question about financial aid / scholarship at Eton & Westmin

[mama-de-dos]

Thanks to all--these responses are very helpful, albeit a little bit worrisome...

hermanmunster, I live in the US and am interested in sending my son to school in the UK. The educational systems of both places differ so much, and living over here it is not so easy to figure out how everything works there.

[Kent99]

Possibly also worth pointing out that in the case of "needs-blind" Ivy-league colleges funding is not purely in the form of grants/ fee remissions. It is likely to involve the negotiation of hefty loans which the students will spend years repaying after graduation. The idea is that the brightest students should be given some way to study at those institutions, not that they should do so free of charge.

Also, until a few years ago tertiary education (i.e. University) was free in the UK with maintenance grants available to those from lower income families. Historically, therefore, our system is based on the assumption that students can access and graduate from our top institutions (such as Oxford and Cambridge) regardless of income. This is in contrast to the US where most top schools (Universities) are private and would be totally inaccessible to poorer families without some form of assistance.

[Waiting_For_Godot]

Janetchoi, you would be mad to choose an English Public School over Philips Exeter! Get that thought out of your head, the grass is not always greener!

[cinnamon]

I doubt a family income of $100,000 would only be expected to pay 10% of the fees.

WFG, you've misread Janet's post. She said a family would be expected to pay 10% of its gross income, so $10,000.
I'd be thrilled if we only spent 10% of our gross income on fees - or even if it were 10% for each child!

As an aside, I have to say I loathe the expression 'needs blind'. It's clumsy and illogical.
All public schools/universities are 'needs blind' in a literal sense: they offer places according to academic merit, not family finances (whether the family can afford the place is another matter).
Conversely, those institutions which are able to support poorer students financially are anything but blind to their needs.