Merit-based Aid at Women's Colleges

Hey all, I'm looking into women's colleges and wondering which one tends to offer the most merit-based aid. Does anyone know or have experience with this?

Hi there! Comparing merit-based aid opportunities across multiple women's colleges can be a bit tricky, as it greatly depends on each individual's profile and the school's specific criteria for that academic year. However, there are a few women's colleges known for their robust merit-based aid programs.

1. Wellesley College: Besides need-based aid, Wellesley offers a number of merit scholarships such as the Pamela Daniels Fellowship and the Sarah Perry Wood Medical Scholarship, intended for students pursuing a career in medicine.

2. Barnard College: While Barnard's financial aid is predominantly need-based, they do offer a few merit scholarships. The most prestigious is the The Ann and Andrew Tisch Scholarship for Refugee Women, which covers full tuition, room, and board.

3. Scripps College: Offers merit scholarships that range from $10,000 to $30,000 per year, such as The James E. Scripps Scholarship awarded to first-year students showing exceptional promise in humanities and fine arts.

4. Smith College: Smith offers the STRIDE program, which provides selected first-year students scholarship of $5,000 per year and paid research opportunities with faculty.

5. Bryn Mawr College: Provides merit-based scholarships like the Presidential Scholarship, which covers full tuition for students who have shown exceptional academic achievement.

Remember, these are just a handful of examples and there might be others. You ought to be reaching out to each college's financial aid office to get the most accurate and updated information about their merit aid schemes. Merit-based aid often requires a separate application process and is highly competitive, so it's important to meet all deadlines and submit the strongest application you can. Good luck with your search!