I second/third Univ. of Alabama at Huntsville. My son loved it when he visited. He applied as a mech engr. major. He was 10 points away on his SAT from getting tuition + room.
@sbjdorlo, did your son apply this year? Is UAH the school that will accept improved test scores until Aug of this year?
http://www.uah.edu/admissions/undergraduate/financial-aid/scholarships
Yes! Look here:
Your son should retake!
Had my son decided on UAH, I definitely would have had him retake it, though he has a 6K a year outside scholarship, but still, retaking to get that 10 extra points would have been the way to go!
He decided on University of Pennsylvania after a gap year, but truth be told, he liked UAH better. He took Penn because of the gap year option and good financial aid (even better than UAH because of our income), and they offer some majors that he’s interested in. He applied to UAH as a Mech Engr. major, but has since changed his mind.
He really did love the more rural laid back feel, though, and he thought the kids were really nice.
“Just let you know, Howard Univ. is a HBCU-historically black college/university, meaning that you are REQUIRED to take classes like history/culture, and whatnot of Black Americans.”
Small price to pay for a free education. There are almost always some strings attached in these type of deals – keep your GPA up, make the university look good, etc. Taking one or two extra courses you might not otherwise have had exposure to seems like a small price.