<p>I just read that a few of the schools I'm applying to don't offer much merit based aid, and there's very expensive. I know there are financial aid calculators around, but I don't know if these apply to most colleges? I want to apply to a few private schools with tuition between $30000-40000 dollars a year.. but my parents combined only make about 60000. There's just the 3 of us though.. Do you think colleges such as Notre Dame, Middlebury, etc., would offer enough financial aid for it to even be feasible? I don't want to waste my time and effort to apply if I won't even come close to being able to pay for it.</p>
<p>Any schools that might offer me a decent amount of financial aid (including merit based I suppose. 3.9/4.0 unweighted gpa, 2030 SAT (should go up), ranked 9/413.) that are strong for theatre and english?</p>
<p>It varies from college to college, and financial aid calculators are a good place to start. I'd advise checking out the financial aid section (section F) of the Common Data Sets of your colleges as well; they have some good info like the average debt of graduates. Comparing the average grant-to-loan ratios might be a good idea.</p>
<p>Definitely apply for any scholarships you're eligible for; Fastweb would be a good place to start. You should be able to land a few outside scholarships, which reduces the loan portion of financial aid.</p>
<p>The calculators really do give you a good idea. It's not just about income at most private colleges, but assets too. Home ownership in places where home prices have gone up a lot in the last decade can really drive the EFC way up. Stocks, other investments and cash in the bank matter too. In my experience, most people's EFCs are higher than they thought they would be and many families can't afford their EFC. It's a really good idea to figure out what's feasible before you apply.</p>
<p>Middlebury does not give out any merit aid. I can not find figures on Notre Dame, but I've never known anyone who got merit aid there (lots of kids from my sons' HS go there).</p>
<p>If you're looking for merit aid, read all the threads on here (look on the Parents Forum) and then subscribe to the US News premium web site (only $15, well worth it) - they have lots of statistics on there about how much the schools give for the different types of aid.</p>
<p>If you're interested in random suggestions, I'd suggest you look at some of the Midwest liberal arts schools. Denison, Wooster, Ohio Weslyan, etc. My son attends Denison and loves it. They have a great English dept and good theater, a lovely campus, small classes and nice kids. Of course, I've just described MANY liberal arts schools...</p>