how to get full tuition scholarship + ?

mazewanderer
Fri, 29 Apr 2011 11:13:09 +0000

If you have read the thread already, then you know which schools give good NMF scholarships, and U of Alabama is the one that seems to be the gold standard today.

Now what you really need to do is look at the websites of schools and talk to them. A lot depends on how attractive your child is to the school. Some schools will give you a lot of aid just because you are NMF and possibly bridge the gap. Unfortunately, most of them are state schools and they are cutting back on aid. Arizona State for example has cut back on what they are giving NMF’s.

Now once you know what the stated NMF policy is then you need to look at what other merit aid (assuming you do not qualify for need based aid) is available and do they allow stacking.

For example at University of Arizona, which is close to full ride but not full ride (the C of A for OOS is 38000 but the NMF award is $30000.)

Multiple Awards and Tuition Programs


Students offered multiple tuition awards can not receive more than 100% of the cost of tuition. Tuition does not include fees, surcharges, room and board, books or other expenses.
** 2. This award supersedes and cannot be combined with the National Merit Semifinalist Award, Regent’s High Honors Endorsement Award (AIMS), The Wildcat Excellence Award, Arizona Excellence Award and the MacBook Award.
Students may be offered a combination of the National Merit Finalist, National Achievement, or National Hispanic scholarship awards, but the student must select only one of these awards.
The UA National Merit Scholarship award package includes the college-sponsored, corporate-sponsored, or National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC)-sponsored awards.
This scholarship may be reduced each year the Qualified Tuition Reduction (QTR) (a benefit for faculty and staff) is utilized.
6. This award cannot be combined with some ROTC Tuition Awards and some departmental tuition awards depending on type and amount.**




So for example departments and colleges at U of Arizona give awards, now some of them can be combined, some cannot. So it is situation specific. And some of the extra awards are competitive.

I think your best bet is to short list a few schools and find out what they offer and how they stack up. Again please remember, most of the other awards are competitive. So your child may or may not get it. Again policies may change from this year to the next.

Based on your EFC and your attractiveness to the schools, the schools may decide to bridge the gap, or they could add Stafford loans into it. Or they may not and decide the gap is the parent contribution. I do not think you are going to get a straight answer unless you apply and actually see the FA package. Apply to a few schools including a sure financial safety and then decide once you get the package. No school will assure you that they will bridge the gap without seeing the application.