Financial Aid @ Baylor

DS is applying here for fall '18. His ACT score is fair at 31, he has a high weighted GPA and will take the SAT on the 28th. Can we talk about merit aid? I’ve surfed the website some, but can’t find exactly the tiers I’m looking for in terms of possibility. We have an insane EFC (so laughable), so merit aid is where we have to gauge our time and efforts. He does want to attend Baylor for graduate school (MBA/M.Div), so it’s not huge that he goes to Baylor for undergrad to us. Any information for a first time college applicant parent would be amazing.

If you google Baylor Financial Aid Calculator or Estimator you will find a link to their website where you enter in his ACT score and it will show you how much merit aid he can get from his score. It will also tell him how much more he can receive if he raises his score to a certain amount - from ACT/SAT scores I think the maximum merit aid a student can earn is $22,000/year. Baylor also offers additional scholarship opportunities through an application process; for example through the Honor’s College, Departmental scholarships, etc…and also through the visit process Distinguish Scholars Days and Invitation to Excellence. Hope this helps.

It does - so there are scholarships that are just “given” for scores that max at 22k and then additional competitive opportunities available. We’ve done the calculator once before. He’s currently prepping for his SAT. We’re hopeful to gain an edge there.

Yes, they are automatic scholarships that come if admitted based on the student’s test score. There are a couple of parameters though like I think if they apply really late in the process it might be based on funds available, also they have to maintain a certain GPA in order for it to be renewed.

The merit award doubles to a max of $44K if you are a NMF and choose Baylor as your #1 school by the May 1 deadline. You don’t mention if your son took the PSAT, or how he did, but at Baylor the National Merit designation is the #1 factor to increasing merit awards.

We are not NMF. Close, but no cigar. Baylor is a long shot for us for undergrad, regardless.