Full Ride at U of M?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Minnesota
1

Hey! Thanks for looking at this thread, I’m just curious about how likely it is that I’ll get a full ride at the U. I have a 35 ACT and a 4.4 GPA. Additionally, I no longer live with my parents and they refuse to fill out the FAFSA. There are many other personal issues involved, but I’ve explained the whole situation to a financial aid counselor at the U. So, I also don’t know how that’s going to go. Additionally, I have started my own non-profit, am in NHS, volunteer with a local dog clinic, and have won state-wide competitions for poetry and art. Finally, I’m out of state in South Dakota, so I should get reciprocity.

Thanks so much!!!

2

Are you an emancipated minor or do your parents declare you as a dependent on their tax returns? (Keep in mind that dependency status for tax and Fin. Aid. purposes may apply even after reaching the age of 18). Are you self-supporting and if so, for how long?

Also, what is your unweighted GPA, what has your course load been like (including upcoming for senior year) and which college(s) are you planning to apply to? (Different majors will require application to different UMTC colleges).

3

@JBStillFlying thanks for the response!!

I’m not emancipated. My aunt, grandma, and I have looked into filing for emancipation but I would turn eighteen by the time the case would likely be settled. They are claiming me as dependent (however, after this year, I’m filing my own taxes and noting that they won’t be able to). I pay for everything except for my housing. Because of the housing, however, I don’t really consider myself to be self-supporting. I live with my grandmother. My unweighted GPA is a 4.0 and I’ve taken AP classes throughout high school including freshman year. I took one, two, four, and five each year in that order. Most of my other classes have been orchestra or accelerated. I am planning to apply to the College of Biological Sciences as a Microbiology major. However, since I have so many AP credits, I am planning to double major in English and Microbiology.

4

OK this sounds good. FYI you might have to fill out your own tax forms anyway, even if you are a dependent, if you have any earned income or unearned over a certain amount. Completing a tax return is also prudent if you want any need-based aid because the FA offices usually depend on tax return information from both student and parents (as applicable). If you don’t have your own 1040 for 2016, you will likely be asked by the FA office to provide a verification that you didn’t need to file taxes that year. (not an issue if you DID file). That can be a bit of a hassle so look into that if you need to (best to get the verification now rather than when there is a FA deadline looming).

Your stats and coursework sound excellent and you might even have a shot at the honors program. Here is the website info. for that - it’s not updated yet for the incoming class: https://admissions.tc.umn.edu/honors/review.html

If you are selected for honors, it’s quite possible that you will also be given university-wide merit aid. Here is the information on that:

https://admissions.tc.umn.edu/costsaid/schol_campus.html

Preference is given to MN residents and NM finalists for the Maroon and Gold and Gold Awards, respectively, but you might snag a presidential scholarship or something else. My kid was accepted last fall and invited to honors at Carlson and was also given enough stacked merit aid to cover her in-state tuition but she was also NMSF so automatically eligible for the Gold.

Also, CBS will have its own college-specific awards so check out the information about that and be sure to apply when they open up:

https://admissions.tc.umn.edu/costsaid/schol_college.html

Merit awards of these types tend to be granted for all 4 years. There may be additional merit opportunities once you matriculate and you can always apply for those or apply for outside funding.

There is also need-based which I really don’t know much about - others hopefully will be able to opine on your probability of getting anything. Need-based is determined every year (i.e. you re-apply every year) so even if you don’t get much this year there is always the future (when you are independent and perhaps in greater demonstrated need). There are need-based scholarships and grants that are university wide and that info. is on the same page as the merit information. Your best foot forward is to compute your FAFSA once it opens up on Oct. first. There should be an option for your parents not providing information if relevant this year. Once you know your EFC, talk to the FA office to see what you might be eligible for. FA awards are not doled out till spring 2018 for the following fall. However, Merit awards have tended to go out in batches beginning as early as November (depending on when you were accepted) - if that’s the same timeline this year, you may have some idea as early as autumn.

Realistically, you can expect some merit aid and perhaps some need-based grants but no way are you going to get a full ride without some exceptional attribute. You should look into how much you can realistically afford. Student loans can be a fine idea (despite what many on this forum say) as long as you don’t go over a few thou. per year and have a plan to replay them upon graduation. If you go to grad school, you will be able to defer the repayment. The interest rate tends to be very low, even for the unsubsidized loans. It can be a good investment in yourself, as long as you remain prudent in your borrowing.

Good luck to you!

5

Bump.

Also Coe College in Iowa offered me a $30,500 scholarship, renewable for four years today. Is that at all comparable to possible U of M offers?

6

I kind of doubt you’ll get a full ride.

7

Your parents being unwilling to fill out the FAFSA will really penalize you as you won’t be eligible for Pell grants, SEOG, some state grants, and sometimes even grants or scholarship offered through the school.

You might be better off becoming a ward of the state. You never have to go into physical custody, but if the state becomes your legal guardian before you become 18, you will be eligible to file FAFSA as an independent. The paperwork will be easier as you go through college. It may have been better for your grandmother to take you into her house, but you might get better benefits if you become a ward of the state, live with your grandmother, and get to file taxes and FAFSA as an independent.

