QuestBridge, appropriately nicknamed “poor kid’s Hunger Games,” is a non-profit organization that gives high-achieving, first-generation, and low-income high school students the opportunity to attend top colleges and universities in the United States supposedly at no cost to the applicant or their family. Wesleyan is one of those universities. The aspect of QuestBridge that is often not discussed is the fine print associated with the “full ride” claim plastered on their website and the morality of allowing these applicants to make decisions about their education without full transparency.
High school seniors complete QuestBridge’s application process, the applications are reviewed, and then finalists are selected. Finalists then have the opportunity to participate in two pathways for admission to their partner schools: QuestBridge regular decision and (the much more advertised option) QuestBridge Match.
According to their website, the QuestBridge Match Scholarship “is a full four-year scholarship to one of QuestBridge’s college partners, worth over $325,000,” and covers the student’s full cost of attendance including tuition, fees, housing, food, books, supplies, and travel expenses. For many first-generation and low-income (FGLI) high school students, this scholarship seems like a golden opportunity—and it can be if the applicant is wise about how they participate in the program.
There are, however, many misconceptions about QuestBridge that applicants do not know about and may not know to look for.
To preface these issues, I want to make it clear that as a QuestBridge Match Scholarship recipient, I do think QuestBridge is an amazing program. I am extremely grateful for the opportunities it has given me and that I ended up here at Wes because of it. The ability to afford this education is a privilege that I have thought about every day since arriving on campus.
However, I think that I got very lucky in my match process. If I had been matched to any other college or university on my list, I don’t think that I would be as happy as I am today. QuestBridge is a huge gamble, and I didn’t quite understand how big of one I took until after match decisions came out. While applying through QuestBridge is a decision I would never take back, I can’t help but to wonder if I would feel the same way had I been matched with a different school.
The Match Scholarship process begins with finalists ranking up to 15 of QuestBridge’s partner colleges in order of their preference, submitting additional application materials to each individual institution, and then the schools will review the applications. If a college or university on the applicant’s ranked list wants to accept them with a Match Scholarship, the applicant will be “matched” to the institution highest on their list. The main catch here is that if a finalist matches, the decision is binding and they are contractually obligated to attend (with the exception of MIT).
My issue with the binding stipulation is not a lack of transparency—this fact is made very clear to applicants and the application requires the signatures of the applicant, parent/guardian, and a school counselor. Rather, my issue is that the target applicant likely does not have sufficient support or resources to make informed decisions on how to rank their schools. Depending on the applicant’s location, they may not have the ability to visit the institutions they are interested in and may only be able to gather information from online sources. Deciding if they are absolutely certain that they would like to attend a specific institution is difficult enough, but without being able to actually see the campus and get an idea of the atmosphere, it is nearly impossible.
For me, I saw QuestBridge as an opportunity to get out of small-town Missouri, attend a prestigious university, and “make something of myself.” I knew the odds of matching were slim, and I only ranked as many universities as I did for a better chance. I honestly believed that I wouldn’t match, so I ranked any institution that seemed alright after a quick Google search or two.
When I opened my decision to see that I had matched with Wesleyan, I was not overcome with joy or excitement; I was terrified. My first thoughts were “Which one was Wesleyan again?” and “Oh god, what did I just do?” I did as much research on Wesleyan as I possibly could to calm my nerves, and my confidence in my decision increased when I had the opportunity to attend the WesFest fly-in program, which allows for FGLI students to attend WesFest in the spring (the University pays for their travel expenses). But I was only positive that I had made the right decision in ranking Wesleyan after arriving on campus in the fall and participating in First Things First, an early arrival program for FGLI students to familiarize them with campus and the resources available to them.
Another common issue I have heard about from other QuestBridge matches is that students are under the impression that they are receiving a full four-year scholarship, which is how the scholarship is advertised. In reality, QuestBridge Match scholarships are only guaranteed to have no parental contribution and no student loans, but recipient’s scholarship award may include participation in a work-study program, summer work, or student savings contribution, which means part of a student’s personal savings may have to go towards their tuition.
It hit me as a surprise when the travel expenses and textbook costs that were advertised as being covered by my scholarship was part of my expected work-study contribution. This also means that if an FGLI student saves money for a specific purpose such as medical costs, contributing to family household expenses, or anything else, they may be asked to use this money for tuition and will have to go through an often complicated process with their financial aid office to override this.
Many applicants may also be under the impression that their scholarship is paid for by the QuestBridge organization, but this is not the case. The Match Scholarship is funded completely by the school the applicant is matched to—QuestBridge simply serves as a method of putting qualified applicants on the school’s radars.
Finally, it can often be difficult for FGLI students to understand their financial aid package and to receive answers to their questions. After talking with a few QuestBridge recipients at Wesleyan, I have found that many of them did not pay any tuition in their first year, but did have to contribute a small amount after their first year. They could be blindsided by indirect costs such as travel expenses and textbook costs or increased tuition, which are also expected to be paid for by work-study, summer work, or student savings.
It can also be difficult for FGLI students to find a good time balance between work, activities, and their studies because of work-study. Many FGLI students come from underfunded public high schools and find it difficult to make up for the gap between their high school education and the expectations of a top university, even without the time commitment of having a job, especially in their first year.
From talking to other QuestBridge recipients on campus, it seems like Wesleyan is very aware of these issues and is willing to work with FGLI students if they have extenuating circumstances, but this may not be the case at other QuestBridge partner schools.
Both the QuestBridge Match and the QuestBridge regular decision pathway guarantee that 100% of the applicant’s demonstrated financial need will be met. Applicants who are admitted through QuestBridge regular decision often receive a very similar or the same financial aid package they would have if they applied through the QuestBridge Match.
Considering the similar financial packages coming out of both pathways, I pose the following questions: Is it morally acceptable to allow often-desperate FGLI students to contractually obligate themselves to attend up to 15 different universities, especially if they do not have the resources to learn about these institutions that non-FGLI applicants often do have? Is QuestBridge’s advertisement about the match misleading for FGLI applicants? Does QuestBridge need to be more transparent with the terms of their scholarship? Where does the responsibility of a student’s understanding of their financial aid package lie—with the student, the university, or the QuestBridge organization? While I cannot give one answer for these questions, I think there are many areas for improvement.
Ashlynn Adams is a member of the class of 2029 and can be reached at agadams@wesleyan.edu.
Leave a Reply