WUE requirements for UNR (https://catalog.unr.edu/content.php?catoid=13&navoid=3566):
Students must have a minimum weighted 3.25 high school Academic GPA in the following required core classes: 4 years English; 3 years math (Algebra I or higher); 3 years of natural sciences; 3 years of social sciences and must have a minimum 26 ACT composite score or 1,170 SAT score combined critical reading and math only. Test scores must be from the same administration/sitting.
For UNLV (https://www.unlv.edu/finaid/scholarships/wue):
Students must have a minimum weighted 3.0 cumulative high school grade point average within required core classes.
Additionally, students must:
3.25 unweighted overall high school grade point average, or
24 ACT score, or
1160 SAT score combined critical reading and math
So UNLV could potentially work since the GPA can substitute for the ACT/SAT score. But not UNR. And note that UNLV is first come first served (with a priority date of Nov 1).
Also try looking at some of NM public college. They’re low cost-less than Utah.
While her SAT is too low to qualify for the Amigo (requires a 1160 SAT) that give in-state tuition for 4 years, she ought to qualify for WUE (3.0 GPA and 19 ACT/1020SAT).
UNM’s in-state tuition is $7322/year. WUE tuition is $8127/year
happymomof1: She studied for 17 hours using PrepScholar before the PSAT and got a 1060. Then she studied another 25 hours before the SAT and got a 1080. So a total of 42 hours, which required a lot of “reminders” on our part, and anguish on her part. Anyhow, I was hoping that every 1 hour of studying would increase her SAT score by 2.5 points according to PrepScholar estimates, but it worked out to 1 hour of studying for a 0.8 point increase in her SAT score. She doesn’t start college until Aug 2020, so there’s still time for her to take the SAT again. I figure that even a 20 point increase would get her to 1100, which would get her $7,700 through Nevada Advantage at UNR. Also, she didn’t realize that she needed to take the essay part of the SAT, which she needs for the UC Riverside.
If I can convice her to take the ACT, I’ll have her take it.
I didn’t know that CCC have dorms. However, she seemed to like Humboldt and Sac State, which she should get admitted to one of those schools with a GPA of 3.7 and a 1080 SAT. (I’m still scratching my head on why her SAT score wasn’t higher. I thought with her GPA, she’d have closer to a 1200. Maybe I should have her try something other than PrepScholar?)
MYOS1634: Those are all good suggestions. I figure that my D would not seriously consider a place unless she visits it first. We are going skiing near Denver at the end of the month, and plan to see U of WY, Col St Fort Collins (CSFC), Northern Colorado, UC Denver, UC Colo Springs, and Col St Pueblo. I think she has a decent chance of getting into most of those schools, except maybe CSFC. (Any idea why CSFC is so much more expensive than those other schools?)
I might be able to see NAU on a trip to see UNLV.
I'm not sure if we'll make it to Fort Lewis College. However, we do plan to be in SLC, UT next summer, so maybe
We camp yearly in the Humboldt redwoods, so we could probably make it to SOU.
Twoin18: Thanks for the info on UU. It sounds like she has a real chance of getting residency, if she’s willing to be in the state that summer after the Freshman year. Its also good to know she can take classes, and not counting on having to have a job.
I emailed UU and asked if there was a minimum GPA or SAT/ACT score for the WUE tuition rate. They responded: “The WUE award is only awarded to incoming freshman and will be awarded based on merit, i.e., unweighted High School GPA and ACT/SAT score with which you were admitted. The WUE program has very limited spots so it is highly competitive.” Thus, it sounds like you probably need a 1400 (like Western Washington or Montana State). But paying OOS the 1st year, staying there that summer, and then paring in-state the remaining years sounds like it will be about the same price as WUE.
WayOutWestMom Thanks, we’ll have to look into NM. She hasn’t expressed much interest in NM or AZ, but it could be a good option if she finds the Colorado schools and the U of WY to be too cold for her.
@Gregmacd As you’re going to Colorado, you might want to check out Western Colorado in Gunnison, where her current stats would qualify her for an 8K merit scholarship annually.
