Why on earth are they changing it like that? Now I’m freaking out. I don’t totally understand. Are they insinuating my parents can pay TWICE what they pay now?!
(Sorry if I disappear but class is about to start….thanks for any help in understanding this)
With your stats and merit, you’ll have many an opportunity to hit $35K - need based or not.
There’s an OP from India with a budget of $32K - looking at everything from SUNY Geneseo and ESF to Kalamazoo and St. Olaf to FAU Honors to Rollins to New Mexico, etc.
You’ll have plenty of chances - not to worry too much. And it’s not like TX, even if you want to leave, doesn’t have tons of great publics and you can be in Texas and still be in like another state it’s so big 
Don’t freak out about changing FAFSA just yet, but here are some resources (linked below) to show your parents, because it will be important to stay on top of this. Things will become more clear, hopefully, next summer as schools update their NPCs.
For example, we don’t know if schools that use CSS Profile will change their methodology for families with multiple students in college (many think these schools won’t take away that benefit, but we don’t know yet). Stay here on CC and posters will be able to help you navigate this next year.
NASFAA has created a Student Aid Index Modeling Tool that families can use to forecast the impact of the FAFSA changes (need to create a free login id though). Access it here: Original Research - Highlighted Projects
NASFAA case studies of how changes may impact families: https://www.nasfaa.org/uploads/documents/SAI_Case_Studies.pdf
Here’s a copy of the proposed FAFSA form for 2024-2025, which your parents could fill out manually to understand how the various changes may impact your family: https://fsapartners.ed.gov/sites/default/files/2022-11/202425DraftStudentAidIndexSAIandPellGrantEligibilityGuide.pdf
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Thank you. After that info I need to do some deep breathing exercises. If they change the EFC from $35k each kid to $70k, times 3 kids = $210,000??? ….well, that makes zero sense because my parents don’t even make that! So they’re saying my parents should be able to contribute their entire income and live in a cardboard box?
The problem my sister had was she tried to find more money to help out via outside scholarships and the she learned all about how schools cap those and start dipping into her aid. They make it so hard to bring down the amount you have to pay. Now I’m stressed
Oh and thanks for the forms. I’ll give those to my dad.
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There’s nothing you can do about FAFSA changes today, so try to let the stress go.
And yes, scholarship displacement (which is when colleges decrease institutional aid when students earn external scholarships) sucks. The good news is things are changing, at least in some places/states/colleges. A few states have banned this practice, including California, at both public and private colleges. https://calmatters.org/education/higher-education/college-beat-higher-education/2022/11/scholarship-displacement-california/
It’s important to remember though that external scholarships can be difficult to get, and often are non-renewable and have relatively low dollar amounts. Colleges give by far the greatest amount of scholarships/financial aid.
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It’s not too late to beef up your ECs. For example, maybe try to combine your interests in animal rights and CS and develop a mobile app that helps to place animals at a local shelter or that helps shelters schedule volunteer hours to ensure adequate coverage each day? Maybe a summer research opportunity? The time to look for those opportunities is now. You mentioned robotics – it’s a little late in the season but is there a local FIRST or VEX team you could join?
Even though you mention you’ve exhausted the CS offerings at your HS and don’t have a local CC option, I would suggest continuing your CS studies senior year with an online course, either for credit ($) or just a certificate (which still would help demonstrate your CS passion and your willingness to go beyond what is available at your school). Data Structures is a good follow-up to CS-A but the beauty of CS is that there are lots and lots of options. The stronger you can make your application, the more options you will have. Good luck!
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UT Dallas or other campuses other than Austin? Other Texas public universities?
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@PicklesnCheese Please don’t panic! You will have options, and there are things that you, personally, still have time to do that can help – especially since you are a Junior.
And before I get into details, I want to say that I personally think you will do really well. You come across in your writing as smart, dedicated, realistic, and mature and you are definitely a really good writer – and I think a lot of admissions officers will also see that. That combination is relatively rare here on CC and I rarely say this to posters.
Now, financials.
First, the financial aid change for siblings is for FAFSA. As you may know, approximately 400 schools also use the CSS Profile to calculate financial need for their private, institutional funds. No one knows how CSS Profile schools will treat siblings, but they will have more leeway to take siblings into account and many think they will continue to do so. (that’s conjecture only, though, so don’t base all of your plans on it). Here is a list of the Profile schools, so you can see if either of your siblings attends one. (If any CSS Profile school seems appealing to you, you could apply there as well, in the hopes that they continue to take siblings into account. Next year, you could also call their financial aid offices and/or run their net price calculators and determine it directly). CSS Profile Participating Institutions and Programs (collegeboard.org)
You can also look at www.myintuition.org to get a quick overview of possible financials for a number of schools who participate. They have an abbreviated form which is easier to fill out, but definitely use the full Net Price Calculator for any schools of special interest.
