Parents of the HS Class of 2024 (Part 2)

Are there cases of international /out of state students asking schools for additional merit scholarships/funding once they have been admitted, to bring the school within financial reach?

S24 was accepted to UF and he is happy and proud but it still was a rough night with some of his best friends not getting in.

Hopefully S24 now will be able to choose where he wants to go. I’m still hoping he will choose South Carolina Honors but S24 is a life long Gator fan so that has more pull than maybe it should. Kind of frustrating that he seems to care more about football rivalry than things that boring old mom thinks should be more important :rofl:

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Yes, but realistically this is usually not going to work.

First, the college in question needs a discretionary merit program to begin with. Many simply do not, such as many public colleges, or private colleges with only need programs or very limited merit programs with very specific criteria. And I note it is possible they will have a discretionary merit program for domestic applicants, but not international, or the international side will have a lot less funding.

And then even if they do have a discretionary program for which you qualify, they can’t just give it out to anyone who asks for it. As a rule of thumb, they are most likely to consider it if you can show them you have gotten a better grant offer from a college they consider a fair competitor (or close), and ALSO if you can credibly say that if they match that offer you will definitely choose them instead.

So that does happen sometimes. But a lot of things have to line up.

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For what it is worth, at least Florida is also a great flagship university, one of the top few in the country, and not just a football school. So while I personally would vote with you (feel free to tell your S24 I said that, I am sure it will be given all due consideration), this is really not a decision that can go wrong, just variations on right.

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My cousins all went to UF. They loved it! Congratulations on his acceptance.

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If you look at their '24 football schedule, it’ll be a rough season for Gator fans. They have the toughest schedule in all of college football.

Use logic to persuade him to avoid the agony that will be upcoming.

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My daughter is a 3rd year law student at UF. She loves sports so UF has been awesome for her. She has attended multiple FB games, BB games, gymnastic meets, Softball and Baseball games. Don’t discount (and I’m not saying you are) the fandom aspect of the college or graduate school. All these sports at UF has been a great stress reliever and made her feel like part of the UF community during her three years of law school.

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congrats to all of the acceptances!

USC football not going to be any better

lol
.

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Congratulations to your D24! It’s so fantastic to see the hard work being recognized. Good Luck!

Is that the case for all students at all UCs? That your Year 1 tuition is also your years 2/3/4 tuition? And are housing costs (assuming you get on campus housing) similarly fixed at Year 1 rates?

Totally true, but S24 doesn’t expect the Gamecocks to be good whereas, when he was younger, the Gators were really good so he has higher expectations! When we toured UGA the tour guides led everyone in a Georgia cheer and DAWG bark and S24 looked like he was dying. So yes, I get that the football and sports add a lot to the experience. :rofl:

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If only S24 valued your thoughtful opinions as much as I do! :rofl:

And yes, UF is a great school and we are happy to have the option! My big hang up against UF is many requirements for business school that are only offered online. If he goes to SCHC, he can take Econ and Accounting etc in small, in person honors classes capped at 20. If he goes to UF, he’s taking those online. To me, that makes SCHC a better choice for him. Maybe he can be a Gamecock and a Gator fan

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Yes (this plan was approved for the next 5 years but it’s highly unlikely they wouldn’t protect existing students after that). It doesn’t prevent the OOS supplement being increased, and room and board will continue to increase each year:

“Beginning fall 2022, tuition will be adjusted for each incoming undergraduate class but will subsequently remain flat until the student graduates, for up to six years”

https://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/tuition-financial-aid/tuition-cost-of-attendance/tuition-stability-plan.html

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Interesting, thanks!

I totally understand your concerns about the online classes and also the appeal of smaller classes. Did he have to do online school during the pandemic? Both my kids had over a year of online classes and it was brutal! Both of them were adamant that all their college classes be in person.

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My experience with South Carolinians suggests he would just have to be prepared for a lot of, “Oh, you are a Gators fan? Well, bless your heart.”

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University of Oregon does the same thing for up to 5 years, and it’s definitely nice to know.

I think Purdue might be the same way.

I love that (also, Purdue almost feels more like whomever was in charge of raising tuition died like 17 years ago).

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