Scholarship & Aid Major, location, and school size are all important factors when it comes to determining which colleges to apply to and ultimately attend. But for many students, the overriding factor is Cost of Attendance (COA). Consider Villanova’s increasing costs:
VILLANOVA COA 2003-04: $38,185 VILLANOVA COA 2011-12: $54,520 VILLANOVA COA 2020-21: $75,835 Part of Eshleman’s role is helping to identify student and family needs with regards to the college process, targeting schools more generous with merit scholarship and aid. “The more selective the school, the less scholarship is available. Scholarship is a reward for achievement - academic, athletic, leadership, community service. It is also a marketing tool used by the admissions office. For example - if you can get into Villanova, you will most likely not get ANY scholarship. Families will pay for the full amount, less if they apply and qualify for financial aid.” The scholarship process for most schools is fairly straightforward. “The most scholarship money comes from the institution itself and is generally awarded for high academic achievement, but not singularly. They will look at his resume and test scores and award them accordingly.” Targeting certain schools over others, knowing they’re more generous with financial assistance, can be invaluable to a family looking to keep costs down. “Private schools have the endowment and scholarship budget to award generously to those who qualify. Many public universities do not have the money to give merit scholarships. Those schools who are particularly generous to Devon Prep students include Drexel, St. Joseph’s University, Loyola, University of Scranton, and Catholic University.” We still have students who choose Villanova, and are happy and proud to do so. But there are alternatives for families who don’t want to, or can’t, fund their COA. “The same student who is admitted to St. Joseph’s University, or Catholic University, or Scranton, or Loyola will probably get between $20-25K per year in merit scholarship. Yes, the student could attend Villanova but it will cost the family or they could attend one of the mentioned schools… and save $80-100K across four years.” It’s why Eshleman’s role at Devon Prep is so important, helping families make sense of the college landscape and make informed, long-range decisions. “College is expensive. It is an investment. For those who know there is education beyond their bachelors degree, they might just take the offer with the generous scholarship and use the money to help pay for law school/med school/graduate school.”
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