University of Arizona offers great merit money for high GPA. A 4.0 gets tuition down so that you pay about $7k for tuition and a 3.9 gets tuition down so that you pay about $9k for tuition. You still have to pay room and board and books, etc. Most colleges estimate room and board at about $16k but after freshman year you can usually get that down a lot by moving off campus (cheaper rent) and cooking for yourself. Here’s the link for Arizona – scroll down to see the awards. Types of Aid: Incoming First-Year and Transfer Tuition Scholarship Awards | Office of Scholarships & Financial Aid (arizona.edu)
University of New Mexico and University of Alabama Hunstville also are known to have great merit for good GPA. All three of the above are filled with high-stats students who were attracted by the great merit. You can join the honors colleges (may need a separate application) and find even more high-stats, dedicated students to live with and attend classes with (depending on the college).
Also take a look at Lawrence University in Wisconsin. They have (I think) a direct-admit CS program and I think Lawrence meets a lot of what you are looking for. When I typed 4.0 and your class rank into their calculator, their merit aid alone brought you to $35k total. If you add need-based aid, I’m sure it will be lower. They also have a conservatory on campus, so a lot of highly-accomplished musicians, who you might enjoy being around. Admission is separate to the Conservatory and the College, though – you can apply to either/both.
Net Price Calculator (collegenpc.com)
(They seem to take money away for various ACT scores, so run this calculator before you submit any test scores, if/when you have them.)
Second, you can work to get a good SAT or ACT score and that will likely open you up to some great merit at other colleges and/or strengthen your application. You can always go test optional if you don’t like your scores. Try Khan Academy for test-prep. Try the ACT instead of the SAT – a lot of students like it better. Make sure to take timed tests (at home – you can download sample tests online or buy books of them on Amazon. Let me know if you want links for these) and use only real, released practice tests. Work to really understand the problems you did wrong. You can take timed sections instead of timed tests if you don’t have enough time to take full tests. The tests try to trick students, so doing a lot of them exposes you to the type of problems they have (there is a limited number of different types, so practice will make them familiar) and you will start to master these tests and get faster at them too, which is important because a lot of students lose points because they can’t finish the tests. Also, note that the easiest question gets the same number of points as the hardest one, so don’t waste time on questions that are too hard – rack up more points by doing additional easy questions instead.
Third, take a look at Canadian colleges. They are often less expensive than US colleges and their tuition is posted in Canadian money, so that’s even cheaper for you due to the (current) exchange rate. Take a look at Concordia University, which is well-regarded and is in Montreal which is a great (and surprisingly a relatively inexpensive) city for college students. They say that their tuition is $945 Canadian (currently $695 US) per credit unit and a CS degree is 120 credits (less if you have AP scores that they recognize). So that’s $83k for all four years of tuition, plus relatively inexpensive room and board especially if you can move to an apartment in Montreal after your first year. You can also look at McGill (higher ranked) but they are more expensive.
Fourth, as a CS student you have the opportunity to get well-paying summer internships/jobs. That can make a significant dent in your parent’s contribution, although if you earn over $7k a year that will affect any need-based financial aid that you are receiving so you have to figure that part out each year.
Fifth, your siblings will presumably graduate while you are still in school, so that will a) possibly free up some parental money for you and b) affect your need-based financial aid package IF you are at a CSS Profile college that takes siblings into account. So…again, look ahead when calculating your options.
Also, for now you may enjoy the online Intermediate Python class at the Art of Problem Solving. It is a non-credit course (but you can get a written evaluation to send to colleges if you do well). You may already be more advanced than what it teaches, but it is worth looking into. AOPS is very highly-regarded and is mostly known for its advanced math courses for kids who love math but they have a couple of CS courses as well. My son took both of their Python courses and I thought they were really good. Online Math Course Catalog for Middle & High School | AoPS (artofproblemsolving.com)
Best of luck to you – I think you have lots of potential and are going to land well. Please keep us informed – there is a lot of good information on CC and people here are dedicated to helping students get the best outcomes possible.
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As others have mentioned, your writing style shows you as a very personable and capable young adult. I think you will have more options than you think. You’ve already received many great suggestions already. But here are some others that you can play around with, especially to see if your reactions (positive or negative) to some of them show other preferences about what you want in a college. All the schools on this first list are classified as residential, though some are more residential than others.
- Binghamton (NY): About 14k undergrads here, and they’re spending some money to attract more top out-of-state applicants. With merit aid, this might get into budget.
- Bradley (IL): This school of 4300 undergrads may reach your budget after merit aid.
- Christopher Newport (VA): About 4500 undergrads attend this school which might make budget after merit aid.
- Florida Institute of Technology: About 3500 undergrads at this school that might meet budget after merit aid.
- New Jersey Institute of Technology: Run the NPC here. This school with about 9200 students might make budget depending on what kind of merit aid you receive.
- North Carolina A&T: HBCU with about 12k undergrads. Sticker price is within budget already, and additional merit aid is very possible.
- Seattle U (WA): About 4200 undergrads here. This may get you to your budget after they award you merit aid.
- Towson (MD): About 18k undergrads that may be able to make budget depending on degree of merit aid received.
- U. of Louisville (KY): About 16k undergrads here. You would need to submit a test, but based your PSAT results, you are likely to get at least $10k here, and up to $15k as part of its National Scholars Program. With the merit aid, this should fall within budget.
- U. of Maryland, Baltimore Campus: UMBC has about 11k undergrads. Depending on how much merit aid your receive, this may fall into budget.
