DS is interested in Computer Science Major, has perfect score in ACT and high GPA, extracurricular activities. Looking at the following colleges: GA Tech, UI UC, Purdue, UVA, UT Austin… Any idea about scholarship application for these colleges? Do they qualify automatically for merit scholarships? Is there separate application required for scholarships, please guide…
Resident of GA. Also could you suggest some other colleges that would give full ride, or good scholarships for merit?
Does he qualify for the Zell Miller in GA?
So far as I know…there are no guaranteed scholarships at any of these colleges (unless you qualify for Zell Miller or Hope in GA).
You should look at the automatic guaranteed scholarships at University of Alabama.
Any chance your kiddo is a NM finalist?
None of these state schools give much, if any merit, especially for out of state residents. Alabama, Arizona, Texas A&M come to mind for offering good merit with high scores.
Thanks for the response. Wanted to know if there is a separate application for Merit scholarships in these colleges or any college in general… do the colleges decide about the merit scholarships based on academics from their Common App itself or is it a separate process?
RE: NM finalist - he hasn’t taken his SAT yet, not sure yet about finalist for NM.
Did he take the PSAT as a junior? THAT is the test that determines NM potential.
@jym626 can you tell this poster, a resident of GA, what the criteria are for Zell Miller and Hope…and how one goes about applying?
In terms of the other schools…read their websites. They should tell you about how to apply for scholarships…or if scholarships are awarded based on strength of application.
I will say…UVA doesn’t offer many merit awards, but I believe the Jefferson Scholarship is awarded but is very highly competitive.
Yes, he got 1500 PSAT. Rising senior now.
Most of the academic scholarships don’t require a separate application.
If he’s a NMF, he can get a full scholarship for the Florida schools. http://publicuniversityhonors.com/tag/benacquisto-scholars/
Zell and Hope scholarships are for Georgia high school graduates only. GT has a few competitive scholarships such as Stamps. Zell is based on an unweighted 3.7 gpa in core classes as determined by the state of Georgia. The state recalculates each GA high school student’s gpa for these purposes.
The best info on the HOPE and Zell Miller (and how much the HOPE gives towards tuition at the different state schools) can be found on the gafutures.org website. There are additional scholarships available at GT and UGA (and other instate schools). All the schools listed by the OP will have the info about their scholarship process on their website.
These are hard schools to get merit at because they don’t need to entice top stats students. Honestly, I would not bank of merit scholarships from any of them.
If you don’t expect to get much financial aid, I would look at in-state schools and out of state schools known for generous merit (Alabama/some Florida schools/etc)
Thanks so much for all the info - especially about FL schools, wasn’t aware of that… you guys rock!!
Would either of these schools be good for CS - Univ of Florida Gainesville or Univ of Miami?
Honestly any accredited cs program is fine. My high stats friends had success with merit from Miami, so I would target there in particular.
I second applying to a few instate schools because of the Zell Miller scholarship in GA.
Also UA and UAH have good programs and give very generous NMF scholarships and scholarships for high stats.
He could apply to University of Pittsburgh and Ohio State (soon) and see what merit he gets from there.
search on "merit scholarship ". I’ve found almost all schools have an information page.
What is his PSAT selection index score? And what is his SAT/ACT? The Zell Miller has a standardized test score requirement as well, which your S has likely met. But double check. And the selection index will help discern if he will be a NMSF.
Just a heads up that merit at UPitt has gotten increasingly hard.