It looks like my kid (current junior) will be a national merit semi-finalist (SSI 226), which we were not expecting. Thanks to this board, I know he’ll have opportunities for big scholarships at some schools (Alabama, UTDallas, Tulsa). He’d like to stay closer to home (we’re in MA), but the $$ will be hard to pass up. I’m hoping to put together a list of schools in New England/NY/PA/MD that offer the chance, even a small one, of receiving a full-tuition merit scholarship (not necessarily National Merit). I’m hoping this list will benefit other students as well, so please add schools even if the scholarships are very competitive. Here’s what I have so far:
Public:
University of Maine Orono
University of MA Lowell
Fitchburg State (MA)
Bridgewater State (MA)
UConn
URI
SUNY Buffalo
Rutgers
Pitt
UMD College Park
Private:
Clark University
Boston University
Boston College
Northeastern University
Syracuse University
Fordham University
St. Lawrence University
University of Rochester
Stevens Institute of Technology
Elizabethtown College
I wouldn’t say UMD will be competitive aid wise. Delaware would be better. WVU too. UNH is another to add - although I don’t see National Merit opportunties.
U Maine will be the close to home fine school.
SUNYs in general have good cost.
Ogelthorpe and Hendrix have flagship matches but neither is close.
Some of the Florida schools like FSU, USF, FAU - have fine national merit programs but they’re also not in your geography.
Schools like Millersville, Salisbury, Christopher Newport - are regional but have fine merit.
Sorry- I must be tired today. I don’t think they give full tuition, but it is possible that with enough merit the cost will come down to what you can pay.
Lehigh and Lafayette offer full tuition scholarships.
When my daughter applied in 2019, it seemed like top merit was Val’s/sals with top scores (35/36). My daughter’s friend (sal/35) got one of them (100 applicants get invited to a special weekend), my daughter got top outside the top 100 (5th/34). I don’t think she received full tuition though. SUNY Bing was cheaper than in state Rutgers for my other daughter after merit.
Thanks, everyone. He’s just a junior, but here are stats so far:
UW GPA of 3.9
1490 SAT (780v, 710m, the paper test). He got a perfect math score on the digital psat so is hopeful he can hit a higher math score when he takes the digital SAT this spring.
9 APs by graduation
Our budget is about $45k, so we can do UMass, and I have a good list of SLACs (his current preference) that will likely hit that number for us. And I know that many of the SUNYs will match in-state at UMass—we will look at those also.
However, his psat score made him realize that he could go maybe go to college for under $20k if he was willing to go to a faraway larger school—this would allow him to save more of his 529$ for grad school (he’s a probable social sciences major & will almost definitely go to grad school). He wants to be driving distance from us right now, so I’m trying to help him find something under 20k that is closer to home. That will help us better weigh the +- of options like Alabama. I know that many of the scholarships on the list above are very competitive (no way he’s getting the gabelli scholarship at BC), & I know most of them are not guaranteed for National merit. So far, Umaine seems like the best Northeast prospect, but I thought this board might have more suggestions.
I agree. Receiving a merit award for NMF - yes (sometimes only a $1K), but full tuition rides are very competitive. Pitt only gives out approximately 15 Challellors awards a year—the same as Boston College. BU gives out about 20. A high GPA and SAT will help with consideration for such an award, but they are not only based on scores. I know students with great scores get one, and another with exceptional scores who did not. So ensure that your resume is well-rounded. And cast a wide net—the more students who apply to the school, the more competition. Good luck. 80 Colleges With Full-Ride Scholarships
You can probably do the SUNY schools also… if he gets a little bit of merit aid. Non-resident cost of Binghamton is about $49,000.
However, if you are looking for schools to be under $20,000, that is a very different and harder to get to number as you would need a full tuition scholarship.
Not a big NM award… but Wash & Lee is a mid-Atlantic option with generous full ride and full tuition scholarships. The Johnson Scholarship is a full ride plus stipend awarded to 10% of each freshman class. Additionally other full tuition scholarships are awarded based on geography and institutional goals.