<p>Merit aid- in our house we let our kids know that we would pay for them to attend a UC. Any OOS public or private had to come in around that to be considered. Any youngest didn’t even apply to her dream school since it did not offer merit aid. Though the cost of a UC today is what a private school cost 7 yrs ago.
My kids span a 8 yr gap. I have gone through this cycle 4 times. 3 freshman rounds and 1 transfer. What I have noticed is that while tuition has jumped in some cases 20000 dollars a yr the highest merit award has stayed the same or dropped. My oldest was accepted to univ of Denver and back in those days the top merit award made the school less expensive then the public U in our state. My S attended U of the Pacific and when he attended the tuition was less then a UC after merit. Also many of his friends were low income and had excellent financial aid.
Crizello- congrats on Sonoma. We visited with our youngest and I thought it was a lovely campus. I liked that it is public but it is not huge. Also the on campus housing is a plus.</p>
<p>COLLEGE ACCEPTANCE AND MERIT AWARDS EARNED BY OUR 3.0-3.3 STUDENTS</p>
<p>(With all the interest in merit aid, it seemed like we should provide this info to others who will benefit from our kids’ experiences. Add to this if you like, maybe with separate awards in (), ie, (13K) (17k)</p>
<p>Agnes Scott
Albright
Adelphi x 2
Anderson University (with merit)
Arcadia x 3
Baldwin Wallace
Beloit x 2
Bellarmine
Bryant
Cal Lutheran ($11K)
CSU Fullerton
CSU Monterey Bay
CSU Sacramento
Catholic University (DC)
Champlain
Chapman
Christopher Newport
Clark
Coastal Carolina
College of Wooster
Colorado State
Cornell College
DeSales
DePaul
Drew
Earlham x2
Eckerd x 3 (13.5K)
Elon (admitted Spring, waitlisted Fall) x 2
Fordham
Fort Lewis College
George Mason
Gonzaga (3K)
Goucher x 5
Guilford x 3
Hampshire
Hofstra x 3
Humboldt State
Indiana University
Indiana Wesleyan
Ithaca x 3
James Madison
Knox x 2
Lake Forest
Lawrence (WI)
Loyola Maryland
Loyola New Orleans
Lycoming
Mt St Mary’s U (MD)
Marlboro
Marquette
Methodist University
Miami OH x 2
Mills
Monmouth University (NJ) x2
Montana State (with 5k merit)
Muhlenberg
New College of Florida
Northern Arizona U
Ohio Wesleyan x 5 (23K)
Oregon State
Penn State - Behrend
Rider x 2
RIT
Roanoke X 3
Roger Williams U
San Diego State (in region)
St Anselm
St Edward’s
St Marys (CA) x 2
Salisbury (MD)
Siena
Simmons
Seattle U
Sonoma State
Southern Oregon x 2
SUNY Albany
SUNY Binghamton (deferred EA, still waiting to hear) x 3
SUNY Fredonia
SUNY Potsdam
SUNY Purchase
Suffolk
Susquehanna x 4
Taylor University (with small merit)
Towson
Tulane
U Arizona (6K and iPad)
U of Arkansas
UC Merced
UC Santa Cruz
U Connecticut x 2
U Delaware (waitlist)
U Denver X 4
U Hartford
UMBC x2
UMCP
U Maine - Orono
UMass Amherst (accepted Undeclared. Waiting to hear about getting into Engineering)
UMass Lowell
U New Hampshire
U New Haven
UNC Wilmington (Spring admission)
