<p>So you want to narrow down your search to universities that offer good merit aid? That is fine - aim towards the second tier of private universities. The first tier don’t give out much (if any) merit aid.</p>
<p>For instance, I’ve read on this site that Case Western Reserve in Cleveland has a great nursing program and offers substantial merit aid.</p>
<p>Villanova does not offer very good aid, and their sticker price for tuition is in the mid40s U. of Va. is an excellent place, but they don’t offer merit aid, and their OOS sticker price is $41 to $44K a year for tuition.</p>
<p>If you want a large public university, U. of Pittsburgh has an excellent nursing program and gives out merit aid to top students. Pittsburgh is actually a really great town for college students and is full of hospitals. The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center is now the largest employer in Pennsylvania. </p>
<p>I don’t know much about the midwest public universities. I am told there are many public universities that offer great merit aid for top students. Check out the financial aid part of this website for the lists of universities with great merit aid. Some merit aid programs are automatic with the minimum stats posted on their website, which makes it easy to consider. (Most public universities offer very little need based aid for out of state students, which unfortunately surprises too many applicants). </p>
<p>The OOS tuition prices vary greatly. I don’t believe most public universities are worth the OOS prices. You can get a much more personalized education with smaller classes at a second-tier private university (there are plenty of great ones). When I say “second tier” I mean a university that is selective in admissions but not extremely selective. They are often well respected in their region, but not well known nationally.</p>