purpletitan-I will certainly take your advice. Adding RIT to the list! I thought W & M would be a reach so we didn’t schedule a tour. He does get a lot of emails and mail from them, but he’s probably on a mass mailing list
thumper1-ideally, in state would be better financially. I really have no idea about merit options for other schools. This whole process is a little overwhelming.
Note that he will get an automatic (but first come first served) full tuition scholarship at Howard if his real ACT and SAT match the PSAT-based prediction: http://www.howard.edu/financialaid/grants_scholarships.htm#Freshman
ucbalumnus-wow! That would be fabulous. Is there a secret to finding these gems or is that in the automatic admission sticky thread?
There is an automatic scholarship thread linked from a sticky thread in the financial aid and scholarships section.
The automatic full tuition to full ride list is at http://automaticfulltuition.yolasite.com/ .
Another possibility from the list, if he makes a 32 on the ACT or 1400 on the SAT CR+M, is Louisiana Tech.
Another vote for RIT. We are VA residents, and my D is currently a sophomore there (in arts). My S is also a high school junior, interested in cybersecurity or network administration, and has already identified RIT as his top choice (Mason is second). HIs stats are similar to your son’s. The reason he likes RIT is that it’s very applied, the co-op, and there are more than a few variations of majors in the computer field. Therefore if he wants to “adjust” his studies, he can. PM me if you have questions.
ucbalumnus- you have such a wealth of info. You’ve helped so much and we really appreciate it!
mamaduck-I will definitely PM you with questions once I go through all of the information. My College bookmark folder is getting full.
I finally feel as though we have some direction thanks to all of the responses with advice and info. Thanks again!!
I doubt your son will get into Tech for Engineering with a B+ GPA. I know a kid who applied with a weighted GPA over 4.0 and a 31 ACT. He got in but not for Engineering. He can do his second choice and possibly transfer to engineering if he does well enough.
ODU would probably be a easy admit and they offer a nice $5K per year scholarship to higher stats kids.
Dragonflygarden-I thought Tech engineering school was a stretch too. We talked about picking another field of study. ODU was also mentioned by Thumper. Maybe we can add it to our list of schools to visit in March. Thank you!!
His adv prog teacher told me “Your son has a brilliant mind” – Hmm… that may be even more useful than an aptitude test. It sounds like he has a gift for programming 
If he tends to have higher math/science grades and test scores, that would be pretty typical for STEM applicants. Good luck!
Agree that Virginia Tech is very unlikely for engineering. UVa and William and Mary are also highly unlikely . Of the Virginia state schools, ODU, GMU, and VCU may be possibilities and closer to his profile for possible admission.
Even if he attends another university, he could always transfer to VT(or another school) at a latter time. As a transfer student, his high school GPA wouldn’t be considered.
Don’t just got stuck with the GPA 3.2/3.3. Each school is different. Your son should ask his GC at school or check the Naviance data if available. That would give you a better idea. Also, the test score prediction is solely for a rough estimate. Majority of the students do not do much between PSAT and a real ACT/SAT test. If your son would spend more time on practice before the real test, he can easily get a much better than expected score. Good luck to him.
Guaranteed transfer from Richard Bland to W&M with a 3.25 GPA.
Guaranteed transfer from VCCS schools to many VA publics, including UVa, though you need a fairly high GPA for the guaranteed transfer to UVa (3.7 GPA?)
Keep in mind that there are MANY very good eng’g and CS programs out there. Each state tends to have several…Calif has over 25. So, certainly many will accept a 3.0-3.5 student! 
That said…can he finish “strong” this semester and maybe bump his GPA up a bit? I would tell him that doing so, could help him get into his more desired schools. It would also maybe open some OOS options with some merit to get those schools’ costs down to your budget.
Good suggestions so far. Similar to our list. I would also add NJIT - OOS tuition may be a bit high, but they give lots of $$. SAT scores matter more than GPA. SUNY’s have fairly low OOS tuition (relatively speaking)- could consider SUNY Albany. SUNY Stony Brook may be a reach - but they are trying for OOS students, so that could work in your son’s favor.
I will second what someone else said about a B student in ENgrg./CS - they may need more than 4 years to graduate, so you will want to keep that in mind. Maybe take General Ed courses in summer if weaker in the humanities side of things.
colorado_mom-I am going to email his Adv Prog teacher. He’s the head of the FBLA also (the teacher) so he may have some good recommendations.
sevmom-I’m beginning to see how we need to shift our focus. Thank you for the recommendations!
Gator88NE-thank you for finding that info. If he loves Tech when we visit, he can either try for another major or consider transferring in after his first year!
billcsho-I’ve seen Naviance mentioned several times and asked my son last night to go talk to his GC. He def has more time to prepare for the SAT since it’s not until May. At least robotics build season will be over and he can dedicate more time preparing. Thank you!
Purpletitan-I’ve never heard of Richard Bland, but am googling as I type Found this: "
By attending Richard Bland College and completing the Associate Degree, you will have completed the first two years toward the Baccalaureate Degree. We have guaranteed transfer agreements with four-year colleges and universities across the Commonwealth that will enhance your educational opportunities.
The Board of Visitors of William & Mary has authorized Richard Bland College to confer Associate degrees designed for transfer to a four-year institution" thank you for the information!
mom2collegekids- I hope that he really takes this seriously, which I think he does, and applies himself more so he can finish strong. He has to pick his class schedule for next year. I imagine we will have to talk about that too! THank you!
momprof63-I am adding those suggestions to his list! I’m ok with him going more than 4 years, if he is. Thank you for the excellent suggestions. Merit aid would certainly be helpful.
I am touched and so appreciative that all of you took the time to respond. I cannot tell you how much it helps!
Question for the experts, what about JMU or Christopher Newport? Any thoughts?
JMU’ s engineering school is fairly new. They also have an Integrated Science and Technology program that we looked into for my son who ended up at Virginia Tech instead. JMU’ s average GPA is quite a bit higher than your son’s. But as someone else said, he should talk to his guidance counselor about his chances. The 3 .3 weighted may or may not be an issue depending on where that puts him in the context of his own high school. GMU’ s Volgenau School of Engineering seems to have some good programs and we looked into that as well. My other son went to UVa in engineering but I don’t think that is a viable option for your son unless he goes the transfer route. VT and JMU really seem to like to see high GPA’ s. Your son should do all he can to improve his GPA going forward. Good luck!
If you are new to the site it is worth noting that the people who frequent this site are not a representative sample of people applying to college. You’ll see people Saying they have 800s across the board and 4.5 averages fretting about whether they can get into Podunk State U. And then there are the reps for various colleges trying to promote their college as elite and far more selective than it is. Don’t let that discourage you! You are correct about the great schools in Virginia. If your son is headed to CS, they will be less interested in overall GPA and more interested in math and science grades. Fortunately, the “C” in “English: A close read of Bronte” won’t count as much as STEM grades.
sevmom-The task of the week for my son is to talk to his GC. Thank you!
lostaccount-thank you so much for the post. This certainly is a learning experience. There’s so much information. I actually dreamt about colleges all night!