I’m less convinced that OP might not get sufficient merit aid at some of the expensive privates. I think there’s a pretty decent chance of getting sub-$60k, though I’m less sure of them getting under $50k, though it’s certainly possible. Why do I think this?
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OP would provide geographic diversity, particularly for schools that are pulling their out-of-staters much more regionally.
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OP’s experience of moving around Africa while growing up is likely to provide a unique perspective at the college.
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The demographic cliff has hit and though we’re still near the top of the cliff, the merit aid offers popping up this year seem more generous (and more schools that might not have increased their merit aid offers on appeal in previous years are doing so…like in this post) and I only expect that trend to continue.
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Although a 1300 SAT may not be at the 98th or above percentile, it is still a good score. When the majority of a school’s applicants are not submitting a test, I don’t think that the expectation to be above the 75th percentile for merit aid is as much of a requirement, particularly at schools where fewer than 10% receive no monetary aid from a university (whether need-based or merit-based).
Below is a chart showing the schools I suggested earlier along with their sticker price, some testing data, and merit info. The list is sorted by lowest to highest percentage of students receiving no aid (merit or need) from the university. Seton Hall was not in the aggregator and I was unable to locate a Common Data Set from this decade for it, however I would be shocked if OP didn’t receive sufficient merit aid to bring the price within budget (and I’d expect below the $50k mark being likely).
Based on the above, I’d consider eliminating Lafayette and Brandeis from consideration since they have 44-48% of their students receiving no aid of any kind and odds aren’t great for OP to get a sufficiently large merit aid package at those schools to bring the price within budget. As for the rest, though, I’d still consider applying if they were a good fit to see how the packages turned out.
Full Data Table for Reference
Sticker price I gathered from College Navigator, and the remaining columns (except the last two) were pulled from the College Transitions Dataverse aggregators. I calculated the last two columns myself, using this formula to calculate the percentage of students getting no need whatsoever.
| =(100%-% with financial need-((100%-% w/financial need)*% without need receiving merit)) |
|---|
| School | SY24-25 Sticker Price from College Navigator | % Submitting SAT | % Submitting ACT | Max Possible % Submitting a test | 25-75 SAT Range | % Freshmen without need receiving merit | Average merit award for freshmen without need | % of students with financial need | % of students getting no aid (need or merit) from the school | Average Price after Merit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| George Washington | $ 84,630 | 26% | 11% | 37% | 1350-1500 | 25% | $25,357 | 91% | 7% | $59,273 |
| American | $ 76,753 | 22% | 8% | 30% | 1280-1450 | 28% | $13,691 | 89% | 8% | $63,062 |
| Drew | $ 64,740 | 23% | 2% | 25% | 1100-1340 | 26% | $24,014 | 88% | 9% | $40,726 |
| Howard | $ 53,132 | 23% | 9% | 32% | 1130-1330 | 15% | $15,018 | 79% | 18% | $38,114 |
| George Mason | $ 54,413 | 19% | 2% | 21% | 1160-1360 | 23% | $8,892 | 70% | 23% | $45,521 |
| Connecticut College | $ 85,800 | 18% | 6% | 24% | 1150-1400 | 46% | $28,097 | 57% | 23% | $57,703 |
| Dickinson | $ 82,750 | 23% | 5% | 28% | 1310-1460 | 31% | $32,586 | 66% | 23% | $50,164 |
| Fordham | $ 89,005 | 18% | 6% | 24% | 1320-1480 | 18% | $22,690 | 70% | 25% | $66,315 |
| Mount Holyoke | $ 86,702 | 13% | 2% | 15% | 1380-1530 | 17% | $25,303 | 64% | 30% | $61,399 |
| Brandeis | $ 88,024 | 30% | 10% | 40% | 1390-1520 | 19% | $15,166 | 46% | 44% | $72,858 |
| Lafayette | $ 85,264 | 23% | 10% | 33% | 1350-1500 | 20% | $19,371 | 40% | 48% | $65,893 |
| Seton Hall | $ 71,140 | 25% | 5% | 30% | 1220-1390 |