I honestly do not know why UF is such a highly ranked school. All I hear online this and online that. They have a lot of “innovative” programs such as PACE and Innovations Academy. I just do not know how those programs translate into a great education when everything is said and done or when compared to the other Florida schools, I assume that part of their ranking is based on the fact that they admit the many of the top students in the State of Florida. But by the end of the day, the diploma is what matters. Outside of the State of Florida, both UF and FSU will have the most “prestige” out of all the Florida schools. (public) .
You might want to open up the application process to a few other OOS schools if you are open to it. As @vistajay had suggested, many of those school do offer incredible scholarships and when you combined the merit along with the Florida Prepaid funds, you will be surprised to see that the small premium might be worth it. The key here is to find schools willing to provide you with some great scholarships based on your student’s stats.
@got2laugh That is exactly what I’m trying to do with this thread: Looking for OOS options that won’t break the bank. Any suggestions?
@Empireapple It’s funny you say that because I am actually an unabashed optimist and I think he will get admitted to UF. My more cautious and smarter better half suggested developing the best possible Plan b. Thanks for the kind words.
@onthewestfence thank you. I know nothing about that program so I will check it out.
@jym626 You know exactly what I’m going through. My son has been so indoctrinated that I don’t F$U is even on the table.
Arizona State, Arizona, UA Huntsville, Iowa State, U Mass, Tennessee, University of Cincinnati, Miami of Ohio, Mizzou. Are they better than UCF or USF? Perhaps. Some of the engineering departments at these schools are very good and so is the potential for merit. Your son has decent stats and many schools are willing to “reward” the students. Many of the tops schools do not have to do that, but in some cases, some schools will offer Merit based on the simple fact that being from a different state will give them some geographic diversity.
Basically, he will have to apply to say UF as his number 1 choice. Then you have to have the what if scenarios and the merit jackpot which is the unknown with UCF and USF as the financial fit but maybe not the ultimate fit.
Also according to the USNews ranking (taken with a grain of salt) , UF is ranked 45 in Engineering. UCF is ranked 75.USF and FSU are nowhere to be found in the TOP 100.
Well all you hear about Cal is that EVERY class is 1000 students and student have to watch online or sit on the floor, that the UCLA dorms are stacking them in like cord wood. True for a few, generally an exaggeration and plenty of ways to work around it. Most UF students are accepted to the old fashioned programs.
The money from BF is really really hard to pass up to go to another similar OOS school. Is VaTech $100k better than UCF? Is Alabama worth it? To the OP, Alabama may be worth it over FSU if the student gets high merit aid.
I’m amazed that NCF hasn’t been mentioned yet. It’s a tiny public LAC but grads go on to grad school at rates comparable to top LACs and if anything, I consider it a step up from UF.
What majors is he considering?
UCF has one of the top optics programs in the country. Likewise for FSU and cinema.
@PurpleTitan New College is an interesting one for sure but probably not a match for my son. First it is one third the size of his high school. I think he wants a bigger pond, plus he’s a big sports fan so he will want to go to a school with sports and intramurals. Last, he is more of a STEM kid vs. LAC. I appreciate the feedback.
NCF is academically a step up from UF, but it’s also a very unique culture and given that it’s small students tend to either love and fit into the culture or really dislike it. I hadn’t suggested it because given OP’s description of his kid, it didn’t sound like a cultural fit.
We are in a very similar situation. Mine is hoping for UF, but as they say “Hope is not a plan”. I’ve seen some very strong kids who either weren’t accepted at UF or got into the PACE program. Based on stats, I think mine and yours have a good shot at getting in. Holistic admissions is what makes it unpredictable though, so it’s smart to have a solid plan B that they will be excited about. (Congrats to your son on Eagle Scout BTW; that is a big deal and would factor in too, I would think/hope.)
Mine will be applying to FSU, UCF, maybe USF, and then some out of state private schools that she really likes. The issue is, as you know, the OOS private schools, the ones she really likes anyway, will be so much more expensive. Some of them would be great fits, so the question then becomes if the fit and the experience are worth the extra $$$. Bright Futures + Prepaid will be very difficult to say no to. She has some misgivings about each of the other 3 FL schools (FSU may be too heavy on Greek life and partying for her liking, UCF is too close to home and may feel like an extension of high school since many from her HS go there, and she is just meh about USF, both the school and the area.)
Although it won’t be clear until February, we are thinking now about what will happen if PACE or summer/spring starts are the only options at UF so that we won’t have to make that a rushed decision (as someone above mentioned).
You’ve been given some good options regarding other schools to check out that could possibly give merit. Does he like U of Miami? Rollins? Embry Riddle? Bama? If you want him to stay close to home, your options are more limited; however, if you and he don’t mind being a plane ride (or much longer car ride) away, there are several options.There is a pinned thread somewhere on here for schools known for good merit. Maybe over the summer visit a few OOS schools that would be good fits (financial and otherwise) so he doesn’t have all his eggs in one basket and can get excited about multiple options.
Best of luck to him.
Thanks, @AlwaysLearn. He will likely apply for summer at UF. It is statistically a smidge easier than Fall and my daughter started in summer last year and it worked out well. I don’t think he would do PACE or specify Innovation Academy.
Believe me, I know that holistic admissions means no one is a lock. I hear new horror stories every day.
I don’t know anything about Rollins but will look at it. He also has looked at Embry-Riddle and I think he will apply. Bama would depend on the aid and the question of whether Bama vs. UCF makes sense. University of Miami is five miles away, and I know he wants to get at least a few hours from home.
Primarily, I want my son to have options and, honestly, I would like it to be a tough choice.
@GatorDad305
I’d have him work that ACT score HARD. If he can get it up to 32ish his chances for UF would be a lot better. UF is the best option because it has so many quality options, and most kids change their major. UCF is an excellent back up, but it’s worth putting in the extra effort to get into UF.
Obviously, it would be life changing for him if he could get into a better school like UGA… 
I also like UCF, its got some great professors in many engineering fields. UCF Engineering college is ranked 75th now in US News, versus 45th for UF.
U of Miami is ranked 95th in engineering, so not as good as UCF, but
Can you use the Bright Futures at U of Miami, the private school in Coral Gables?
Their engineering looks at least broad based with many good specialties -
http://coe.miami.edu/programs/undergraduate-programs/
And they have merit specifically for students from southern states, including Florida students.
https://admissions.miami.edu/undergraduate/financial-aid/scholarships/freshman/index.html
U of Miami seems like a strong undergraduate college too and only 10,800 undergraduates so a bit more attention for students. Its good for premedical students I believe.
You can use BF at U of Miami, or most other Florida private colleges/universities. It would pay out based on the average public university tuition rate (about $6K a year for full BF) but then other scholarships/grants may come into play, such as the Florida Student Assistance Grant Program.
It may be worth playing around with UM’s net price calculator.
https://finaid.miami.edu/cost/index.html
If he’s interested in Engineering, you can use the ASEE college profile to get more info on each engineering program.
http://profiles.asee.org/
For example, “Enrollment by Class” will give you a sense of how many other engineering students are enrolled in the program, and what majors are offered. For example, UM has a large Industrial Engineering program, something you may not find at several other schools (like Alabama and Embry Riddle).
@AlwaysMoving You had me until the last sentence. I appreciate the feedback and welcoming spirit, ha. My son is going to prep the summer to retake the ACT in the Fall. Definitely helps him all around if he could get his score up.
Bama, South Carolina have good honors programs and might feel more like UF than other FL options. They also have good OOS aid for high performing students.