UTK seemed very affordable when I visited They give merit scholarships 34+ ACT and a 25% teacher discount if you have a family member working in the UT system. Plus TN gives hope scholarships. Combined with some outside scholarships it seems like the price should be under 10k. I am trying to apply for honors college and maybe Haslam scholars if I don’t get into any OOS schools with generous aid. It is definitely a school I’m considering due to the more favorable budget
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Based off of pure income I think I’m right on the edge. I heard under 60k but didn’t believe that was a hard cutoff. The website did say for a family of four (I only live in a household of two).
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Are these “two” you and one parent? If so, please consider that many private universities using the CSS Profile will require financials from the parent who doesn’t live with you…unless they are no longer alive.
It’s very possible also that the net price calculators won’t be accurate.
There are OOS schools that give need but don’t ensure need is met but unc and uva do but you might be left with loans - which are not handouts.
This is where you are smarter to sub out the UIUCs of the world. You’ll get in but what’s the point. You can’t afford to go.
Better to apply to a Richmond or Lafayette - larger but not quite 5k LACs - who meet need. But again you need to have your folks run the NPC. What you want and what they say you need to pay aren’t necessarily the same. If you’re in Knoxville or the Tri city areas, then the hop up to the Northeast isn’t too bad. A school like Dickinson, while not large or sporty enough, meets need and will be solid in your area.
When you have a tight budget, it wins unfortunately and you have to make sacrifices.
Of course if you get into UTK, and it works for you - then great. You’ll be far from the only one there who chooses it over an elite. I remember a great conversation I had with a food server the other year - chose it over Northwestern because of affordability.
The issue with UTK and net price is - you may get last mile based on your income/assets - they keep moving the goal post - so free tuition plus $500 I believe. So you then have room and board which shows over $13k.
Then there’s books and spending money.
I would just triple check with them to see what you’re eligible for based on income (not sure), merit, Hope and Teacher’s Scholarship. Moreso on what’s combinable. Reading the teacher contract it doesn’t mention combinability.
You might also ask in regards to outside scholarships. If it’s merit, usually you can bring them in. But if you are getting the last mile, it’s need - and outside scholarships may then cause a reduction of the need element.
Please make sure to understand your exact situation with all these scholarships and then ask if outside $$ would reduce these.
With merit, hope, teacher and last mile, there’s a lot of money there - if they all work together. But you need to triple check. My guess is last mile sort of fills in the gap from what’s left tuition wise but not room and board wise.
As one noted early, you might also look into Questbridge. It has an early deadline but if you qualify, it’d be a home run.
Best of luck.
btw - no matter where you go, there will be far more clubs than you’ll be able to get involved with. It sounds great on paper to do 5 or 10, etc. regularly - but it’s not the reality. And whether a school has 1K kids or 40K, they’ll have enough clubs to interest you I’m sure.
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Lehigh?
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I would look into Wesleyan University. It’s on the larger side (3,000) for an LAC; widely regarded to meet need; and TN would be considered an underrepresented state (as it would be for most of the small New England colleges.) It’s also my understanding that male applicants tend to have a leg up in admissions since there’s a sizable tilt in the number of women who apply to it.
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Many people tend to view me as a conservative chancer. You’re totally right that schools with sub-10% (and sub-5%) admit rates are extremely challenging to get into and are likely going to be a “no” for excellent students with high stats. But your profile would put you right into the thick of the mix. I think you should definitely consider applying to more schools that will meet your budget price without any loans. Because at those schools you’re trying hard just to get an admit, but then if you’re admitted the finances are okay. At other schools you might be likelier to get in, but then you have low (but definitely not impossible) odds of getting a full ride scholarship.
All that to say, you’re a very strong applicant and shouldn’t shy away from applying to any university based on the perception that you’re not a very strong candidate. Will think of additional options for you to consider, but I like @lilyesh’s suggestion of Lehigh for you.
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Below are some schools that you may want to consider. Several of them are also in or near their state capitals, which can be very beneficial for someone interested in political science.
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Brown (RI): About 7600 undergrads and in the state capital of Rhode Island
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Emory (GA): About 7100 undergrads and in the state capital of Georgia and offers full rides (source).
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Miami U. (OH): Full rides are available at this public ivy with about 21k undergrads (source). Not a big metropolis, but it is a college town.
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Michigan State: About 39k undergrads by the state capital and has full rides available (source).
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U. of Miami (FL): About 13k undergrads and has full rides and full tuition scholarships available (source).
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U. of South Carolina: About 27k undergrads and one of the top honors colleges in the country, and also located in the state capital. Its premier scholarships would essentially provide a full ride (source).
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Villanova (PA ): About 7k undergrads in a suburb of Philadelphia and has full ride scholarships available (source).
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Wake Forest (NC): About 5400 undergrads and has several full ride scholarships available (source).
