I bet your first reaction is yes. But this assumes that you applied to that university because they met many of your other criteria. However, would you apply to a university simply because you believe you will be awarded a large scholarship or free tuition? Take a look at this article about Lakehead University offering a full tuition scholarship for high school students with a 95% average of higher. There are other universities that offer similar scholarships, the minimum average may differ but not likely to be lower than 90%. Of course, if you have such a high average, you have many options, including other universities offering you a full ride scholarship.
Generally speaking university scholarships are like signing bonuses. The university finds your profile attractive and they want you to be an alum of their institution. They are banking of you going on to do bigger and better things. If you are fortunate enough to be in this situation, you’ll notice that there are different scholarship values being offered to you. This is largely due to the difference in the quality of each university’s applicant pool. Obviously, if the institution have a number of applicants like you, the lower the scholarship amount. Conversely, if you represent a small percentage of their applicants, the higher the award value.
However, if you’re that fantastic, shouldn’t you go to the university with the best reputation? Or the university that you gives you the best career prospects or opportunities to further your studies? Some would also say that the institution where you received your first degree is less important than the universities which granted your advanced or professional degrees. But the reputation of your university can affect what doors are more readily available to you. The alumni network is another variable for you to seriously consider. Which university will give you the best connections in your future?
Essentially the decision is between financing and reputation. But you have to realize that reputation is also correlated with highly important variables like the quality of faculty, classmates, facilities, experience, services, alumni network, as well as employability. Everyone’s situation is different so you’ll have to decide what’s best for you.
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