8

Bump

Does anyone have specific stats that are similar to mine and can share their financial aid package (if you’re comfortable with that)?

9

You could possibly get as much as $15,000 but that’s unusual. My D17 was offered that amount with an ACT of 34 and an UW GPA of about 3.9 (honors and AP courses, etc.) but she was also a National Merit Semifinalist so eligible for the $10,000 Gold Award. She was admitted to Carlson honors but will be attending another school. We are in-state so obviously her tuition was covered via those awards, but not her room & board. She is was not eligible for any need-based aid.

If you make the honors program then you have a good shot at getting some merit aid. Make sure your application is in early on because that will increase the likelihood that you’ll have at least some idea of your award package well before you need to make a decision (assuming they stick to the same process as in previous years). All awards will be doled out by spring 2018 and the need-based portion of the financial aid package is also released about that time.

Remember, you can also borrow up to about $5,500 - $8,500 per year (increases every year) in Stafford loans. Even the unsubsidized rate is still pretty good. You won’t need to repay till you graduate and if you go right on to grad school it will be deferred further (although keep in mind that interest accrues throughout the life of the loan, even when you are an undergrad, and is added to the principal). Stick to about $20,000 in debt or less so that you have a managable amount to pay back. See if your grandmother would agree to make interest payments while you are in school - at least for a little while - to keep the principal from increasing. Also, make sure you and she understand how those interest payments work because they are going to increase big-time as more loans are added on.

10

D1 from South Dakota was accepted to CBS last year, ACT of 33 and over 4.0 GPA. She applied in August prior to senior year. Excellent EC’s and course rigor. She was not extended an invitation to the honors program and was awarded $1,000 in merit aid. Second only to CSE, CBS is a VERY competitive college within UM-TC.

11

It’s pretty unlikely to receive a full ride from the U of M, as it is from many state schools.

Our stats are very similar. I received the Gold Scholar Award and National Merit University of Minnesota Scholarship. Together, these cover a little over 75% of (reciprocity/in-state) tuition. Of course, there’s still room and board and other fees to pay for.

https://admissions.tc.umn.edu/costsaid/schol_campus.html

The best way to increase your chances of receiving merit-based scholarships at the U is becoming a National Merit Finalist. The U is very proud of the number of NMF it draws – I believe 150 for the incoming freshman class.

I didn’t receive any need-based financial aid and don’t have too much information about it. I can tell you that there are many campus jobs reserved for people who qualify for work study. Minimum wage in Minnesota is $9.50/hour and many campus jobs pay more than this.

12

Hey, thanks for the replies everyone! I really appreciate the incite. My father would not let me take the PSAT (I have since moved out of his house because of legal issues) so I am not a NMF or NMSF. It seems as if Ive missed out on many scholarships due to this - it just makes me so frustrated. I cannot do anything about it, though, so I am looking at alternatives.

So, it seems as if I wont be able to get a full ride at U of M. However, my budget CAN go up to $10,000 because, despite the fact that my father refuses to fill out the FAFSA, I should be able to get a $5,500 unsubsidized Stafford loan and I can pay around $5,000 out of pocket (hopefully more, but I am not counting on it). Ive seen many other scholarships, like the Benson Family scholarship, talked about on here, and was also curious about college-specific scholarships for CBS. Mainly, I was wondering what my chances for those are. I don’t really know how much my ACT will pull me ahead, or my essay (I DID end up writing a personal statement despite the fact that it wasn’t necessary).

Is it possible to get the cost down to $10,000? I live in South Dakota, so the original cost is around $26,000.

13

Possible but have backups. My in-state kid got enough to pull the net COA down to around $12,000 but she was NMF.

Can you live with relatives in MN or room with friends somewhere off campus? That might help save money. Dorms are reasonable rates (for dorms) but the meal plans are a cash cow for the U. You might be able to room and board off campus for less than you would spend on campus.

14

My daughter applied there from OOS and got a package of scholarships that covered all tuition and most of room and board – three scholarships were from the admissions office, one from the college she applied to at the U, and one from her major department. Her GPA and test scores were similar to yours. However, CBS is one of the most competitive colleges to apply to there, and you don’t seem to have any significant science awards or scientific research experience in a professional lab. Also, as already mentioned, not being NMF can hurt.

It is better to apply to CLA as an English major, where you would be one of the top applicants with your stats and have awards to back up your application. Or consider one of the science majors in CFANS, where you could take similar courses to microbiology, yet be more of a standout student with your stats and also support your application with your dog clinic volunteer experience.

Here are the admissions profiles by college, so you can see where you would stand out the most, and therefore be most likely to get scholarships.

https://admissions.tc.umn.edu/academics/profile.html

15

I would look at the list ASAP of how you can be declared independent for the FAFSA and then do whatever you have to so you can meet one of those requirements. You can still go to college if parents are unwilling to pay, but if they are unwilling to cooperate and fill out the FAFSA you are in serious trouble. I don’t think you can even get unsubsidized Stafford loan without their information.

16

You should look at becoming a ward of the state with guardianship to your grandmother. This needs to be done before you turn 18.
If your father doesn’t file fafsa you won’t get the subsidized loan either.