Yes- trying to keep CoA at 15k/year.
Reading the thread, youâre going to have to end up at a school that will cost $15K or less.
Thatâs going to be the NM schools (Tulsa for semi, the others for finalists) or youâre going to have âneedâ. Have you run the net price calculator for any schools to see if you have need - for example, a Cornell or BU. From how you speak you donât or not to that level.
Many schools offer NM scholars - some are a few thousand extra (Arizona) but wonât hit $15K. Others, like FSU, have a program that likely will fall short.
So in addition to the three @Mwfan1921 mentioned - UTD, Bama, Tulsa - you might add U Maine (I know they changed). Not sure who else is there but others may have ideas but $15K is tight.
You can check schools like Fordham, NJIT, Texas Tech, Washington State, and Kentucky to see - but these schools (like Fordham) may be a - you can get but arenât assured. In the past, Oklahoma was generous too - but not sure if now.
I canât imagine a flagship school not meeting their academic needs at the undergrad level.
But you can get contrast with Tulsa - latest was 25-30% of all students are NMS and Alabama, which at least until recently - had the most quantity wise.
Thereâs a reason these schools are being chosen.
Congrats to your student and best of luck.
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These threads might be helpful for you.
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@mathmom is an expert
Iâm not sure how much merit, but the following offer some merit.
Macalester
Michigan State
St Olaf
University of Rochester
Wash U
Thanks for your help.
I will check these threads out- thank you!
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I appreciate the recommendations- thanks!
My D21 was a National Merit Finalist, UW GPA 3.98, and âFull IBâ and we were on the hunt for merit $ as well. U of R, St. Olaf, and Mac were all on her initial list, but none of the them offer more than 1/2 tuition merit scholarships, so total COA is still almost 40K if one didnât qualify for any need-based $, which was our situation.
OP: read through my previous threads on this. Youâre simply not going to find full tuition merit scholarships at highly ranked schools other than the very rare ânamedâ ones â Stamps, Robertsons, etc. Theyâre work applying for, but unless your kid has cured cancer or something, he or she isnât gonna get them.
Youâll find more full tuition merit schollys at the âlower rankedâ LACs (including the one where my D21 is happily attending: PM me if you want the name of it), but even those are pretty rare. And in your case, a small LAC is unlikely to have the level of math that your kid needs.
As others have said, if you really need to keep your costs < 15 K/year but need really advanced math, your best bet is to look at the lower-ranked state flagships such as Alabama and maybe New Mexico?. Arizona also used to provide generous merit $ to NMFs, but I think thatâs changed in recent years. One possibility that others havenât mentioned is UM-Twin Cities. I think that they still have a full tuition scholarship for NMFs, although I havenât looked recently. However, itâs worth looking into since at least they would have the high-level math youâre looking for.
(Also, as others have said, your kid isnât a National Merit Scholar yet. At this point, they are only a semi-finalist. And even if they progress, they only become a finalist unless they attend a school that formally participates in the National Merit Scholars scholarship program. So, in the end my D21 was only a finalist since her school granted her scholarship internally rather than through the National Merit Scholarship program. Clear as mud, huh? 
)
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Ok yes, I didnât realize that about National Merit. I appreciate all the information, thanks!
No problem. I learned so much here on CC about âchasing meritâ for my two kids that Iâm always happy to pay it forward.
You should be following this thread as well: it may be more applicable to your kid than my threads were. (D21 was only looking at small LACs and S23 is doing engineering, so very different searches in both cases):
The upshot is that full tuition merit $ is increasingly scarce even for the highest stat kids unless they are FG (LI will get need-based aid) or URMs, unless youâre willing to consider lower-ranked schools. And my advice is, donât discount those: there are other really smart kids and great profs everywhere. Good luck to you!
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I really appreciate the help, thank you!
Az gives another three thousand - at least today - but with todayâs auto merit plus 3K, itâs not in budget and costs are likely going up given their budget issues.
Iâm perfectly fine with Stamps and the scholarships at Vandy/WUSTL, the Johnson at W&L, the Presidential at SMU.
Those are hail maryâsâŠas long as the student has an assured (the Tulsa, Bama, whoever else in the bag that is a 100% entry with 100% at 15K or less), the rest are - why the heck not!!!
Taking a step back. Did you run the NPC for various schools? Are you eligible for any FA? Is $15k your EFC? Like previous posters have mentioned, it will be tough to hit $15k without FA or NMF/full rides.
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I think with your budget you are likely going to need to identify universities that might get you on budget first, then check out their Math Department pure math course offerings second. I think trying to identify the ones which have a reputation for being good for pure math is going to be too limiting, because that is too few schools and very few if any will get you on budget.
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I get what you are all saying- thank you for the guidance.
I got almost the highest out of state scholarship you can get from Stony Brook without being an urm or something and it was still going to cost $30-35k/year
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Given the cost constraint, I would look closely at Texas Tech. The math department is large and confers degrees up through Ph.D, so I think there would be plenty of depth in the pure math curriculum, and the full cost of attendance is covered for National Merit Finalists who designate TTU as their first choice with NMSC.
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Regarding the math offerings at schools likely to be in budget, consider checking for these upper level math courses:
- Linear algebra (proof focused)
- Abstract algebra and number theory courses
- Real analysis
- Complex analysis
- Geometry and topology courses
- Logic courses
- Numerical analysis and computing courses
- Graduate level courses, particularly if the student is more advanced than single variable calculus in high school
Also consider:
- French, German, and/or Russian, since math research papers may be written in those languages, and math PhD programs may require reading knowledge of one of them. (If student did not choose any such language in high school or otherwise learned it.)
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I will add that my S22 is a NMF. He is attending Alabama on the same NMF scholarship. He is a Computer Science/Geography double major. By hours he is a senior. He is finishing up his sophomore year. He could graduate in 3 1/2 years, but is likely to do a masters (geography or computer scienceâŠI am pushing for geography since if he wants compsci he could do that elsewhere). He lives off campus in an apartment under a University master lease. He has five years of tuition and four years of housing PAID by the university (plus other stuff). The most we have paid was part (not all) of a summer abroad to Ireland. In two years and including the trip overseas, I think we have paid to the University or for University related matters, about $12-15K (and that would be a high estimate, my wife would have the exact number). Honestly, if you want to go to school for free, the Alabama NMF scholarship, currently, cannot be beat. If you are NMF, it is guaranteed. The instructions on who to obtain it are on the website, it is easy to follow. Culturally, my son has been to one football game (no other sports). He is not Greek. He is gay, and active in LGBTQIA+ affairs on campus. He is involved in EcoCar and other activities. It is a beautiful campus. Dorms are great. It isâŠAlabama.
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Carnegie Mellon?