Any changes in WUE for a Fall 2020 start? I saw the minimum GPA at WSU increased from 3 to 3.4!
Here’s the current page: https://admission.wsu.edu/scholarships/scholarship-awards/cougar-award/
So, you now need a 3.4 to pick up $11,000 per year. (You can still pick up $7,000 if you have at least a 3.0)
By going to the “Wayback Machine” at https://archive.org/web/ and clicking on the “snapshot” taken on May 1, 2019, their webpage showed you only need a 3.0 for $10,000
https://web.archive.org/web/20190501233140/https://admission.wsu.edu/scholarships/scholarship-awards/cougar-award/
So, a 3.0 GPA now gets you $3,000 less than last year, and a 3.4 GPA gets you $1,000 more than last year.
I’ll be touring WUE schools next week with my D in Utah, Idaho, Washington, and Montana. Hoping that none of these schools raise their GPA or SAT score out of her current range.
The schools all do whatever they want with WUE. At some schools it is a competitive award (Wyoming) and not every student gets it (although there is Rocky Mtn Scholarship that is guaranteed and is it the same thing). Some schools only allow it for certain majors, other limit the number of students from certain states, etc.
Are you just targeting WUE rates or looking for actual scholarships? Which Utah school?
@Sybylla We’re targeting both WUE rates and scholarships. (Anything to bring down the overall cost). We plan to look at Utah St, U of Utah, and BYU (private, non-WUE)
- Utah State had a pretty straight forward chart, where you can get WUE with a combo of a 4.0 GPA and 940 SAT, or a 3.2 GPA and 1240 SAT, and other combinations in between: https://www.usu.edu/admissions/costs-and-aid/#scholarships
- U of Utah only lists "Merit" as its WUE requirement. I emailed them back in September and asked what they meant by this, and they said "The WUE award is only awarded to incoming freshman and will be awarded based on merit, i.e., unweighted High School GPA and ACT/SAT score with which you were admitted. The WUE program has very limited spots so it is highly competitive."
- I then asked what GPA and SAT would be in the ballpark, but they only stated "We have a holistic approach with our scholarship awarding that takes into account many factors a few of those being ACT, GPA, and course rigor if a student is being considered for the President’s Scholarship. GPA ACT/SAT scores may change year to year."
- Do you have a ballpark estimate of the GPA and SAT needed at UU for WUE?
- Does UU have other OOS scholarships for those not meeting the WUE standard (whatever it is)?
- BYU doesn't have WUE, but their tuition seems cheap at $11,580 per year even for non-LDS members https://finserve.byu.edu/Tuition_Fees_And_Deadlines#t2
WUE usually gives OOS students tuition that is 150% of the instate rate. For WSU, the instate tuition is $10.2k and the OOS is $21.5k, so the WUE rate should be ~$15.4.
It looks like WSU will still have the typical WUE award of $7k for students with a 3.0 gpa, making it about 150% of instate tution ($21.5k - $7k = $14.5, which is a little better than 150% of instate tuition.
The Distiguished Cougar award is going to $11k per year, and WUE students with a 3.4 can qualify for that (as can non WUE students).
Seems like WSU is giving more than the WUE agreement of 150% of instate tuition.
@twoinanddone Yes, the numbers aren’t exactly150% of in-state, but this link https://financialaid.wsu.edu/tuition-expenses/ shows OOS is $24.5k for 2018-19 and $25.1k for 2019-20. I’m not sure about 2020-21, but I’m guessing it’ll increase, which may explain the move from $10K to $11k (with a higher GPA) to keep it roughly at 150%.
Utah expects about 29-31 ACT for WUE, not sure what GPA (but it’s probably a sliding scale). There is merit for higher scores rather than lower, because WUE doesn’t let you qualify for in-state tuition. Lower scores just pay OOS tuition the first year and then stay for the summer to qualify for in-state tuition after that. Higher scores (~32-33) get merit discounts off OOS tuition and then get in-state rates in later years. The highest scores (34+) get full OOS tuition scholarships (or better, up to a full ride, though that’s competitive) and don’t need to get residency.
BYU is only in the mix if you are LDS. Is your kid still 1100/3.6? As above, the stats for any merit at the U of U will be higher, and I suppose you could be looking at BYU I? BYU Provo would have higher entry reqs even if you were in the club.
@Sybylla @Twoin18 Ouch! I figure that 29-31 ACT is about 1350-1440, and my D is still at about 3.6/1100. (She got a 3.67 last semester, so not much movement. She’s taking the SAT again in August, but I heard that students only typically improve by about 40 points.) She’s probably well out of the range for WUE at UU. I thought about the option of her staying in Utah for the summer, but this seems like a huge gamble if she gets homesick. Well, she will visit Utah St. and UU on June 24th, so I’ll have to gage her reactions.
- I haven't thought about SLCC. Do they have dorms or private dorms like SBCC? I'm concerned that living on her own without dorms or a meal plan could be too much for her too handle.
- I had a co-worker, who's non-LDS son was a valedictorian at BYU, but I know the school is like 98% LDS. BYU is cheap, even for non-LDS, but its a real "reach" for her to get in.
