Discovering my Expected Financial Aid

Not all schools (in fact, I would say most schools) do not lay everything out in a chart for you to find out, especially if you are looking for a full ride. And some universities are more generous than others (whether for merit aid or for financial need).

At U. of Louisville, costs for out-of-state students is about $38k. It lists merit aid for out-of-staters which includes $28k/year for National Merit Semifinalists or $15k for someone with your stats (who is not a semi-finalist). On that same page there is information on the Brown Fellows Program which would grant a full ride to winners, but it’s a competitive process, not automatic. This information is found in the financial aid section of the university’s website.

Looking at each school’s website is going to give you the most comprehensive information. This website lists the average merit aid award and the percentage of students without need who receive one. It doesn’t include all colleges, but it has several hundred. If a college is not in the table, you just need to do a search for the college’s Common Data Set. Doing a search there it shows that 100% of Berry’s students without need receive merit, averaging $19,228. As your stats are much higher than Berry’s typical ones, I would expect your merit aid package to be much higher. Looking at its website for details be your best bet, and then reaching out to the admissions office if you don’t find what you’re looking for.

If the Net Price Calculator does not ask for GPA, test scores, etc, you could also send an email to your admissions rep asking what would be a typical range for merit aid for someone with your profile. The worst they can say is that you would have to wait until you receive your admissions results, but I’ve heard of other colleges giving an expected floor/minimum that your award would be.

If you’re looking to investigate more schools that might be likely to give you a full ride, or close to it, these links may be helpful: