you are looking for, in terms of the qualities that are important to you, and these can definitely include private colleges. These qualities can include: major or academic area of interest, size of the school (smaller, medium, large), location (urban, suburban, rural), affiliation (religious), all-male or all-female, liberal arts, research universities, etc. etc. After pinpointing these qualities, put together a list of potential college, and start to explore them. You can explore them by visiting their campuses, speaking to admissions reps and current students, and gathering as much information as you can about these schools through college fairs, the web, brochures, etc.

In your exploration, make sure to get information about scholarships and financial aid from each school. Don't let the sticker price of each school prevent you from exploring your choices! Many private colleges award scholarships based on merit, as well as financial aid packages based on your family's financial need. (At Kenyon, for example, we offer merit based scholarships and financial aid packages. 70% of our students each year receive financial aid). These can help you reduce the cost of education at private colleges, thus making it affordable for you. In putting together financial aid packages, colleges require forms that will help determine how much your family can contribute to the cost of your college education. These forms take into account factors such as your parents' income, how many children are attending college or private school, as well as any significant financial situations. While filing these forms, make sure to communicate with both the admissions and financial aid counselors to make sure you are on the right track.

It is also important to follow deadlines for both scholarship and financial aid. The bottom line is, don't let the cost of a private college keep you from applying; many students who attend private colleges each year are able to receive scholarships and financial aid. The important thing is that you'll need to keep organized of the forms and deadlines that each school requires, and be patient with filling out the forms. It is all worth it, though, for students are able to make private colleges affordable each year!

Here are some helpful websites for you to check out, as you explore scholarships and financial aid:

www.collegeboard.com (A great way to start your college search, as well as gather information about scholarships and financial aid)
www.finaid.org (A great website about filing the FAFSA, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, which most colleges require to apply for need-based financial aid. This also has a need-estimator calculator that you and your family can use.)
www.fastweb.com (About scholarships that are available across the country)
www.kenyon.edu/admissions (my college's own information on Kenyon's scholarships and financial aid)

If you have any other questions, let me know!

Sincerely,
Joyce Masek
Assistant Director of Admissions, Kenyon College (Gambier, OH)
800-848-2468
masekj@kenyon.edu

You can apply to more than one college.

Take a look at colleges and universities to see where you think you "fit in" the best. Try to identify important factors that you are looking for in a college or university. Size, distance from home, classes taught by professors (not graduate assistants or TA's), opportunities for extra-curricular involvement, & etc.

Work with those schools on scholarships and financial aid programs to see what it will cost you. The out of pocket cost is usually less that the stated price. For example, the total cost to attend Illinois College this year is $20,800. The average financial aid package for freshman this year is $14,340 and the average out of pocket costs for freshman this year is $6,440.

Private schools have more scholarship and financial aid funds available to assist students.

You don't know for sure what the costs will be until you work with each
individual college or university.

Rick Bystry
Illinois College
rlbystry@hilltop.ic.edu

The answer is "yes." Look for both private and public institutions that will meet your needs and fit your goals. Apply in the fall of your senior year to several schools and be sure to pursue all of the financial aid opportunities that are available to you. Contact each college for scholarship guidelines, talk to your high school guidance counselor about private scholarship opportunities and be sure to submit your FAFSA in January.

Since finances are a concern, you'll want to avoid applying "Early Decision," since ED does not give you a chance to compare financial aid offers. You'll want to apply "regular decision" or "early action" and then you'll have until the end of April to make your final college choice, after you have seen all of your financial aid offers.

Palmer H. Muntz, Director of Admissions
Oregon Institute of Technology
3201 Campus Drive
Klamath Falls OR 97601
541.885.1150
muntzp@oit.edu

Thank you for your question. It is actually a common one with students. The most important thing to first do is find colleges that interest you. Once you have narrowed your field and applied to these schools, it is best to visit them. I suggest this first because both public and private schools have an array of scholarships and aid available, and much of it is not presented to the student until they have applied or learn about it by visiting. At Seton Hill University, a private school, we offer many wonderful academic and merit based scholarships as well as need based aid. Although our price tag may be larger than some public schools, we offer more aid to assist students with the financial costs. Your admission counselor or the financial aid office at most institutions should be able to speak with you about aid, and schools are posting most of this information online too. Don't forget, there are also a lot of scholarships out there for students from other organizations, and you can research and learn about these via the web, colleges, or your high school admissions counselor.

Best of luck.

Kimberly A. McCarty
Assistant Director of Undergraduate Admissions
and Campus Visit Coordinator
Seton Hill University
724-838-4201
kmccarty@setonhill.edu

Don't let money be the determining factor in whether you apply to a public or private college. In terms of financial aid, state and federal aid is fixed.There are strict guidelines as to how those amounts are determined. The wiggle room is in the awarding of the institutional monies. Many private colleges have extensive scholarships programs as well as additional institutional aid available as well. Remember scholarship means you don't pay the money back. Aid means the tuition is financed through loans. You should be looking first at the academic programs and opportunities offered by the college and how they fit with your interests , passions and plans. For example at the college where I work, Simon's Rock College of Bard, which is an early college, meaning all of our students start college a year or two early, we have several special scholarships, The Acceleration to Excellence Program Scholarship which is a scholarship
competition. The winners are awarded full tuition for two years. In addition there are a series of merit scholarships offered. We also offer the WEB DuBois Scholarship for underrepresented students on our
campus, which is designed to meet the difference between what a family can afford to pay as determined by the financial aid paperwork and the actual cost of attending the college. In addition to these scholarships there are also named scholarships for students in their sophomore junior and senior years. Most private colleges have many wonderful scholarship opportunities in addition to offering federal state and institutional aid. In deciding between public and private institutions, think about academic offerings, life style, size of
classes, access to faculty, laboratory facilities, arts facilities and so forth. Both public and private colleges and universities have much to offer. Don't limit yourself by not applying. Research what scholarship opportunities are available at the places you are interested in and apply for the ones for which you are eligible. You may find yourself surprised at the creative financing and scholarships available. Financial aid offices are dedicated to making the process understandable. They are there to help you. Take advantage of their expertise. Good luck!

Mary King Austin
Associate Dean of Admission
Simon's Rock College of Bard
84 Alford Road
Great Barrington, MA 01230
413 528 7317