Complete institutional aid apps

Overview

Beyond FAFSA and CSS Profile, many schools have institutional financial aid applications - their own forms, scholarship applications, or special programs. Complete these now for consideration.

What Counts as Institutional Aid

• School-specific financial aid applications (e.g., Princeton Financial Aid Application)
• Merit scholarship applications (separate from admission)
• Named scholarship applications (endowed scholarships requiring essays)
• Honors college applications (often tied to scholarships)
• Department-specific scholarships (e.g., engineering school scholarships)

How to Find Them

1. Login to each school's applicant portal after submitting your application
2. Look for a "Scholarships" or "Financial Aid" section
3. Check the school's scholarship website directly
4. Search "[school name] merit scholarships 2026"

Common Institutional Apps

Honors Colleges

Most public flagships have honors colleges with separate applications:

• UT Austin Plan II / Honors
• University of Michigan LSA Honors
• Penn State Schreyer
• Arizona State Barrett
• University of Alabama Blount Scholars
• Indiana Hutton Honors

Honors college acceptance often comes with scholarship dollars.

Named Scholarships

Many schools have signature scholarships with essay applications:

• Emory Scholars (full tuition)
• Duke Robertson Scholars (full tuition, both Duke and UNC)
• UNC Morehead-Cain (full ride)
• Washington University's John B. Ervin Scholars
• Vanderbilt Ingram, Cornelius Vanderbilt
• USC Presidential, Trustee, Stamps

Deadlines are typically December 1 for merit consideration; some accept applications after RD.

School-Specific Aid Applications

A few schools require their own applications alongside CSS Profile:

• Princeton: Princeton Financial Aid Application
• Stanford: IDOC
• MIT: IDOC
• Yale: Yale Financial Aid Application (optional supplement to CSS)

Priority Deadlines

• Most institutional scholarships: December 1 or January 15
• Some continue through March
• Honors college apps: Often by January 15

If a deadline has passed, check if late applications are accepted or if the school rolls in applications. Some scholarships allow late submission but with reduced consideration.

Essay Strategy

Many institutional scholarships ask different questions from your main application:

• "Why are you a good fit for this particular scholarship?"
• Leadership or service-focused essays
• Major-specific essays (why engineering, why business)

Do NOT recycle your Common App essay for these. Tailor to the scholarship's stated values.

Tracking

Add each institutional aid application to your spreadsheet: | School | App Name | Deadline | Essays Required | Status |

Priority Order

If you have limited time:

1. Merit scholarships at your target/likely schools (highest expected value)
2. Honors college applications
3. Department scholarships
4. Named scholarships at reach schools (lowest hit rate but highest prize)

Follow Up

• Confirm submission via school portal
• Save confirmation emails
• Note when decisions are released (often announced at time of admission)