With respect to my earlier suggestions, I mentioned Northwestern earlier, which I still stand behind as a suggestion. I had also suggested Notre Dame, but unless the NPC comes back as affordable, then it probably will not work as its max merit is full tuition & fees. Ohio State (Stamps Eminence and a location in the state capital) and Indiana U. (Wells Scholars) offer full rides.
I considered Syracuse, but it doesn’t offer scholarships beyond full tuition, so unless its NPC comes back as affordable, I would not bother with it. Although I liked the suggestion of Lehigh above, its top scholarships cover full tuition only, and I’m doubtful the NPC will come back as affordable. The Gabelli at Boston College only covers tuition, so same story here about the NPC.
Some of the other schools I looked into but that I think would be impossible to meet budget are: Grand Valley, Marquette, Loyola Chicago, Ohio U., U. of Dayton, U. at Albany, and U. of Delaware.
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UGA would only be affordable with its highly competitive Foundation Fellows (Stamps Foundation) scholarship. Only 30 are awarded per year. The Foundation values high academics and leadership, if the OP decides to submit an application.
But as others are saying, IMO it makes more sense to devote time to privates that meet need. I’m a little unclear on the OP’s income (possibly a non-custodial parent), but since Questbridge was mentioned I’m assuming meet-need schools will have a chance at being affordable. I just caution OP to pay attention to any loans and work study included in aid packages.
Emory is strong for the major and located in the state capital. It will meet need. It is not a big sports school but is close to GaTech for their sports.
I think Duke (on your list) is a reasonable reach… and with sports! 
As you’re applying for Morehead Cain (UNC) and Jefferson (UVA), look at the Robertson scholarship for Duke (and UNC). Again, these schools should be affordable on need aid alone but the perks of these named scholarships go beyond the full ride.
Wake would be a bit easier admit, meets need and has a few full ride merit scholarships.
If LACs are in consideration:
Tagging onto @V3rnor ’s post, W&L should be affordable with need-aid. However, if you don’t mind the extra essays and interview, it would still be worth applying for the Johnson Scholarship due to the $10k per year stipend on top of the full ride. The Johnson is awarded to 10% of the incoming class (approximately 44 students) so chances are a bit better than some other highly competitive scholarships.
Davidson is another LAC with generous need aid and merit scholarships. The Belk and James B Duke offer programming and resources beyond the scholarships.
ETA: I typed this yesterday and failed to post. So there’s now some overlap with other posters.
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A seeming strike against W&L is its size; if you can get past that, there seems to be a super strong pipeline to politics in DC. The alumni network is powerful, and there’s a well trodden path to the DC political world.
Another program that may interest you is this one:
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Another smaller-than-desired but otherwise worth-a-look school is Denison, in Ohio (about a 6 hr drive from Nashville). 2300 undergrads, with a lively vibe including a decent amount of sports-related spirit for a DIII school. Excellent PPE major in addition to Politics & Public Affairs, and a terrific Data Analytics department that supports a data-driven Political Research minor. Located just outside Columbus, OH, which is the state capital of an interesting swing state. And Denison’s Lugar Program is excellent for both internships and academic study in DC. Denison meets need and gives merit up to full tuition; run the NPC to see whether it has potential to get to budget.
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Some colleges are “no loan” schools, meaning they provide a grant instead of a loan for that part of the aid package.
My son’s school does that. However, my son’s school will also provide the federal student loan in addition to the grant if the student requests that. And they will also provide a loan for travel expenses, upon request. And they will provide a grant for mandatory health insurance if the student’s family health insurance doesn’t cover them in the college location. These policies may make a school affordable that otherwise would not be, although of course the loans will need to be paid back.
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Just an update-
I researched the CSS Profile and learned that most colleges require the non-custodial parent form. If I were to submit that, my household income would increase by more than 100k. This makes most T20 and Private Institutions completely out of my price range. I understand there is a waiver you can apply for but it seems that most schools are less likely to accept it unless there are extreme circumstances. Should I even still heavily consider these institutions due to this?
I noticed that Vanderbilt and UNC were absent from the list of colleges that require the non-custodial parent form. I completed a net price calculator for Vandy and the package was very generous for our finances. Being a Tennessee resident, Vanderbilt is closer to home and it seems like they admit a fairly high proportion of Tennessee residents each year. I’m now considering whether I should play it safe and apply ED1 to Vandy. I’d get the decision back early whereas UNC is more of a gamble.
How high would my chances be to get admitted ED1 to Vanderbilt? My fairly competitive public high school has not sent a student to Vandy since 2019. Could this increase my chances? Is there a big boost to applying early or is the applicant pool just much more competitive?
I definitely think your chances at Vanderbilt would be better than at UNC and, while a reach for everyone, you’d have a shot, amplified by ED.
However do ask your guidance counselor if there’s a reason your school hasn’t sent anyone to Vandy in 10 years.
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ED is definitely a significant boost at Vanderbilt (for a competitive candidate). D24 did ED and it feels like half of her Freshman class did the same. I don’t think her school had ever sent anyone to Vanderbilt. We are in Seattle area so very different than being a TN resident. Best of luck!
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