Q: How can I tell if my child is eligible for financial assistance for college?
A: Take a means test and see if the child qualifies for need based aid.
Q: How do I find out about merit scholarships?
A: The College Office has a list of colleges and organizations that sponsor merit scholarships. There are many others that may be accessed through various local and national organizations. (ex: Rotary Club, Tylenol, NH Charitable Trust, etc.) Please review the scholarship section on our web site.
Q: If my child receives need-based aid, won't a merit award just get subtracted from the need-based aid offer?
A: In some cases colleges subtract the outside award from the whole package, thus reducing loans and self help as well as grants, while others subtract outside awards from loans and self help only.
Q: What if our family doesn't qualify for need-based aid but isn't prepared to pay the full cost of a private college?
A: Perhaps merit scholarships could help. Also state colleges with a lower price tag should be considered.
Q: If Exeter grants X dollars of financial aid, should we expect the same amount of aid from colleges?
A: Probably not. College is more expensive, and institutional and federal methodologies are different than the formula the private schools use.
Q: Does it hurt my chances of admission to apply for aid on my application to college?
A: It depends. The means test will determine first if you qualify for need-based aid. From there, it's a question of whether the college is need-blind, meaning that it will consider students for admission regardless of whether they need financial aid or not. If a college is need-aware (and most colleges are), a student's financial need may indeed affect the admission decision.
