My son has a GPA 4.30 and ACT 34 composite, 36 in math and science .
What are his chances of getting scholarships/ full tuition paid off based on merit in USC, Stanford, UCLA. My income exceeds 150k.
Is he in-state for all these schools?
USC offers full-tuition, half-tuition, and other merit scholarships.
Stanford does not offer merit scholarships, but you will get substantial financial aid with 150k income (families with 125k income pay zero tuition).
UCLA won’t give financial aid at that income level, and the top Regents scholarship is only worth $2,000.
From Midwest but Asian
If your goal is a full ride or full tuition your plan needs to be radically different. There are schools like University of Alabama that have automatic scholarships that are worth a look. Clemson probably as well. Some top liberal arts colleges in the Midwest offer large merit awards as well. Your state flagship should as well, most likely a good Big Ten school.
Three very different schools. I’ll defer to Californians on UCs but numbers are definitely competitive. USC does offer merit aid and again competitive numbers but never a guarantee. Stanford is a reach for everyone including perfect numbers and does not give merit aid.
There are plenty threads on here with more specifics than I can give. Many of the elite schools give some need based aid up to incomes of $150-180k but the annual cost will still be more than a UC without aid in that income bracket. Are you familiar with Net Price Calculators? Google Stanford’s and you can enter your numbers and get a rough estimate of aid. If you own a business or rental properties, the NPC is not accurate.
No financial aid is offered to out-of-state residents for the UC schools.
USC will likely offer significant financial aid.
Stanford, well, honestly worry about getting in first. Once in, they’ll offer significant aid.
@Burdened the USC Trustee Scholarship (Full tuition) offers around 200 of 54,000 applicants (150 usually accept), so it’s about as difficult as getting into any school out there. Therefore, don’t count on it.
Try Baylor University or University of Alabama, those will likely award full scholarships @Midwestparent1
Here are some good merit options for high stats:
Clemson does not offer automatic scholarships for full tuition. With the OPs stats, he may be competitive for the National Scholars Program , but it is not guaranteed.