U Oregon
U of the Pacific
U Pittsburgh
U Puget Sound x 3
U Redlands x 2 (13K)
U Rhode Island
U San Francisco x 2
U of South Florida (Summer admission)
U of West Florida
Ursinus x 2
Wagner
Warren Wilson College x 3
Western New England Univ
Western Washington U x 2
Willamette x 3 (13K)
Winthrope University
Washington College x 2
Washington College (waitlist)</p>
<p>Some things to think about - one, FAFSA is way behind because of a Congress-caused glitch in the tax code as it pertains to some forms. We had to wait four weeks for our tax to be process even though we filed FAFSA in late January. According to news reports, hundreds of thousands of families think they are not getting aid when, in fact, the reports are held up due to FAFSA processing. So it’s a long shot.</p>
<p>Coralbrook - might call Temple in Philadelphia. My D wanted a warm climate so we didn’t apply but they’re still sending hints and some of their merit scholarship is automatic within a lower gpa/act range. Their film program has a built-in option to spend one semester in London or LA for an internship. Temple admits on a rolling basis.</p>
<p>Also SCAD because god bless my soul they call and call and call and we didn’t ever send an official application. Also might be an option - they’re on a rolling basis. We have a good friend whose son graduated from there and she was happy with his experience, and we have another friend whose son is there for Architecture and loves it.</p>
<p>As they say in Galaxy Quest - never give up. Never surrender! Good luck.</p>
<p>Agnes Scott
Albright
Adelphi x 2
Anderson University (with merit)
Arcadia x 3
Baldwin Wallace
Beloit x 2
Bellarmine
Bryant
Cal Lutheran ($11K)
CSU Fullerton
CSU Monterey Bay
CSU Sacramento
Catholic University (DC)
Champlain
Chapman
Christopher Newport
Clark
Coastal Carolina
College of Wooster
Colorado State (5K Dean’s/OOS)
Cornell College
DeSales
DePaul
Drew
Earlham x2
Eckerd x 3 (13.5K)
Elon (admitted Spring, waitlisted Fall) x 2
Fordham
Fort Lewis College
George Mason
Gonzaga (3K)
Goucher x 5
Guilford x 3
Hampshire
Hofstra x 3
Humboldt State
Indiana University
Indiana Wesleyan
Ithaca x 3
James Madison
Knox x 2
Lake Forest
Lawrence (WI)
Loyola Maryland
Loyola New Orleans
Lycoming
Mt St Mary’s U (MD)
Marlboro
Marquette
Methodist University
Miami OH x 2
Mills
Monmouth University (NJ) x2
Montana State (with 5k merit)
Muhlenberg
New College of Florida
Northern Arizona U
Ohio Wesleyan x 5 (23K) ($25.5K)
Oregon State (2K/OOS)
Penn State - Behrend
Rider x 2
RIT
Roanoke X 3
Roger Williams U
San Diego State (in region)
St Anselm
St Edward’s
St Marys (CA) x 2
Salisbury (MD)
Siena
Simmons
Seattle U
Sonoma State
Southern Oregon x 2
SUNY Albany
SUNY Binghamton (deferred EA, still waiting to hear) x 3
SUNY Fredonia
SUNY Potsdam
SUNY Purchase
Suffolk
Susquehanna x 4
Taylor University (with small merit)
Towson
Tulane
U Arizona (6K and iPad)
U of Arkansas
UC Merced
UC Santa Cruz
