krug

Thanks for the suggestion. I thought about UNC and hear good things from quite a few students that are currently there. My only concern is that from what I heard, their OOS admission is very selective (since they have to sustain about a 80% in state enrollment) and with that the scholarship might be difficult for OOS students.

Jaserr

that's true, getting a scholarship is quite difficult at unc, especially for oos students, but often the monetary award is greater for oos as well. Also, i personally would rank difficulty of getting a scholarship at unc below rice, wash u, and vanderbilt, all of which offered me no merit aid and little financial aid. i think this shows that college admissions and scholarship selection has many factors that are completely out of the candidate's hands.

krug

Just making sure, it's UNC at Chapel Hill, right? Thanks for the info and ideas. From what I heard, we have eliminated Vanderbilt, Emory, Northwestern, Hopkins because of their lack of merit aid. Rice is still in play because at least the tuition is cheaper than the rest.

midmo

^^^krug, maybe I missed an earlier post that explains your statement better, but Emory, Vanderbilt and Hopkins all offer merit aid. For the most part, NU does not, although they have a relatively new program that offers a combo need/merit scholarship. Vanderbilt has a variety of merit scholarships, including some that include a significant service component.

The merit scholarships are not by-the-book formulas that give discounts for any particular combination of statistics; they are very competitive and most require applications and interviews.

sxm2872

Between Rice and Emory, which offers more merit-based aid? Also, doesn't Hopkins offer only a limited number of merit scholarships?

krug

What I was asking from an earlier post is for D who is a junior. ACT 34, 2200 SAT, 4.0 unweighted GPA, 4.5 weighted, the average amount of extracurricular activities (NHS, class rep, science olympiad - 2nd in state, piano, Tae Kwon Do, volunteer at library, math club, french club). We needed suggestions for schools that we have a good chance for some merit aid. The schools that I mentioned above are getting so selective that although she might get in, she is not likely a candidate for merit award.

Jaserr

yes, UNC - Chapel Hill...That's true that Rice has fairly low tuition although it goes up yearly. Rice does take itself very seriously, ranking itself on par with the ivies in selectivity and education. Its scholarship are definitely difficult to get.

EMM1

Krug:

Washington and Lee is a terrific school for the right person, both academically and in terms of connections after graduation. But it is really Southern and really traditional. Merit aid is very hard to get at most of the other schools that have been mentioned--no sure thing even for one as accomplished as your D.

If you and your D are willing to consider a step down in selectivity, you might think about the University of Richmond as a financial safety. I believe they give 50 full tuition scholarships each year.

treeman

Krug -- There are several web pages that give information on merit aid for many (not all) colleges and universities. Check out this one from U.S. News & World Report:

USNews.com: America's Best Colleges 2008: Liberal Arts Colleges: Where the money is: Schools that award the most (and least) need-based aid

Don't be fooled ... the URL says NEED based aid, which is there, but so is MERIT AID! See the lat two columns which list the percent of students offered merit aid and the average amount of such awards.

Kiplinger's web site has a similar kind of listing.

Erin's Dad

Ohio Northern, a small LAC like U in Ada Ohio, gives up to $27K for a $37K cost to attend. It's a very intimate place (3600 students) with some major building and renovation going on. They have colleges for engineering, pharmacy, business, and arts and sciences (covers most everything else).

krug

Thanks everyone for all the suggestions. I have been following avidly on the goings on with college applications and feeling discourage because even with a fairly decent academic records, our chances for aid is slim because of the stiff competition. We are hoping to narrow our search and only apply to the schools that has a decent chance of aid since we are an academic family with one income. We are very puzzled on why college costs so much since from personal experience, professors are not well paid (and we are in the sciences!). You all have been so great and helpful.

mumsie

krug,
just to let you know, University of Pittsburgh offers many full rides. Daughter #1 got it with stats that were what i'd call decent but not fantastic

entomom

krug,
Other possibilities to consider: Grinnell, USC, Tulane, Kenyon, BU, UMichigan, UMiami, Lewis & Clark, Whitman, Willamette, Bard, Smith and Scripps.

I personally might rate Rice as easier to get merit aid from than WUSTL, but harder than Vandy or Emory (but agree about the lower starting tuition factor). However, I admit I'm a year behind as my D graduated last year and I haven't been paying close attention to this year's results. Good luck!

rodney

krug: with your D's stats, definitely UMiami and Tulane......It also depends on what her academic interests are......I wouldn't however exclude Vandy or Emory but understand that it will be more competitive for the merit awards.....

krug

My D was interested in Chem but yesterday came home thinking that she wants a chemical engineering option at the school that she will be applying to (she is asking my help in coming up with a list). Any suggestions for chem eng schools with good merit aid?