<p>I sent out 10 applications to colleges and universities in NY, CT, and PA in early October. I applied to schools where my grades were well above their averages in hopes of getting full tuition somewhere. I have been receiving acceptance letters from schools and along with the letters are scholarship offers which were not at all what I was expecting. I am receiving the highest $ amount below full tuition. Does this mean I am not qualified for the full tuition or will I possibly be offered a full tuition scholarship after submitting the FAFSA?</p>
<p>What percent of need do your schools meet?
How big are the loans students graduate with?
What is your EFC?
Many( most schools ) do not meet full tuition no matter what your grades/scores unless your EFC is zero.
Are you eligible for a Pell grant?
There are a few schools that meet 100% of need- admittance to the college is where merit is determined. Need determines the amount of aid.
100% of need can be met with any combination of loans, grants & work study.
Its possible that a school which has merit awards, has additional monies that you could be eligible for once they determine need.
Have you filled out any financial aid forms? Do these schools require PROFILE?</p>
<p>I have not filled out the FAFSA yet-I am unable to until Jan. 1. I am assuming that my ECF is going to be very high but in reality, taxes and other expenses won’t allow my family to pay what is expected. I also have a younger sister who will be in college within a few years. I was just curious as to when (or if) I would be offered a full tuition scholarship.</p>
<p>
First, are you sure that the schools you applied to even offer a full tuition scholarship? Some schools will give you a scholarship at a certain level and invite you to interview for higher levels.</p>
<p>What are your SAT scores? Pitt gives full tuition scholarships, but must have 1400 CR/M to be eligible.</p>
<p>Many schools do NOT have the funds or the desire to give full tuition scholarships no matter how high your stats are.</p>
<p>If you want a full tuition scholarship, then you need to apply to the ones that give them for your stats. </p>
<p>The schools that give full tuition scholarships often expect your stats (test scores especially) to be in the top 1-3% of the school…not just in the top quartile.</p>
<p>Don’t wait til you submit FAFSA…that often won’t matter. Many schools that give full tuition scholarships have Dec 1st or similar deadlines for scholarships.</p>
<p>I got a 31 on my ACT and my weighted GPA is over 100. I am certain that the schools offer full tuition scholarships. Will the colleges I applied to be able to offer me more instutional money after i submit the FAFSA or is what they sent with my acceptance letters set in stone so to speak?</p>
<p>What schools are you talking about?</p>
<p>* where my grades were well above their averages in hopes of getting full tuition somewhere.*</p>
<p>Your ACT is what is going to largely drive the scholarship amount…not your GPA. </p>
<p>I doubt that you’d be awarded a full tuition merit scholarship after you submit FAFSA. FAFSA is for need-based aid…not often used for full tuition scholarships. </p>
<p>And, most schools do not have much institutional aid to give.</p>
<p>BTW…do you know what your EFC will likely be? Do these schools “meet need”? Do they also require CSS Profile?</p>
<p>Kay,
1- we need to know the colleges you are talking about- otherwise we are “blind” from here and cannot offer specific advise.
2- In general, you MAY be able to ‘APPEAL’ your scholarship offer[ NEVER USE THE WORD "NEGOTIATE with financial aid offices], AFTER receiving acceptances at other colleges that are considered “peer” colleges by the college offering the scholarship. But this may have to wait until April, and should not be attempted until you have received your total financial package, [ [i.e after submitting FAFSA] and after you hear from the college regarding any FA they offer on top of the scholarship. Their willingness to increase your scholarship is totally subject to- how much they really want you, how much is left in their “merit scholarship/FA kitty”, and which other colleges accept you.</p>
<p>But this may have to wait until April, and should not be attempted until you have received your total financial package, including FA</p>
<p>True, but this student should NOT wait until spring if a large merit scholarship is NEEDED to afford college because scholarship deadlines are soon. She needs to identify which schools will FOR SURE give her a large merit scholarship and apply to those schools. </p>
<p>Right now, it looks like she’s either applied to schools that require higher stats for full tuition or have “competitive merit” and didn’t choose to give her full tuition.</p>
<p>I agree with the others, if you could provide the name of the schools we would be able to give you more help.</p>
<p>What is your unweighted GPA?</p>
<p>Have you read the “fine print” regarding full tuition scholarships at each school that you applied to as a many schools only offer a few "full tuition scholarships.</p>
<p>Keep in mind that there is a big difference between being “eligible” for a full tuition scholarship, and actually receiving a full tuition scholarship.While a 31/100+ gpa is good, you probably are not the only student in the pool with these stats. It is quite possible that there are other students who have applied to the school with “better stats” than you or fits the schools institutional mission better than you do.</p>
<p>Are you a national merit finalist? Do the schools in question offer full tuition scholarships to students who are not national merit scholarships.</p>
<p>Did the schools in question guarantee you a full tuition scholarship based on your grades/gpa or did they simply state that you were eligible for a full tuition scholarship (along with everyone else who applied)?</p>
<p>As she mentions above,her EFC will likley be high,but family won’t/can’t pay much for college…my guess is FAFSA will not workmin your favor,hence you are looking for a full merit aid scholarship, and that may prove difficult,to say the least</p>
<p>my ECF is going to be very high</p>
<p>Oh, I missed that.</p>
<p>Kay…filing FAFSA is not going to help you at all get the “full tuition” scholarship that you want.</p>
<p>It sounds like you’ve applied to the wrong schools for YOUR stats. It sounds like YOUR schools require HIGHER test scores for a full tuition scholarship.</p>
<p>What is your major?</p>
<p>We can help you find a school that will give an ACT 31 a larger scholarship…hopefully full tuition.</p>
<p>BTW…how much can your family pay each year. We know that they can’t afford their EFC, but how much can they pay each year? If you don’t know, ask them.</p>