U Connecticut x 2
U Delaware (waitlist)
U Denver X 4
U Hartford
UMBC x2
UMCP
U Maine - Orono
UMass Amherst (accepted Undeclared. Waiting to hear about getting into Engineering)
UMass Lowell
U New Hampshire
U New Haven
UNC Wilmington (Spring admission)
U Oregon
U of the Pacific
U Pittsburgh
U Puget Sound x 3 (23K)
U Redlands x 2 (13K)
U Rhode Island
U San Francisco x 2
U of South Florida (Summer admission)
U of West Florida
Ursinus x 2
Wagner
Warren Wilson College x 3
Western New England Univ
Western Washington U x 2 (4K/OOS)
Willamette x 3 (13K) (20K)
Winthrope University
Washington College x 2
Washington College (waitlist)</p>
<p>Adding D’s merit aid for Denver and acceptance/merit to U of Denver</p>
<p>Agnes Scott
Albright
Adelphi x 2
Anderson University (with merit)
Arcadia x 3
Baldwin Wallace
Beloit x 2
Bellarmine
Bryant
Cal Lutheran ($11K) X 2
CSU Fullerton
CSU Monterey Bay
CSU Sacramento
Catholic University (DC)
Champlain
Chapman
Christopher Newport
Clark
Coastal Carolina
College of Wooster
Colorado State (5K Dean’s/OOS)
Cornell College
DeSales
DePaul
Drew
Earlham x2
Eckerd x 3 (13.5K)
Elon (admitted Spring, waitlisted Fall) x 2
Fordham
Fort Lewis College
George Mason
Gonzaga (3K)
Goucher x 5
Guilford x 3
Hampshire
Hofstra x 3
Humboldt State
Indiana University
Indiana Wesleyan
Ithaca x 3
James Madison
Knox x 2
Lake Forest
Lawrence (WI)
Loyola Maryland
Loyola New Orleans
Lycoming
Mt St Mary’s U (MD)
Marlboro
Marquette
Methodist University
Miami OH x 2
Mills
Monmouth University (NJ) x2
Montana State (with 5k merit)
Muhlenberg
New College of Florida
Northern Arizona U
Ohio Wesleyan x 5 (23K) ($25.5K)
Oregon State (2K/OOS)
Penn State - Behrend
Rider x 2
RIT
Roanoke X 3
Roger Williams U
San Diego State (in region)
St Anselm
St Edward’s
St Marys (CA) x 2
Salisbury (MD)
Siena
Simmons
Seattle U
Sonoma State
Southern Oregon x 2
SUNY Albany
SUNY Binghamton (deferred EA, still waiting to hear) x 3
SUNY Fredonia
SUNY Potsdam
SUNY Purchase
Suffolk
Susquehanna x 4
Taylor University (with small merit)
Towson
Tulane
U Arizona (6K and iPad)
U of Arkansas
UC Merced
UC Santa Cruz
U Connecticut x 2
U Delaware (waitlist)
U Denver X 4 Zip merit
U Hartford
UMBC x2
UMCP
U Maine - Orono
UMass Amherst (accepted Undeclared. Waiting to hear about getting into Engineering)
UMass Lowell
U New Hampshire
U New Haven
UNC Wilmington (Spring admission)
U Oregon
U of the Pacific
U Pittsburgh
U Puget Sound x 3 (23K)
U Redlands x 2 (13K)
U Rhode Island
U San Francisco x 2
U of South Florida (Summer admission)
U of West Florida
Ursinus x 2
Wagner
Warren Wilson College x 3
Western New England Univ
Western Washington U x 2 (4K/OOS)
Willamette x 3 (13K) (20K)
Winthrope University
Washington College x 2
Washington College (waitlist)</p>
<p>Oops, meant acceptance to Cal Lutheran with 11k merit.</p>
<p>Also - Thank you so much, I think Temple might be a great idea. I’ll subtly mention it :)</p>
<p>I’ll have to research SCAD</p>
<p>Forgot one!
