<p>When we were going through this process last year - some schools had automatic academic scholarships that were easy to see that you qualified for - others not so much. It seems that the talent scholarships are more of a crapshoot. If you have an understanding of automatic money that your child qualifies for based on grades - then that makes it much easier to start calculating the worst case cost scenario.
I will start this thread with the University of Northern Colorado (Since this is where my D goes I remember this information without having to do any research)!
There is a “Scholarship eligibility Index” on the UNCo website that shows you where you fall based on GPA, class rank and SAT/ACT scores. This will show you if you qualify for WUE (Western University exchange) or OOS academic scholarship. My D automatically qualified for the WUE scholarship and I am assuming the OOS scholarship is also automatic (although I am not 100% sure).
I will have to look around for information from other schools - I think OCU had some pretty transparent academic scholarships as well.</p>
<p>Coastal Carolina University has the same stats-based scholarships. They offer both freshman and transfer scholarships. Just make note of the deadlines:
[Financial</a> Aid & Scholarships](<a href=“http://www.coastal.edu/financialaid/meritbased.html#CCU]Financial”>http://www.coastal.edu/financialaid/meritbased.html#CCU)</p>
<p>There are additional application-based awards for returning students. My D received 2 additional awards this year on top of her original freshman scholarship.</p>