Admitted with $$$/scholarship

Question

I'm curious to know, what are the criterions in getting a $$$/scholarships :

1) High GMAT score - Above 750
2) Profile - unique work background

Are scholarships given to students with high GMAT scores only? Has anyone received $$$ with a lower GMAT score, say below 720 (minus the unique background).

Rubashov1 · Answer

I think it's practically impossible to generalize scholarship decisions across schools and types of scholarships, especially since so many scholarships have very specific requirements (e.g. female Asian who works for Bain but worked at Teach for America who will major in marketing and pursue a job at Goya post-graduation).

Clearly an exaggeration, but most schools list out most of their scholarships on their websites. You can check there to see if you match the backgrounds they're looking for. I imagine that in all cases it helps to have a higher GMAT score but I doubt under 720 will hamper you, particularly in the ones focused on a very specific background.

Jerz · Answer

I agree with rca that it's hard to predict, but you have to remember that the schools use merit scholarships to attract the most desirable candidates. So if you have a lower GMAT score, come from a typical background, and just in general look average compared to the class, the likelihood of getting a merit scholarship is going to be lower than if you're a superstar and/or have something unique to offer.

Rubashov1 · Answer

One other thing to keep in mind is need-based versus merit-based scholarships. I know some schools use need-based almost exclusively (I think HBS only has 1 merit-based scholarship and it's for healthcare people) while others are almost only merit-based (I think Yale is 100% merit-based).

refurb · Answer

Like other have said, it's a way for schools to shape their classes. Since most schools have their own "typical" applicant pools, often the $$$ goes to the people who don't normally attend their school.

A highly desirable candidate to HBS isn't necessarily a highly desirable candidate for Stanford.

RF

A highly desirable candidate to HBS isn't necessarily a highly desirable candidate for Stanford.

RF

Admitted with $$$/scholarship

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