Agnes Scott
Albright
Adelphi x 2
Anderson University (with merit)
Arcadia x 3
Baldwin Wallace
Beloit x 3
Bellarmine
Bryant
Cal Lutheran ($11K) X 2
CSU Fullerton
CSU Monterey Bay
CSU Sacramento
Catholic University (DC)
Champlain
Chapman
Christopher Newport
Clark
Coastal Carolina
College of Wooster
Colorado State (5K Dean’s/OOS)
Cornell College
DeSales
DePaul
Drew
Earlham x2
Eckerd x 3 (13.5K)
Elon (admitted Spring, waitlisted Fall) x 2
Fordham
Fort Lewis College
George Mason
Gonzaga (3K)
Goucher x 5
Guilford x 3
Hampshire
Hofstra x 3
Humboldt State
Indiana University
Indiana Wesleyan
Ithaca x 3
James Madison
Knox x 2
Lake Forest
Lawrence (WI)
Loyola Maryland
Loyola New Orleans
Lycoming
Mt St Mary’s U (MD)
Marlboro
Marquette
Methodist University
Miami OH x 2
Mills
Monmouth University (NJ) x2
Montana State (with 5k merit)
Muhlenberg
New College of Florida
Northern Arizona U
Ohio Wesleyan x 5 (23K) ($25.5K)
Oregon State (2K/OOS)
Penn State - Behrend
Rider x 2
RIT
Roanoke X 3
Roger Williams U
San Diego State (in region)
St Anselm
St Edward’s
St Marys (CA) x 2
Salisbury (MD)
Siena
Simmons
Seattle U
Sonoma State
Southern Oregon x 2
SUNY Albany
SUNY Binghamton (deferred EA, still waiting to hear) x 3
SUNY Fredonia
SUNY Potsdam
SUNY Purchase
Suffolk
Susquehanna x 4
Taylor University (with small merit)
Towson
Tulane
U Arizona (6K and iPad)
U of Arkansas
UC Merced
UC Santa Cruz
U Connecticut x 2
U Delaware (waitlist)
U Denver X 4 Zip merit
U Hartford
UMBC x2
UMCP
U Maine - Orono
UMass Amherst (accepted Undeclared. Waiting to hear about getting into Engineering)
UMass Lowell
U New Hampshire
U New Haven
UNC Wilmington (Spring admission)
U Oregon
U of the Pacific
U Pittsburgh
U Puget Sound x 3 (23K)
U Redlands x 2 (13K)
U Rhode Island
U San Francisco x 2
U of South Florida (Summer admission)
U of West Florida
Ursinus x 2
Wagner
Warren Wilson College x 3
Western New England Univ
Western Washington U x 2 (4K/OOS)
Willamette x 3 (13K) (20K)
Winthrope University
Washington College x 2
Washington College (waitlist)
coralbrook is online now</p>
<p>Thanks for replies about aid. I am contemplating whether to approach UoPacific about re-evaluating FA package. We do get CalGrants which helps but still a big gap between EFC and FA package</p>
<p>D did get substantial merit award from UC Merced in addition to CalGrant which makes it very affordable. But no BA degree offered in her major</p>
<p>This weekend we have to start plugging the numbers. Don’t have FA award from Sonoma or Chico yet to evaluate</p>
<p>I was sorry to hear about U of Denver situation. Isn’t this process full of ups and downs?</p>
<p>Regarding merit aid,
Many schools give out merit aid with a particular GPA requirement. For many students in the 3.0-3.3 GPA range, this can be problematic as the typical GPA required to keep the award is a 3.0 or higher GPA. Since college should be harder than high school, many students, especially ones with a 3.0 HS GPA, might find that their GPA went slightly below a 3.0. Suddenly, the merit aid is gone and the student can no longer afford the school. </p>
<p>This might not happen to your child, but it does happen frequently enough that it’s worth noting.</p>
<p>HeavyLidded-</p>
<p>I think that even need based can differ in this respect. My son’s need based aid from Willamette is a “Jason Lee” award. These awards remain in effect for 4 years and do not require filing a new FAFSA each year. If he goes there we’ll still have to file the FAFSA in order to get federal loans, but the need based grant will remain the same even if our income increases. I think this is pretty unusual for need based aid, but it’s definitely worth checking the details on even the need based grants.</p>
<p>Agnes Scott
Albright
