Mother and father of college-bound kids who’re contemplating high-cost personal non-profit schools usually marvel qualify for institutional advantage grants. These grants might or might probably not be primarily based on advantage, however slightly perform as a reduction on the price of attendance.
College students who wish to enhance their possibilities of receiving an institutional merit grant at a non-public non-profit 4-year faculty ought to apply to reasonably selective schools (particularly higher-cost schools), have stellar grades and take a look at scores, choose rich mother and father, don’t take a niche yr and enroll in faculty full-time.
We glance all of the statistics of which college students are getting institutional advantage grants.
Common Institutional Grants
Based mostly on knowledge from the 2015-16 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS), 80% of scholars at personal non-profit 4-year schools obtain grants, a mean of $15,820 per recipient. However, this contains grants from sources apart from the school itself, corresponding to Federal Pell Grants.
Greater than half of the scholars (57%) obtain institutional grants, a mean of $16,027. This contains institutional merit-only grants (36%, $12,060), institutional need-based grants (31%, $12,354) and institutional non-need grants (13.3%, $6,289). Combining the institutional merit-only and non-need grant classes, 44% obtain institutional non-need and merit-only grants, a mean of $12,008.
The institutional non-need grants embody institutional grants that aren’t primarily based on want or advantage, corresponding to tuition and payment waivers for college and workers.
The institutional merit-only grants theoretically are primarily based on some sort of advantage, corresponding to educational or athletic expertise, however can also embody different standards, corresponding to the scholar’s standing as a full-pay scholar.
So, greater than a 3rd (36%) of scholars at personal non-profit 4-year schools get institutional merit-only grants, a mean of $12,060 per recipient. The median is $11,000. 1 / 4 of the scholars who obtain institutional advantage grants get $16,000 or extra and 10% cent $21,600 or extra.
Which Schools Award Institutional Advantage Grants
Probably the most selective schools, corresponding to Harvard, Princeton and MIT, don’t award institutional advantage grants. All of their monetary support is awarded primarily based on monetary want, not advantage.
The following tier down, nevertheless, award some institutional advantage grants. They use the grants as a recruiting device to draw rich college students and proficient college students.
Of the scholars receiving institutional advantage grants at personal non-profit 4-year schools, 22% are enrolled at very selective schools, 69% at reasonably selective schools, 6% at minimally selective schools and three% at open admission schools.
The chances of receiving an institutional advantage grant at a non-public non-profit 4-year faculty are 30% at very selective colleges, 52% at reasonably selective schools, 19% at minimally selective schools and 9% at open admission schools. These figures are general averages. The chances of receiving advantage grants varies by faculty inside every class.
The typical advantage grant additionally varies by sort of school, from $13,853 at very selective schools to $7,730 at open admission schools, most likely correlating with the price of attendance.
Personal non-profit 4-year schools that supply on-line lessons are much less prone to provide institutional advantage grants (45% vs. 21%). That is very true of schools that present their whole program on-line (44% vs. 4%).Â
Grants Based mostly On Tutorial Advantage
This desk exhibits that greater than half of scholars with a 3.5 to 4.0 highschool grade level common (GPA) obtain institutional advantage grants. However, it additionally exhibits that even college students with a lower than 2.0 GPA can obtain institutional advantage grants.
Of scholars who obtain institutional grants, greater than half (58%) have a 3.5 to 4.0 GPA, 1 / 4 (27%) have a 3.0 to three.4 GPA, 9% have a 2.5 to 2.9 GPA, 5% have a 2.0 to 2.4 GPA, and 1% have lower than a 2.0 GPA.
This desk exhibits comparable statistics, however restricted to reasonably selective personal non-profit 4-year schools. The odds receiving institutional advantage grants are larger, though the typical advantage grant is analogous.
This desk exhibits that SAT take a look at scores don’t correlate properly with the chance of receiving institutional advantage grants at personal non-profit 4-year schools. The typical grant does enhance with larger take a look at scores, maybe as a result of the scholars enroll at dearer schools.
Of the scholars receiving institutional advantage grants, a 3rd (33%) have below-average SAT take a look at scores, 40% have SAT take a look at scores of 1000 to 1199, 22% have SAT take a look at scores of 1200 to 1399 and 5% have SAT take a look at scores of 1400 to 1600.
The decrease proportion of scholars with a 1400 to 1600 SAT take a look at rating who obtain institutional advantage grants could also be because of these college students being extra prone to enroll at extra selective schools.
This desk limits the information to reasonably selective schools, demonstrating that college students with higher take a look at scores usually tend to obtain institutional advantage grants.
Thus, college students with higher SAT take a look at scores usually tend to obtain institutional advantage grants, except they enroll at very selective schools.
These tables present that college students who take AP lessons or college-level lessons whereas in highschool are barely extra prone to obtain institutional advantage grants.Â

This desk exhibits that college students who take extra superior math lessons in highschool usually tend to obtain institutional advantage grants. Additionally they obtain bigger grants.

This desk exhibits that college students whose mother and father have a extra superior schooling usually tend to obtain institutional advantage grants and bigger grants.
Grants Based mostly On Revenue
College students from wealthier households usually tend to obtain institutional advantage grants at personal non-profit 4-year schools, as proven on this desk.

Of the recipients of institutional advantage grants, a 3rd (32%) are low-income, 1 / 4 (27%) are middle-income and 41% are high-income.
Grants Based mostly On Value Of Attendance
This desk exhibits how the share receiving institutional advantage grants and the typical grant enhance as the price of attendance will increase. Wealthier schools have more cash out there to offer institutional grants. Nevertheless, a mother or father nonetheless pays extra at a high-cost faculty that provides out an institutional advantage grant of $10,000 or greater than at a lower-cost in-state public faculty.
The proportion receiving institutional advantage grants does lower at the costliest schools, which can embody among the most selective schools that don’t award institutional advantage grants, dragging down the share.
This desk exhibits the identical knowledge restricted to reasonably selective schools. The proportion receiving institutional advantage grants nonetheless decreases at the costliest schools, however not as a lot.
Grants Based mostly On Gender And Race
Women and men are equally prone to obtain institutional merit-only grants, and the typical award quantity is about the identical.
This desk exhibits that White college students usually tend to obtain institutional merit-only grants than minority college students. Additionally they obtain bigger grants.
Grants Based mostly On Enrollment Standing
This desk exhibits that college students who enroll full-time are more likely to obtain institutional advantage grants than college students who enroll part-time.

College students who take a niche yr are a lot much less prone to obtain institutional advantage grants, and the grants are decrease.
Grants Based mostly On Dependency Standing
This desk exhibits that dependent college students usually tend to obtain institutional merit-only grants than impartial college students. Additionally they obtain bigger grants.
At reasonably selective schools, 66.8% of dependent college students and 18.9% of impartial college students obtain institutional merit-only grants.
This desk exhibits an analogous end result when the information relies on the age of the scholar. College students age 24 and older are robotically impartial.

This desk exhibits that veterans are much less prone to obtain institutional advantage grants. Veterans are robotically impartial. They’re additionally much less prone to enroll in Bachelor’s diploma packages.Â

Associated: Guide To VA And Military Education Benefits
The following two tables present that college students who’re married are much less prone to obtain institutional advantage grants. Married college students and college students with dependents are robotically impartial.

This desk exhibits that homeless college students are much less prone to obtain institutional advantage grants. Homeless college students are robotically impartial.
Grants Based mostly On Monetary Want
This desk exhibits that college students who file the FAFSA usually tend to obtain institutional advantage grants.

This desk exhibits that college students whose monetary support exceeds their monetary want usually tend to have obtained institutional advantage grants.