It’s not the OOS tuition that is the factor but the instate. WUE agreement is that OOS student will pay 150% of instate tuition. Instate for 2018-19 was $10,200, so 150% is $15,100. OOS tuition was $24,500, so a student was still better off with a $7k scholarship off OOS tuition ($24.5-7k=$14.5) than with a straight 150% of instate tuition. If the WUE award was $10k, that was even better but it’s not clear if there were 2 levels of awards last year (the $10k for Cougar Distinction and the $7k for Cougar), but it doesn’t really matter. You have to deal with the award as it will be next year, and you really don’t know. The awards change all the time, sometimes for the better, sometimes for less.
Both my kids had merit awards that would have been much higher had they started their colleges a year later but they were locked into the original awards. The tuition went up but their awards didn’t.
@Gregmacd Yes, they prefer people to stay in Utah, so WUE is quite competitive and depends on the applicant pool. There are far more kids staying for residency even from the western states than using WUE. It’s not that bad, you can be a paid orientation leader which lasts all summer, or just take a few extra classes (since everyone pays in-state rates in the summer and that gets you on campus housing) and get a job.
But I hear in-state qualification might be tightened up at the U (it may take 2 years rather than 1 in the future) because they are looking to get more money from OOS students to help fund expansion. I’m not sure that will necessarily apply to other colleges in Utah though. Definitely something to ask about.
BYU is not a worthwhile pick IMO. It isn’t a neutral sort of place, you have to swallow it whole. You don’t sound like you have done much fact finding, so do that. Dress code, honor code, religious education requirements, it is not like a hold your nose type of situation, you still need to speak with a bishop etc. Dorming in SLC is still very out of step $$ wise with living in a shared house share off campus. It is still really a commuter school by the numbers. Finding a room in a house share as a student won’t be a huge challenge. Much easier for the summer stay than a summer sub let.
It seems to me that you student is a really good CCC candidate, you can save money if she can commute, and then do her 4 yr transfer. What major is she looking at?
@twoinanddone Thanks, I think that you mean “($24.5-7k=$17.5)” but I see your point. At least they announced the $11k for the Fall 2020 start, so I have some idea of tuition costs if she goes there, which will be about $15k (about $26k - $11k).
@Twoin18 Thanks, I’ll have her ask about the paid orientation leader and attending summer classes when she’s on the tour. I hope they stick with the “One Year Rule” and that it doesn’t go to 2 years. I’d probably be willing to risk 1 year of OOS tuition, but probably not pay it for 2 years. They may want to get more money from OOS students to help fund expansion, but if they raise it to 2 years, they may drive more than half the students away, and end up with less money.
@Sybylla Those are all good points about BYU Provo. I heard that it’s not as bad as BYU-Idaho, but it may be too much for my D. Anyhow, she gets a free t-shirt for going on the tour!
I saw that the room and board is $7,766 at BYU Provo. More expensive than Utah State, but cheaper than a lot of CSUs and UCs, which are about $11k to $17K
D is looking for a pre-vet major like Animal Science (AS) or Biology.
- Her first choice is probably AS at Cal Poly Pomona, but it maybe a bit of a reach.
- She’s also thinking about AS at CSU Fresno, but isn’t sure she’ll like Fresno.
- She wasn’t excited with Chico, which has AS and probably has little to no chance for AS at CP SLO.
- She might consider CSU Northridge and take some pre-vet courses at the nearby Pierce CCC.
- Other possibilities are Montana St, which has AS (we’re visiting on June 21st), and Utah St (we’re visiting on June 24th).
- The local CCC is always a backup plan
We are also in CA looking at some Cal States and a few WUE OOS schools (similar stats too).
Have you looked at University of Nevada, Reno? They have a Veterinary Science degree and are pretty generous with aid (also a very high acceptance rate).
Here is their WUE info:
https://www.unr.edu/tuition-and-fees/tuition-discounts
You only need a 3.25 GPA but do need also a 1240 SAT to get the WUE rate. My S20 has the GPA (around 3.6) but needs to improve his SAT (he’s taking a Kaplan course at school this summer and will then retake it on 8/24).
@Gregmacd Has your daughter consider Colorado State in Fort Collins? I hear their animal science is good and they also have WUE.
I’m pretty sure $24.5 - $7 = $14.5
She is applying this summer right? Also what will she do as an alternative to becoming a vet should that go by the wayside. I am assuming pre vet is like premed, and most kids just don’t ever get there. So make sure she attends a school where she can happily finish a major that makes her employable. Look over the 4 yr plans in her prospective majors. I assume AS is rigorous? Is she doing APs? Have that talk. Kids change majors all the time. What job will she do with a biology degree, ask her to think about that. What alternate pathways to working in her desired areas are offered by the schools is a major consideration.
@twoinanddone
Maybe check your math? Maybe you mean 21.5? (Or maybe you’re really tired. Not trying to be offensive, just trying to be funny.)
I’m pretty sure MSU still does WUE.