Adelphi x 2
Anderson University (with merit)
Arcadia x 3
Baldwin Wallace
Beloit x 3
Bellarmine
Bryant
Cal Lutheran ($11K) X 2
CSU Fullerton
CSU Monterey Bay
CSU Sacramento
Catholic University (DC)
Champlain
Chapman
Christopher Newport
Clark
Coastal Carolina
College of Wooster
Colorado State (5K Dean’s/OOS)
Cornell College
DeSales
DePaul
Drew
Earlham x2
Eckerd x 3 (13.5K)
Elon (admitted Spring, waitlisted Fall) x 2
Fordham
Fort Lewis College
George Mason
Gonzaga (3K)
Goucher x 5
Guilford x 3
Hampshire
Hofstra x 3
Humboldt State
Indiana University
Indiana Wesleyan
Ithaca x 3
James Madison
Knox x 2
Lake Forest
Lawrence (WI)
Loyola Maryland
Loyola New Orleans
Lycoming
Mt St Mary’s U (MD)
Marlboro
Marquette
Methodist University
Miami OH x 2
Mills
Monmouth University (NJ) x2
Montana State (with 5k merit)
Muhlenberg
New College of Florida
Northern Arizona U
Ohio Wesleyan x 5 (23K) ($25.5K)
Oregon State (2K/OOS)
Penn State - Behrend
Rider x 2
RIT x2 (but admitted to 3rd choice major)
Roanoke X 3
Roger Williams U (11k merit)
San Diego State (in region)
St Anselm
St Edward’s
St Marys (CA) x 2
Salisbury (MD)
Siena
Simmons
Seattle U
Sonoma State
Southern Oregon x 2
SUNY Albany
SUNY Binghamton (deferred EA, still waiting to hear) x 3
SUNY Fredonia
SUNY Potsdam
SUNY Purchase
Suffolk
Susquehanna x 4
Taylor University (with small merit)
Towson
Tulane
U Arizona (6K and iPad)
U of Arkansas
UC Merced
UC Santa Cruz
U Connecticut x 2
U Delaware (waitlist)
U Denver X 4 Zip merit
U Hartford
UMBC x2
UMCP
U Maine - Orono
UMass Amherst (accepted Undeclared. Waiting to hear about getting into Engineering)
UMass Lowell (1/2 tuition and fees, about $5900 in-state)
U New Hampshire
U New Haven
UNC Wilmington (Spring admission)
U Oregon
U of the Pacific
U Pittsburgh
U Puget Sound x 3 (23K)
U Redlands x 2 (13K)
U Rhode Island
U San Francisco x 2
U of South Florida (Summer admission)
U of West Florida
Ursinus x 2
Wagner
Warren Wilson College x 3
Western New England Univ (13K merit)
Western Washington U x 2 (4K/OOS)
Willamette x 3 (13K) (20K)
Winthrope University
Washington College x 2
Washington College (waitlist)</p>
<p>HeavyLidded - I know it won’t be exact, but try running the NPC with different income amounts and see what happens. I can’t imagine you getting anything more exact than that when it’s just guestimating anyway. The only real question mark will be the school’s price increasing. I am soooo gratefull that none of my son’s merit awards require higher than a 2.something to maintain.</p>
<p>Re: GPA requirements for keeping merit aid</p>
<p>This is not one to be taken lightly, as a mom with a kid whose HS grades ran the gamut from pretty darn good to disastrous…I am ruling out one school b/c of GPA requirement to keep merit aid. One ugly semester and she’d have to come home. Another school only requires kid remains in good academic standing to keep scholarship; that a huge selling point for me.</p>
<p>[Subsidized</a> and Unsubsidized Loans | Federal Student Aid](<a href=“http://studentaid.ed.gov/types/loans/subsidized-unsubsidized]Subsidized”>http://studentaid.ed.gov/types/loans/subsidized-unsubsidized) </p>
<p>Don’t forget the amount of the Subsidized Staffords increase each year, so the colleges expect the student to take on more debt, thus lowering your need, and typically your institutional grant the student has received from the school itself. </p>
<p>For Dependent Students: </p>
<p>Freshman Subsidized Stafford: $3500, Unsubsidized $2000, Limit is $5500
Sophomore Subsidized Stafford: $4500, Unsubsidized $2000, Limit is $6500<br>
Junior, Senior Subsidized Stafford: $5500 Unsubsidized $2000, Limit is $7500</p>
<p>So expect your gift aid from the school to go down each year, as the loan goes up.
