My kid has 3.76 GPA and 1450 SAT. Due to a disability and job loss in our family she needs to find a full ride school. We are in PA. She is undecided in her career path as of now. Not interested in medical fields.
Any suggestions at where her stats can bring the most merit aid?
Parents can contribute $5k per year.
Student can borrow the $5500 fed loan for frosh year.
PA resident
Student can earn/save a few thousand over summers to put towards books and other costs.
AN IMPORTANT EDIT: The daughter, like many strong stats students, views local/directional type schools as being beneath her, so the goal is to try to find some flagship or similar type of schools that would give free tuition. Between the parent/direct loan, and summer earnings, the student should have enough to cover room, board, books, so if she could get free tuition at a non-directional school, that would work.
The daughter’s issue with directional type of schools is that she thinks that the students won’t be as smart as she is and she’s concerned that she won’t be surrounded with similarly smart students.
I suggest that you run the NPC for some of your local/state schools. Slippery Rock, Clarion , Westchester, Indiana of PA , Albright, Elizabethtown, Washington and Jefferson, Susquehanna, Juniata, Ursinus, McDaniel (MD) , RIT, Manhattan, Sienna, Hartwick, st Lawrence, Hofstra(NY). Indiana U of PA has good learning support and a very nice Honors college. RIT is set up for learning support as well
Let us know what the various NPCs are coming up with. Are you eligible for financial aid, is the big question here, as well as for possible automatic merit money.
$10k is going to be tough otherbthsn in a commuting scenario. Even if you get Free tuition, the costs room and board , supplies, travel, sundries , pocket money will come to about $15k at a sleepaway school unless you look at some faraway choices like Sout Dakota, Nebraska, etc.
There are schools like College of the Ozarks, Alice Lloyd, Berea that might be of interest too.
Also, schools that meet full need may be worth a look. If you have a very low expected family contribution (efc) they can be very affordable. You can go to each schools website and complete a thorough net price calculator for each school.
They are notoriously competitive for admission. Your student sounds like a very good student, however, it will require a really good application.
Google meets full need colleges and start from there.
The other ideas regarding local options is smart as well.
Why are you inquiring only about merit aid? If there has been disability of one of you parents, or job loss of the main wage earner with no prospects of a new job…this could be a special circumstances situation that the colleges might consider.
Is there a community college within commuting distance of your home?
Have you looked at your state schools? I heard Bloomsburg discuss merit money with someone at a college fair who’s stats were close to yours and it sounded promising. I would suggest asking if they have merit charts, or ideas on what was awarded for those stats last year. It certainly couldn’t hurt to ask.
With her stats, could get big merit at Southeastern Louisiana in Hammond, check dates - more money before certain deadlines.
Closer to PA, Berea is a very good school for low income students. If family income falls below a certain threshold, the student gets full tuition and possibly more. Students are required to work on campus 10-12 hours per week.
In state, maybe look at Albright or some of the Penn State branch campuses?
I know that you have suffered a huge financial setback due to your new disability and how that has affected the overall income that you all were used to having.
Regarding need based aid: is the issue that your family once had a very high income and therefore you have a lot of savings/investments that will preclude your daughter from qualifying for much/any need-based aid?
Since the daughter refuses to attend a “directional type of school,”…Some schools that might work…
Ole Miss
Miss State University
Alabama (if she majored in Computer Science or Engineering)
University of Toledo
Ohio University (sorry for the mistake earlier)
University of Montana
I would insist that she must apply to at least 3 “parent pick” schools. These would be schools that the parents have determined will be affordable due to some combo of assured merit, family funds, and $5500 student loan.