<p>Any suggestions for a midwest school that offers full need - but has low bar for admission?</p>
<p>If there were such a school, then everyone would apply there and then…guess what? Suddenly there wouldn’t be a low bar for admission.</p>
<p>LOL - thanks mom2 … just trying to help a relative that has a zero EFC … but not the highest ACT …</p>
<p>What is the ACT, what is the home state, how far can this student reasonably be able to travel, what is the probable major, and can the family pay anything at all?</p>
<p>Your local community colleges - least competitive to be admitted. </p>
<p>They also are least expensive, so you don’t need much financial aid. Federal aid may be enough to cover tuition and fees.</p>
<p>Thanks - we are looking at community colleges - but if you have to stay in dorms - that adds to the cost.<br>
More info is …</p>
<p>Home state is Kansas.</p>
<p>Travel- I’m not sure. Realistically - probably adjacent states.
3.1 GPA. First ACT was not good, 19 fall of junior year. Trying again this fall with some prep - hoping for 21 or 22.</p>
<p>Major - not sure.</p>
<p>Immediate family - no. No ability to help. If anyone can help - it will be extended family.
One of those dysfunctional situations. First generation college.</p>
<p>Our state it looks like all state schools she can get $5k of aid. $5k in Stafford and maybe $1200 in work study. She has to work to pay car, insurance, taxes, phone, gas and spending money. So that basically means two jobs to just get $12k in help. Depending on school that leaves a couple to several thousand.</p>
<p>There are SAT/ACT optional schools: [SAT/ACT</a> Optional 4-Year Universities | FairTest](<a href=“http://www.fairtest.org/university/optional]SAT/ACT”>ACT/SAT Optional List - Fairtest), but as far as I know none on the list guarantee to meet need. However, it is possible that a given school might meet her need. </p>
<p>Typically students go to the community college within commuting distance (of the family home). Is this possible for your relative?</p>
<p>Unfortunately, the schools that give the best FA are also the most difficult to get into - and that low ACT score (even if it improves up to the low 20’s) is still not likely to be high enough for most schools.</p>
<p>One thought - although I understand that the ACT is the norm in Kansas - is that this student might want to try the SAT. The student would still need to do some significant prep work, but it’s possible that he or she might have more luck with this test. Some kids just do better on one or the other . . . so it might be worth looking into.</p>
<p>Can she commute to a local CC? </p>
<p>If not, and she has no family support, then she may have to take more than 2 years to finish her AA. She may have to work nearly full time and go to school part-time.</p>
<p>If the student is LOW income, then she’d also get a Pell Grant. What is her EFC?</p>
<p>MaterMia:</p>
<p>Do the local community colleges in Kansas have housing??? Wow, learn something new everyday.</p>
<p>Aunt bea - yes some do. A lot do. Lots of wide open spaces in Kansas - so commuting isn’t always an option :)</p>
<p>Her EFC is ZERO. On all the indicators I have run using her parents last tax year information.</p>
<p>If her EFC is 0, then she’d get…</p>
<p>$5550 Pell Grant
$5500 student loan</p>
<p>If she goes to a CC for her first 2 years, then she will have to work summers and part time during the school year to cover the costs that the $11k above won’t cover.</p>
<p>mom2 - I get that. She already works to cover her car payment (it’s a 1998 with 200K miles she just bought because her old car died), insurance, taxes, tag, phone, gas … and spending money.</p>
<p>I guess my point is - she can’t work much more during the school year and actually go to school or have time to study. Summers - yes, not sure that will be enough.</p>
<p>I realize she can get the Pell and Student loan to get her to about $11k. That won’t cover it with a dorm.</p>
<p>She may have to get creative…such as…</p>
<p>Find the cheapest housing near her CC…even if it means sharing a one bedroom ( a friend of mine did that in college…found a cheap 1 bedroom that she and a pal shared).</p>
<p>Maybe find someone who will rent a bedroom out in their home. One of my kids’ friends is doing that for $230 a month (rent, utilities, all)…so very cheap.</p>
<p>She should be able to work about 15 hours per week while in school and full/near full time during summers. Doing so should mean that she should be able to earn about $7k per year.</p>
<p>When you add the $7k to the $11k in aid, that should be enough to go to a CC. </p>
<p>If necessary, live close enough to job and school so that a car isn’t necessary.</p>
<p>How much is her car payment on such an older car???</p>
<p>She’s going to have to get creative since her stats aren’t going to get her into a school that gives great aid…that’s just a fact of life when you don’t live in a state that also gives great state aid to low income kids with very modest stats.</p>
<p>Her car is100 ish and insurance is another 100ish … a month … plus taxes, tag and gas and phone. I think we figured her expenses with minimum gas and NO spending money to be right at 400, if I remember right.</p>
<p>Not having a car in Kansas is really not an option. Public transportation is almost non-existent. It would be very difficult to go to school and work without a car. </p>
<p>from what I can tell - all the KS state schools give about the same amount of aid. </p>
<p>Thanks all … I will keep working on it.</p>
<p>Try getting a higher ACT/SAT Score and write a good essay! Higher act and better personality equals the more the college would want to give you aid!</p>
<p>Elle. In most cases, your SAT/ACT scores, GPA, letters of reference are the key components to getting scholarships. With regard to “personality” it would be important to interview well for those highly competitive scholarships that require interviews. The CONTENT of your responses is important as well. </p>
<p>Don’t count on a charming personality to garner you MORE scholarship money. It probablyn won’t.</p>
<p>With those stats she could probably apply to at least a couple of schools free. I’d still try the list of SAT/ACT optional schools and try their net price calculator. If you get in it may be cheaper than CC (though no promises)</p>