Should the changes to the FAFSA end up having a bigger impact on your family’s finances, these are some additional schools that are moving away from their commuter campus vibe (particularly ULL) that would meet budget for you.
- Louisiana Tech: About 10k undergrads here. As a Texas resident, you automatically qualify for the Bulldog scholarship which waives out-of-state tuition. Depending on your test results, you’d receive at least $3k (and up to $9k) in additional merit.
- U. of Louisiana – Lafayette: About 14k undergrads here. You would need a test score, but even with a 1220 you would qualify for a waiver of out-of-state tuition and get $2400/year. This is within budget, probably approaching $20k/year. The higher your test score, the lower the price will go.
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@PicklesnCheese Updating to say if you go to amazon and enter “Official SAT study guide” and/or “Official ACT prep guide” you will get links to books of compiled released official tests. They also provide answers to the questions so that you can learn from your mistakes.
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When I read CS+orchestra+need-based-aid, I think St. Olaf. It’s a little smaller than your size range (about 3000 students, so, larger than most LAC’s) but it’s known for it’s strong math and CS department, and for music (both for majors and non-majors). No Greek life, and full-need-met financial aid. Run the Net Price Calculator to see how affordability looks.
URochester is another full-need-met option that’s great for non-major musicians in STEM - see what their NPC looks like, as well. Also Case Western Reserve U.
There’s a lot of merit potential at the southwest public U’s like U of Arizona, Arizona State, UNM, and U of Utah. However, the biggest merit awards may hinge on test scores as well as GPA. At Utah, however, you could meet your four-year budget by taking the path to residency after the first year. (You’d be overpaying for the first year, but then under-budget for years 2-4). Their CS program is strong, and the Honors College is great and likely attainable.
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That’s a good idea. I was so surprised to learn that Utah grants in-state tuition to out-of-state students after the first year. The son of a friend of mine did that several years ago and I was astonished that this pathway existed. As I recall, there are some restrictions on how much time the student can spend out-of-state during those years, but what a great deal!
I attended the University of Houston Honors College. UH has a low amount of Greek participation but great sports for those into that, a few big games. In the Honors College, you have classes from about 10 people to 35 and can take as many classes as honors as you’d like, with a minimum of one per semester. The Honors College has its own dorms and I lived in one for three years. Worth a visit to see if it’s a fit. Very strong computer science department.
I second Trinity U which is a larger LAC.
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Some of the big OOS schools have a lot to offer. My son from TX went to Kansas State and a lot of his fraternity brothers were CS majors and have great jobs. They have great scholarships for OOS and for TX so you can get in under you budget and also they are known to have some of the happiest students and that isn’t a joke. Most classes are taught by professors and there is a lot of help available out of class. There is greek life and D1 sports but it doesn’t dominate (sports more than greek particularly football). There are a lot of students that sound just like you. The town is fun with lots to do. Lots of TX kids there too. It isn’t flat like you might think. Anyway could be a fun Safety (about 17 - 18,000 undergrad but feels a lot smaller). They have a vet school and a lot of animal programs in the area you could work with. Housing is very reasonable and after freshman year you could find lots of places where you can have animals. With the vet school there they cater to that in the area. Just a nice safety OOS for you.
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Check out any of the North Carolina publics. They come in around $38K for out of state. UNC- Charlotte has a pretty good CS program and should not be super selective. UNC- Chapel Hill is the most selective, then NC State. But UNCC is pretty good, too. You might also check out Appalachian State. I don’t know much about their CS program, though.
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Being from Texas, there are a lot of great schools for CS. Also being a programmer myself, there are some things to consider. First, brand name is not really important. All that does is make it a little easier to get an entry level job. After about 3 years experience, employers don’t even ask where you went to school.
You want a city school like UT-Dallas, Houston, UT-Arlington, and even UTSA. These schools will have more access to valuable internships that provide experience. Plus, employers hire locally and regionally. And FYI…UTSA has one of the nations top cyber security programs with a 100% job placement rate. They basically pioneered that degree. Plus UTSA is one of the most technologically advanced campuses in the nation, making them hugely underrated.
Also, you could do better than Trinity. It’s way too overpriced relative to the benefits, unless you get a big scholarship. If you like San Antonio, better to go to UTSA or Texas State. Texas State is unique, because it’s situated directly between SA and Austin, doubling internship options.
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If willing to go smaller, Washington college in Maryland matches so much if what you want socially in a school. And it gets you to experience a different coast. They also have a nice music program. I don’t know how great the CS program is, but I know one student there who is in that major and likes it. And a bunch of CS students recently coded the app that will be used by the school for the new bike share program. They give really good merit, so don’t look at sticker price. If it looks to be of interest to you, reach out to the admissions officers and ask to be connected to a student and a professor to ask questions. (It’s a very personable school and community, so I think they would be responsive). The thing I would ask is “What internships have your students had and how did they find them?” I think that is one of the most important things in CS.
Yes, I have seen packages for URM they are trying to attract below $20 and others close to EFC with merit and aid.
These are all great ideas. Thank you for helping me! This is a nice community.
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