Grades are the biggest indicator of academic achievement. They are also the biggest factor in acquiring financial aid. Grades can get you a few opportunities here and there, or they can get you a full-ride through college. It all depends on you, and your ability to push through in class and at home every day, every week, for nine months out of the year, for four years. If you can do this, you will find yourself among a select few group of students who don’t have to go looking for opportunities, because opportunities will come looking for them.
Merit-Based Aid
A lot has changed since I went to college. At the dawn of the 21st century, there were Academic Scholarships. These were essentially scholarships provided to those that had good to excellent academic profiles. That is no longer the case. Admissions officials have now expanded the scope of these scholarships to be “merit-based”, meaning, they’re not just looking at academics, but also other relevant achievements such as athletics, extra-curricular activities, leadership, community service, club involvement, and many other criteria.
While other aspects of excellence are considered, academic achievement still carries a majority of the weight. Grade-Point-Average (GPA) and test scores, as well as course workload and difficulty are the primary focus areas for deciding how much aid a student will receive. The higher the GPA and test scores, and the more difficult the curriculum, the more aid a student can receive. Essentially, this is all up to the student – things that he/she can control.
Need-Based Aid
What a student most likely cannot control is where they come from and the environment in which they live. Need-based aid bridges the gap between what their family can afford (Expected Family Contribution) and the cost of college (tuition) – it provides aid based on the student’s financial need. For those that are at a financial disadvantage for whatever reason, this type of aid is critical to covering the cost of attendance. The first step is to fill out the FAFSA form every year. This allows colleges to understand exactly how much your family can pay towards tuition, and then award you with the corresponding type and amount of aid that will best help cover the cost of attendance.