Welcome!
Since you used the term “first” I assume you have more than one child. I just want to put on your radar that you should think about how much money you want to spend on college expenses for all of your kids. There have been examples where parents have gone all out for the first kid financially and then had to pull way back for subsequent kids, and that situation can cause familial strife. So, I just want to put that out there.
I agree about checking with your school counselor about the chances at UM. At most I would probably put it in the lower probability category (20-39%), but your school counselor would probably know best.
In terms of additional suggestions, below are some schools that your daughter may want to check out. Three of the schools have sticker prices that should meet budget (I’m including Oglethorpe because of the Flagship 50). The others are questionable, but I definitely think that there’s the possibility of getting enough merit aid, though there’s obviously no guarantee.
Extremely Likely (80-99+%)
- SUNY Oswego (NY): About 6k undergrads. This school’s sticker price would come in under budget, and I suspect some merit aid might be forthcoming as well. Cinema and film studies here is a fairly popular major, but she’d have access to many other areas of interest here, too.
Likely (60-79%)
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DePaul (IL): About 14k undergrads. It has both a BA and BFA in Film and Television if she’s wanting to produce films, but there are also majors in Lighting Design, Costume Technology, Costume Design, Comedy Arts, Acting, Scene Design, Sound Design, and Wig and Makeup Design & Technology. The Art, Media and Design degree (BA or BFA) also seems like it might be of interest to your kid. The College of Communication has various majors that might suit your kid’s interests, and there’s also the Driehaus College of Business.
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Georgia State: About 29k undergrads. This has the reputation of a commuter college, but I have heard that reputation is changing. About 57% of first-year students live on-campus, meaning that there are nearly 2600 first-year students living in the dorms. Not only does it have all the majors of interest (with a very popular film program), but there is also the Georgia Film Academy minor with various tracks (production, post-production, etc) because the state is in such need of additional employees with these skills.
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Ithaca (NY): About 4600 undergrads. Its Park School of Communications is very well-respected and can be a good option for film and advertising, among other possibilities. Its business school also is available for that side of your kid’s interests.
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Oglethorpe (GA): About 1500 undergrads at this Atlanta school. Your daughter would qualify for the Flagship 50 program, meaning that you would pay the same amount in tuition as you would at Ann Arbor. Some of the majors of interest here would be various tracks within Communications, the BA in Film & Media Studies which also combines hands-on practice, or the major in studio art with a concentration in Filmmaking, Video and Photography. Atlanta is a HUGE city for film and the Atlanta schools also have a consortium whereby students can take classes at other schools like Georgia Tech, Georgia State, Emory, Spelman, SCAD, etc.
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U. of North Carolina – Wilmington: About 14k undergrads here. I believe she would need to send in a separate application for the film program, and that is probably not a likely admit for anyone. But it’s well known for film and the NC publics are strong overall. Sticker would just come in at budget.
Toss-Up (40-59%)
Lower Probability (20-39%)
Low Probability (less than 20%)