Hi
I am a rising senior currently living in Portland Oregon and I am really curious about going to out of state schools/ out of my region. So far I have only read about top liberal arts colleges and “selective schools”. I have been looking at schools like Western Washington, Gonzaga, Puget Sound, Reed College, and University of Oregon as they are in state or offer reciprocity. I do not need or want to get into these “selective” schools. Currently I have a 3.91 gpa, a 1200 range Sat( though I was sick when taking it and am taking it at least two more times) and I participate in two sports(one varsity) and am a captain in one. I have a slightly competitive transcript with 4 aps but I struggle in math and as such only plan on taking PSU stats and have not taken calc or precalc. Additionally, I am Hispanic and grew up speaking English and Spanish. I simply would like a list of colleges that I could consider -maybe schools that could offer aid to Hispanic students, or want students that come from Oregon? Sidenote- I do not have a defined major which is why I’m looking at liberal arts schools.
You could continue your research with moderately selective (to moderately reach-y) schools such as St. Lawrence, Wheaton (MA), Connecticut College, Trinity (CT), Denison and Dickinson.
Take a look at the ctcl.org website. This is a group of liberal arts colleges nationwide that are known for high quality liberal arts education, but which don’t have big national reputations and which aren’t extremely selective. Many of them, particularly in the midwest and southeast, probably don’t get a lot of Hispanic applicants, or applicants from the Pacific NW.
ok great! I know financial aid depends upon gpa and rigor of courseload, but based on my grades and EC’s -and possibly my essay- would i be able to recieve some aid? (my test scores aren’t great but I thought that being diverse might help)
Many CTCL schools have net price calculators that ask for GPA, test scores, and ethnicity and would estimate your merit aid chances.
Merit scholarships will depend highly on demonstrable academic preparation.
Need-based financial aid, however, will commonly be independent of your incoming credentials. For top need-based aid, you can research these colleges with respect to your criteria:
I understand that the majority of colleges only offer need based aid if your combined family income is below 90,000. 
That is what I have read, but my family makes more than that, so I don’t know what need based aid would actually cover in my situation.
or if its below 60,000 maybe
You need to run the net price calculators and talk to your parents about the results. Also, for private schools like Reed or Gonzaga, it is meaningless if you are in state or not. That only matters for public universities. U of Oregon and Oregon State will be less expensive for you.
If your parents can’t or won’t pay what the calculators show, then you need to look at different schools. Some give in-state tuition for high stats, for example. You should look at WUE schools, too.
I understand that Reed and Gonzaga do not provide in state tuition, and that U of O and OSU are more inexpensive/ However, I have fairly high stats for my socioeconomic and racial bracket- I have a high gpa (with rigorous classes)- but just not the best test scores, which I am working on. I have been browsing schools out of my region and have found some fly in programs that cater to certain minority groups. Connecticut College and Bowdoin were ones I was looking at. Would it be wise to apply to these programs if I am interested in these schools or would it be a bad idea?