Gunnison will get bitter cold in the winter but the surrounding area gets tremendous amounts of snow and is great for skiers.
Flagstaff gets a decent amount of snow in the winter but avoids very high AZ temps due to altitude.
Albuquerque, recommended by @WayOutWestMom, has four seasons but with relatively mild winters and hottest temps when the kids aren’t in school. It’s an easy flight from many points in CA.
Don’t remember if it was mentioned above thread but my kid’s PSAT and SAT scores remained relatively flat, despite prep. She did much better on the ACT. Your kid might want to give it a try.
Yes, have her stop on the SAT and try the ACT.
Finally, don’t forget that there are test optional schools!
If you can provide an idea of your EFC and what sort of course rigor she has, we could even point you to appropriate test optional schools within budget.
@Gregmacd - Has she consistently had low-ish standardized testing scores relative to her classroom performance? If so, it is worth looking into possible reasons. Among others, reasons could include test-taking-based anxiety, weak test-taking strategies, learning differences in the dyslexia/slow-processing family. Each of those potential issues has its own work-around, and she has time while she is still in high school and has access to the school’s resource team to start to get a handle on things.
Don’t underestimate how much she’ll want to come home for the summer after Freshman year. Both of my kids just really wanted to get away from school. They both loved their schools and the time they spent there, but they missed their dogs, home cooking, seeing people who had nothing to do with their schools. They both came home every summer (one tried living in another city with her boyfriend and that lasted about 4 weeks). One graduated in May and lives about 1 hour from her school, and the other graduated today (yea!) and is doing a 6 month stint in Disney, and then may move back to her college town so her boyfriend can go to law school. But at 18? They wanted to come home.
@twoinanddone
Thanks! AllI good points. I just started thinking about that last night. If she doesn’t stick around the freshman summer (or any summers) we’ll have to pay out-of-state tuition all four years, which would really be just too much money. I figure even if she says she’ll stick around the summer after freshman year, there is a good chance she’ll change her mind for the points that you raised.
Well dealing with a 16-year-old D is not easy. I suggested she take the SAT again or the ACT and she burst out in tears! I had to bribe her with an iPhone to get her to take it the first time. I think I’m gonna have to take her to Disneyland or she won’t take it again!
Make her day: tell her there are test optional colleges!
Run the NPC on College of Idaho,Linfield, Whittier,Pacific Lutheran, UPuget Sound, Lewis&Clark, (order of increasing selecticity but all possible based on her current stats); further away: SUNY Purchase, Guilford, Hiram, Lycoming, Sweet Briar, Susquehanna, St Michael’s, Drew, Elizabethtown, Austin College, Ohio Wesleyan, Augustana Il, Transylvania, U Evansville, Drake, Beloit. Lots of coooool possibilities, all very good colleges that are interested in what students can bring to their campus, not their test scores.
Then, have her evaluated in case she has a processing disability which would explain why standardized testing is so taxing for her.
@MYOS1634 Our EFC is either $40k (IM) or $47k (FM). She has a 3.7, but no AP courses. We’re basically looking for schools were the tuition, Room and board is $30k or less, such as Humboldt, CSU Sacramento, UN Reno, CSU Pomona, CSU Fullerton, SDSU, CSU Long Beach, CSU Chico, CSU Fresno, Col St Pueblo, U of WY, Northern Col., UC Col Springs, UC Col Denver, UC Davis, UC Riverside
@Gregmacd my daughter is also at U of U (withTwoin18’s D). She has a modest scholarship this year and is working on establishing in-state residency. It is tough, not being able to bring her home any time she wants, for as long as she wants. But she understands the financial sense that it makes. According to my rough estimates, four years at U of U (one year OOS with scholarship + 3 years in-state) will be roughly the same as four years at a Cal State (as a CA resident). Portland State had been one of her safety schools and she got the WUE there. That would have been a fairly reasonable overall price too, had she gone that route. Edited to add that she was one who did better on the ACT compared to the SAT, so it is worth trying it.
