I’m having a little trouble trying to grasp my chances of receiving scholarships and to what extent. I am currently a junior with a 4.0 GPA , second in my class, and working my way to a 2000/2400 sat score (old SAT scale I know). Planning on going to school for engineering and at the moment thinking of going for bio medical. I am also involved with my schools FBLA and newspaper. Other information: Female, white, NJ from a not so great school district, from a single parent household who makes $19,000 a year. My siblings have gone to the local community college and received full financial aid. With this all considered, what do future scholarships look like especially a full one? I know there are many other things to be considered, I’m just looking around a rough estimate.
The best scholarships are usually from the college’s themselves. I would look at any of your colleges of interest to see what scholarships are available and what the requirements are to apply or if they are automatic based on stats.
Here is a several links to help:
Also, consider schools that meet full need. But you could run into problems if your mother is divorced and your father makes a good income.
I wonder if Questbridge would make sense for you. I don’t know much about this program but there is info In the CCs forums.
It would seem to me that you are more likely to get need-based financial aid at a full-needs met school, rather than sufficient merit scholarship,
Your stellar GPA and class rank helps a LOT. But the SAT scores are relatively low compared to many others who you have to compete against for merit money. And by all means, I do not mean to criticize you with this - those are very good scores - not Harvard good, but there are plenty of other great schools out there for you.
This is just a guess on my part, of course, knowing very little about your situation.
I would think you have a very good shot at significant aid money, however it comes, even if you aren’t aiming for the tippy top schools, if you keep up the good work.
Like many students in your situation, you’ll want to begin by running NPC’s at several of the schools you think you have a good chance getting accepted.
Best of luck to you
Is your father living? if so, even if your parents never married, your dad’s income will be considered at some schools…usually the schools that give the best aid.
However, I don’t think any of the NJ publics use the dad’s info, and the state of NJ also gives aid when attending a NJ public.
If your father is deceased (sorry if that’s the case), then applying to schools that require NCP info will not be an issue, but you will have to provide your father’s death certificate.
@3puppies thank you, your comment really helped! 
@mom2collegekids My father does not contact my mom and she has been a single mother my entire life with no income assistance from him. I’m pretty sure there is no legal documentation that he is my father. What effect will this have on me?
@okruth Is your mom’s name the only parent name on your Birth Certificate?
^^One name on the birth certificate doesn’t mean there is not a NCP. It may only mean the parents weren’t married at the time of the birth and that the father didn’t agree or wasn’t available to sign the affidavit at birth. If there is a named bio father, that man can be required to pay support, name on the certificate or not.
Okruth, you have to give your facts to the schools to request the NCP waiver (never married, no support, not listed on BC, no visitation or contact) . If a school will not grant it, ask if you can send the NCP information directly to that school, not through CSS. All they can say is no, and then you’ll have to decide if you want to keep that school on your list and submit the NCP info to CSS, knowing that will open up the information to all schools.
Ruth, while your mother may not be married to your father, is she married to anyone?
If yes, their income and assets will be taken into consideration to determine your eligibility for need based aid (it does not matter if you are not their child and they are unwilling to pay for you to attend college)
@mom2collegekids yes my mothers name is the only one on the birth certificate. Also I think I should mention my mom is technically widowed. She was married to the father of my siblings and then he passed away. She then had me a few years later but yet again, my father does not live with me, contribute any money, or on my birth certificate.