Your gift aid will also go down if your yearly income increases.</p>
<p>@mdnhmass - I am leaning away from UMass Amherst for the same reason. My son is accepted to the Mechanical Engineering program there but would need to keep a 3.2 GPA to retain the 10K Chancellor’s Scholarship he was awarded. 3.2 is a very difficult GPA to maintain in Engineering. UMaine also offered him significant merit aid (8.5K IS / 18.5K OOS) but at a lower 3.0 GPA requirement to maintain eligibility. Someone posted on CC that schools are more interested in getting you in using a scholarship offer than in retaining you with continued scholarships. Once attending, students will tend to stay despite losing a merit scholarship. This definitely seems the case when the school sets a particularly high GPA renewal requirements for a scholarship.</p>
<p>OMG he got into American University!</p>
<p>Kat - American University is fantastic!! How exciting for you</p>
<p>Adding Kenyon for my D:</p>
<p>Agnes Scott
Albright
Adelphi x 2
Anderson University (with merit)
Arcadia x 3
Baldwin Wallace
Beloit x 3
Bellarmine
Bryant
Cal Lutheran ($11K) X 2
CSU Fullerton
CSU Monterey Bay
CSU Sacramento
Catholic University (DC)
Champlain
Chapman
Christopher Newport
Clark
Coastal Carolina
College of Wooster
Colorado State (5K Dean’s/OOS)
Cornell College
DeSales
DePaul
Drew
Earlham x2
Eckerd x 3 (13.5K)
Elon (admitted Spring, waitlisted Fall) x 2
Fordham
Fort Lewis College
George Mason
Gonzaga (3K)
Goucher x 5
Guilford x 3
Hampshire
Hofstra x 3
Humboldt State
Indiana University
Indiana Wesleyan
Ithaca x 3
James Madison
Kenyon
Knox x 2
Lake Forest
Lawrence (WI)
Loyola Maryland
Loyola New Orleans
Lycoming
Mt St Mary’s U (MD)
Marlboro
Marquette
Methodist University
Miami OH x 2
Mills
Monmouth University (NJ) x2
Montana State (with 5k merit)
Muhlenberg
New College of Florida
Northern Arizona U
Ohio Wesleyan x 5 (23K) ($25.5K)
Oregon State (2K/OOS)
Penn State - Behrend
Rider x 2
RIT x2 (but admitted to 3rd choice major)
Roanoke X 3
Roger Williams U (11k merit)
San Diego State (in region)
St Anselm
St Edward’s
St Marys (CA) x 2
Salisbury (MD)
Siena
Simmons
Seattle U
Sonoma State
Southern Oregon x 2
SUNY Albany
SUNY Binghamton (deferred EA, still waiting to hear) x 3
SUNY Fredonia
SUNY Potsdam
SUNY Purchase
Suffolk
Susquehanna x 4
Taylor University (with small merit)
Towson
Tulane
U Arizona (6K and iPad)
U of Arkansas
UC Merced
UC Santa Cruz
U Connecticut x 2
U Delaware (waitlist)
U Denver X 4 Zip merit
U Hartford
UMBC x2
UMCP
U Maine - Orono
UMass Amherst (accepted Undeclared. Waiting to hear about getting into Engineering)
UMass Lowell (1/2 tuition and fees, about $5900 in-state)
U New Hampshire
U New Haven
UNC Wilmington (Spring admission)
U Oregon
U of the Pacific
U Pittsburgh
U Puget Sound x 3 (23K)
U Redlands x 2 (13K)
U Rhode Island
U San Francisco x 2
U of South Florida (Summer admission)
U of West Florida
Ursinus x 2
Wagner
Warren Wilson College x 3
Western New England Univ (13K merit)
Western Washington U x 2 (4K/OOS)
Willamette x 3 (13K) (20K)
Winthrope University
Washington College x 2
Washington College (waitlist)</p>
<p>Yay Kat!</p>
<p>Also ecstatic to report that DS got into his first choice, Wheaton (MA)!!</p>
<p>Yay Kat!</p>
<p>Also ecstatic to report that DS got into his first choice, Wheaton (MA)!!</p>