How do extracurriculars impact affect college financial aid offers?
I’ve been wondering if colleges actually take the impact of your extracurricular activities into account for financial aid decisions, or if aid is pretty much just based on need and grades. For instance, if someone starts a club that has a big effect in their school or volunteers in their community a lot, could that mean more merit-based aid?
I’m a rising senior who does a lot of volunteer work at a local animal shelter and I sometimes hear that having a high-impact extracurricular can actually make a difference beyond just admissions, like maybe with scholarships too. Does anyone know how schools actually evaluate this or if it really matters for aid? Any examples or personal stories would help, especially if you got a surprise boost in your financial package from it.
I’m trying to plan which scholarships to apply to and whether I should include a detailed description of my projects, or if that energy is best spent focusing on the FAFSA and need-based aid stuff. Appreciate any insight!
I’m a rising senior who does a lot of volunteer work at a local animal shelter and I sometimes hear that having a high-impact extracurricular can actually make a difference beyond just admissions, like maybe with scholarships too. Does anyone know how schools actually evaluate this or if it really matters for aid? Any examples or personal stories would help, especially if you got a surprise boost in your financial package from it.
I’m trying to plan which scholarships to apply to and whether I should include a detailed description of my projects, or if that energy is best spent focusing on the FAFSA and need-based aid stuff. Appreciate any insight!
6 months ago
•
93 views
Kathy Jayanth
• 6 months ago
Advisor
Colleges split financial aid into two buckets:
Need-based aid, which is calculated strictly from financial forms like the FAFSA or CSS Profile and depends on your family’s income and assets. Extracurriculars don’t factor into that at all.
Merit-based aid and scholarships, which can absolutely take your extracurriculars into account.
Here’s where it gets interesting: while need-based aid is locked to your financial info, once you’re in college (and even during the admissions process), extracurriculars can open the door to scholarships. At UC Berkeley, I actually pieced together about $26,000 in scholarships by connecting with departments related to my major and extracurricular activities. Those opportunities were completely separate from my financial aid package, and they made a huge difference in keeping me mostly debt-free.
That’s why extracurriculars matter. They don’t change your FAFSA results, but they can help you stand out for scholarships tied to leadership, service, research, or community impact. Schools like Tulane or the University of Rochester—and plenty of smaller liberal arts colleges—are known for awarding merit aid to students who show real initiative outside the classroom.
When applying, think beyond just listing activities. Write in a way that shows impact: Did you lead a project? Raise funds? Start something new? Those details catch scholarship committees’ attention. And if you need help polishing essays, I’ve done a lot of this and know what tends to work and what doesn’t.
Bottom line:
Need-based = finances only.
Scholarships = where your extracurriculars can shine and literally pay off.
Need-based aid, which is calculated strictly from financial forms like the FAFSA or CSS Profile and depends on your family’s income and assets. Extracurriculars don’t factor into that at all.
Merit-based aid and scholarships, which can absolutely take your extracurriculars into account.
Here’s where it gets interesting: while need-based aid is locked to your financial info, once you’re in college (and even during the admissions process), extracurriculars can open the door to scholarships. At UC Berkeley, I actually pieced together about $26,000 in scholarships by connecting with departments related to my major and extracurricular activities. Those opportunities were completely separate from my financial aid package, and they made a huge difference in keeping me mostly debt-free.
That’s why extracurriculars matter. They don’t change your FAFSA results, but they can help you stand out for scholarships tied to leadership, service, research, or community impact. Schools like Tulane or the University of Rochester—and plenty of smaller liberal arts colleges—are known for awarding merit aid to students who show real initiative outside the classroom.
When applying, think beyond just listing activities. Write in a way that shows impact: Did you lead a project? Raise funds? Start something new? Those details catch scholarship committees’ attention. And if you need help polishing essays, I’ve done a lot of this and know what tends to work and what doesn’t.
Bottom line:
Need-based = finances only.
Scholarships = where your extracurriculars can shine and literally pay off.
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Kathy Jayanth
Berkeley, CA
UC Berkeley | Economics & Slavic Studies
Experience
5 years
Rating