My daughter was accepted to Calhoun Honors and received an OOS scholarship with her acceptance back in December. She is a National Merit Finalist, and I don’t think that Clemson gives much for that. Our dilemma is that in our state she can get a full ride to the state schools with her NMF status. I am wondering if anyone knows if Clemson may be willing to match that, or at least come closer in scholarship? There’s a good chance that she would prefer Clemson, but the money is very hard to overlook.
You could and should always ask, but they are not known to do that.
Clemson is wonderful for many reasons, but its merit scholarships are limited. They offer the great full ride NSP to a few a year. For other highly qualified candidates, the top OOS scholarship even with NMF, comes close to covering OOS differential, but does not fully cover. Never hurts to ask, but I would be surprised if more were forthcoming. You may also want to consider that they have a habit of increasing OOS tuition by more than in-state increases.
Based on Clemson’s '16-'17 OOS advertised cost of $45,042, and the average OOS tuition increase the last two years of 4.9% & R&B increase of 4.6%…I projected the next 4 years OOS to be $47,168…$49,395…$51,729…$54,173. And that doesn’t include the unadvertised extra fees which we all know from older kids are always there. Add in $2K/yr extra for “major fees” jr and sr year for certain majors. Now your OOS merit scholarship will help…a little. But IMO hard to pass up a free ride.
usually not. But you could ask. We are turning down a full ride at a MAJOR private school to take a smaller academic scholarship and state funding. I went to Clemson and with the help of Clemson contacts, I had a six figure income by age 25. Clemson can be worth the $$$!
I wouldn’t expect an OOS public to match an instate public COA, especially not a full ride .
Public universities offer state residents grants because their mission is to educate the children of the people who pay taxes there. Why should Clemson offer your daughter more money? You need to know the answer to that question before you contact them. I suspect they get lots of kids with high stats.
If you contact them, you need to know how much you need to make it affordable (I don’t think they’ll match an in state public) and be prepared to accept their offer if they move the needle. If you had extenuating circumstances, such as uncovered medical bills, they might reconsider, but I’m not sure they’ll review her aid just because she got a better offer elsewhere unless it’s a peer school or she’s bringing something special to the table. It doesn’t hurt to ask; just be realistic about your expectations.
I have no expectation that Clemson would give a free ride - but, this is my first time navigating this process, so I know there have to people with more knowledge than me on the issue. We are still waiting to hear on several schools before we make the May 1st decision. As it stands currently, Clemson is more desirable to my daughter, but for $120,0000+? That doesn’t seem justifiable to me at the moment. But, if Clemson would at least give more, maybe…
We are in a very similar situation. FL NMF Benacquisto scholarship is very tempting. My D loved Clemson when we visited, but we are getting more $$ from other schools. It is difficult to pass up undergraduate for free, especially when we are looking at graduate school.
Honestly, I think that many people are in the same situation. Schools that are meeting the most financial need are not always the ones the student has at the top of the list. Personally, I will not foot the large bill of a more expensive college when there are better financial offers on the table at decently comparable schools. My child has known that from the beginning. I have given each of my children the option to take on those large loans themselves if the school means that much to them. None of them have been willing to take that plunge. I figure if they are not willing to take the big financial plunge, then why should I? In the end, it just doesn’t make sense to me to pay $120,000 for a similar education to one that will be a fraction of that cost. I realize everyone has their own opinion on this matter, and that is perfectly fine. I am just letting you know that if you feel uncomfortable with the costs, then it is okay to say you are not willing to go down that road. I am sure your child can find a place they call “home” at a lot of different universities. Good luck with your choices!
We are paying a fortune for our OOS child to attend. She could have gone to a better in state school for a fraction of of the cost. She was HELLBENT on Clemson. She is very happy. And has worked hard. So we weep as we write the check… And Clemson was not generous with Merit Aid at all.