<p>Your PSAT is high enough to make NMSF in every state…highest cutoff has been 223.</p>
<p>Mom2collegekids, let me talk with my mom today and let you know what she says about this–we did (mistakenly?) think that financial aid and merit aid stack to cover tuition costs.</p>
<p>Yes, that’s a common mistaken assumption. First a school applies merit to “need”, then if there is any “need” left, then the school might add more grants, loans, etc until “need” is met…(depending on how generoous the school is…most schools do NOT meet need and will gap.)</p>
<p>Schools won’t let you stack merit awards on top of need-based aid to reduce “family contribution”. Schools have to manage their funds, so if someone has a merit award, then that means that they can use their aid to help OTHER students. </p>
<p>If you get an FA pkg that “meets need” and then get some private scholarships, the the school will reduce need-based aid…still leaving you with the same “family contribution.”</p>
<p>There are only a few ways to reduce “family contribution”.</p>
<p>1) Attend a school that costs less than EFC (some families do this by having their child commute to a local public or CC.)</p>
<p>2) In your case, since you have high stats, you can reduce your EFC by attendind a school that gives you HUGE merit so that your remaining costs are low.</p>
<p>What are your test scores and GPA? include SAT breakdown.</p>
<p>What is your GPA?</p>
<p>How much will your family pay?</p>
<p>Do you have a non-custodial parent? If so, will he contribute?</p>