For high stats students in many states, this path can be a mistake IF they would need a lot of aid/merit for those last 2 years. For many high stats students, they need to grab those great merit or FA opportunities as incoming frosh.
If she is interested in a STEM career. West Chester offers a full tuition scholarship. My son had a lower SAT but was still offered this scholarship which he turned down to go to Bloomsburg. Bloomsburg gave him 5000.00 a year which is the highest merit they offer. He is now a junior and is very happy there.
Agreed! That’s why kid #2 took the full tuition plus offer!
No way kid #1 would have qualified.
The OP’s budget is very low, so that prompted me posting something pro-CC.
Right, but my concern with high stats kids from pricey state schools with crap aid (like IL and PA) is that too many find that after 2 years at a CC, they can’t afford to transfer. There was a IL student who posted 3 or 4 years ago who went to a CC because that’s what his school’s GC advised everyone. He had high stats and could have gotten free tuition at a number of schools…but now as a transfer he was finding that he couldn’t afford any schools. I don’t know what the poor kid ended up doing.
The OP’s budget isn’t too awful. Parents can pay $5k, student can borrow $5500, and between summer earnings and school year earnings, the student should be able to contribute about $5k-7k per year (perhaps more if she gets a job at something like Target which will provide some funds for college.
Congratulations for your student who qualified for the big scholarship. And you’re right, fo the student wouldn’t have qualified the 2+2 option was better. How much did it cost you each year for junior and senior years?
Good! Definitely apply there and soon!
Junior and senior year cost us (parents) $30k total. We agreed to cover tuition & had to borrow, did not have it upfront, & it’s almost paid off.
Our student paid for housing, food, and other expenses by working her butt off over summer(s) as a server, plus taking federal student loans.
Her current job has a stipend to apply to her loan & that is also almost paid off.
We were fortunate!
I think it may depend on where you live. Op would be best served took up the articulation agreementsa at rthe community college where she lives.
I would be willing to bet money that manually there are articulation agreements between community colleges and the state flagship (one reason why there is a limited number of junior transfers because students who successfully complete CC must have a school to finish their 4-year degree.
I know in NYS, the Connell Land grant colleges have articulation agreements with every single SUNY & CUNY CC. If you are i an opportunity or gram, for low income students, your opportunity program benefits will transfer to Cornell.
EOP/College discovery students who successfully transfer to NYU (which has the CCTOP for CUNY/LI and Westchester CCs) automatically get a 100% demonstrated need package. Non -opportunity program students get an automatic half tuition scholarship coming from CCTOP.
Fordham meets 100% need for CC transfers coming from opportunity programs as well as Columbia, Barnard and the rest of the 64 HEOP schools in NYS. Students who successfully graduate from an opportunity program can get graduate tuition at SUNY (including med school tuition at SUNY upstate or SUNY Downstate)
They have an affordable local option, West Chester University is in commuting distance, and one of the best PASSHE schools.
Now they just need to add a few automatic and competitive merit schools.
Pitt is a reach for merit, but apply asap and see. As an instate student she can also apply to the Nordenberg and Stamps Leadership scholarship.
I would also send an application to Temple.
WVU might give her good merit.
U Buffalo might be worth a try as well.
I still say, check what the FAFSA EFC would be as a divorced single parent. You are divorced and thinking of possibly moving (to another state?). What if your D could qualify for Pell Grant and PA state grant, that could be close to $10,000 of additional aid. That could help pay room and board at a school with full tuition or supplement what you can pay at a school with less merit. Pitt started a Pell Grant match program this year.