Hello, I am high school senior, and it is about time to start applying to college. I am just wondering what colleges did you get accepted into and how much scholarship money did you get from the school? I am just curious because I want to be realistic when I apply. Also, please include your GPA and SAT and/or ACT score. Thanks.
When I applied, I was really unaware and uninformed of merit scholarships. Looking back, I wish I had applied to more schools that offered merit money so I at least would have had that option. As it happened, only two of the ten schools I applied to offered any.
I had a 34 ACT, 2180 SAT, and I think a 4.0 UW GPA. Here are the schools I got into (merit money in parenthesis):
Ithaca College ($18K per year)
RPI ($15K per semester)
Binghamton
Colgate
Hamilton
Cornell
I also got waitlisted at Vassar (but didn’t accept my place on the waitlist) and rejected from Princeton, Brown, and Amherst.
Of course you know that merit money is one thing while financial aid for applicants whose need is determined and acknowleged by these colleges is another matter. So when you apply prepare yourself for the bigger picture and when the responses are returned you will know where you stand regarding college costs.
Good luck with your college search!
I applied to 13 schools (14 if you count branch campuses; I do) and got into six, all in different states. All but two of those schools gave me merit money. I had a 2000 SAT, but a 2.7 UW GPA.
In chronological order of acceptance:
Rider University ($16k per year)
Stetson University ($23k per year)
Quinnipiac University ($13k per year)
University of North Carolina Wilmington
Hofstra University ($12.5k per year)
University of Pittsburgh - Johnstown campus
I was rejected from Clark, Fordham, Northeastern, UMass, Pitt main, Bentley, Syracuse, and Binghamton.
Use the “Supermatch” tool over on the left side of College Confidential and check the box that says “I’m interested in schools where I would be well above average, to increase my financial aid opportunities”.
Also look at your state school…often they are explicit in saying if you have this GPA and this ACT/SAT score, you get this much money.
Thank you all for your replies. I have learn so much and deeply appreciate you responding. This is a tuff time when it comes to applying to college for me but I feel better now seeing your comments.
SAT score- 1300
GPA- 3.7
NY Resident
Accepted-
SUNY Albany- $4000
SUNY Buffalo- $4000
SUNY Stony Brook- $5000
UMiami- $0
UFlorida- $8000
UMinnesota- $0
Northeastern- $0
Northwestern (attending)- $0
Syracuse- $0
Alabama- $3300 maybe?
Rejected by University of Southern Californa
Is that 1300 overall or is that your math + reading score on the SAT?
Dennis101: Your desire for data points is understandable but it will only get you so far. Each school handles merit aid differently. The Ivys don’t give merit aid, only need-based scholarships. You should probably look at USNWR or another source to look at student scores for each college and specifically what the 25%/75% numbers looks like. When I say that, I’m referring to the ACT/SAT scores for students at the 75th and 25th percentiles. If you are in the top 25%, you may be in a position to get merit aid from the school. If you are in the bottom 25%, you should assume that the school will be a “dream school.” Obviously, I’m generalizing and most schools claim to look at applicants “holistically” (looking at the whole package, not just at the student’s ACTs and GPAs). Some schools are known for “buying” high number students while other schools are notoriously stingy. You can find out which schools are which by looking at the various CC threads. Good luck.
It does not matter how much scholarships other people received. You should post your stat and see the chance for scholarships at the schools you are interested in. Otherwise, you are collecting tons of useless information.
I know it each school varies. I just want to see some data that is all.
The amount of scholarship doesn’t matter. What matters is what your remaining expenses are expected to be. Run the Net Price Calculator at the website of each college/university that you are interested in, and find out what your own numbers might look like.
My data might not be that helpful to you, since my scholarships were partially due to my music, since I had accomplishments in that with a desired instrument (won concerto competitions, all-state, soloed with youth orchestras, etc). But i’ll post my data in case others haven’t heard of some of these opportunities. Note my family did not apply for financial aid or submit FAFSA.
SAT: 1980, ACT: 33, SAT Subjects: 640 chem, 620 french, 760 Math 2
GPA: w 3.96, uw ~3.6 (competitive stem magnet school)
I was accepted to:
Case Western (Full tuition, this was a music scholarship; they offer 8 a year)
University of Richmond (Full tuition, Richmond Scholar with Artist designation; this is an academic scholarship where they give ~45 full tuition to full rides a year across four designations).
George Mason (Honors college, no scholarship)
I also have a corporate scholarship from my dad’s employer and took advantage of the Virginia Tuition Assistance Grant (VTAG), which helps in-state VA students pay for college if they attend a private VA college. With the two of these, my room and a small part of my board are covered.
What are YOUR scores and GPA? Then we can tell you where you’ll likely get merit.
How much do you need your net cost to be?
Calicash’s score is M+CR superscored.
@Dennis101, are you planning to study any particular subject or field of study? That can make a difference too. My son got merit money from a bunch of schools including some already mentioned above (for example Case Western, RPI, Northeastern) but that may be related to intended engineering major.
Sorry about that. My GPA is a 4.0 unweighted and a 4.475 weighted. I am in a magnet program for sciences and mathematics. My ACT was a 27. Do you know any schools that would give me lot of merit aid or you know someone who got a lot of merit aid from colleges with similar grades and test score? I plan on majoring in Computer Engineering.
For decent merit aid, you should try to get your ACT above 30. Did you do any serious prep for the ACT before you took it?
Yes I did. I felt I did the best I could do. I know it not likely but I know a friend who got a 24 and got a full ride. I know it’s possible just have to look in the right schools.
where did your friend get a free ride for a 24?? Either the school was lowly ranked/unranked, or that aid was need-based from state/fed.
Also, be aware that when people say that they got a “free ride”, they may just mean tuition was covered…or their aid may be a mix of fed and state grants, with loans, work-study, and some merit money.
Your grades are very good, but that ACT score is weak relative to your grades. Take a practice SAT test, and see if you do better on it. Some people do.
Also, look at your history of standardized testing. Are the scores consistently low-ish relative to your classroom grades? If so, talk with your guidance counselor and the Resource team at your school about getting evaluated for learning differences along the dyslexia line. That type of a mis-match can be an indicator for certain reading and processing issues that would be good to identify, and get help with, before starting college.