Hello everyone,
I’m looking at adding 1-2 safety schools to my college list, specifically schools with semi-high acceptance rates and good financial aid for competitive applicants (35 ACT 3.8 GPA, my full stats are in another post). I would also like to, if possible, keep all of my colleges in the Common App but that definitely isn’t required! Thanks in advance!
U. Alabama. Big scholarship $$ (free tuition) for high stats kids (looks like you fit the bill). Extra scholarship $$ for high stats engineering majors. Brand new STEM and engineering facilities. Easy online application process (no essays). High acceptance rates. Beautiful campus. Plenty of ME opportunities with Mercedes and other automakers located in AL, and in aerospace firms and NASA in Huntsville. And of course, if you are into sports, they play this game call football …
Any geographical preference?
With your great stats, Temple (northeast), University of Alabama (southeast), University of Mississippi & Louisiana Tech (south), Texas Tech (southwest) are all safeties that would probably offer great merit-based aid.
Unfortunately, of the above mentioned, only Temple takes the Common App.
Utah has a strong ME program with an innovative curriculum. You’d likely get good merit, but there’s a caveat. If you stay over your first summer for 12 consecutive months, you can get instate tuition. Utah State doesn’t have as strong of a program and the student body and town are more homogenous than SCL, but Logan is beautiful and your stats would qualify you for an automatic 4 year tuition and fee free scholarship.
@eyemgh Is the caveat you mention regarding Utah the 3.6 GPA maintenance? Seems pretty onerous, if not impossible, for an engineering major. Very generous program, but I’ll bet they pull many scholarships back.
@STEM2017 My geographical preference is anywhere but Illinois lol. I’d love to go either south or east or somewhat west but Utah/California would be a little far. I’ve looked at Temple but how good is their merit aid? The website is very vague about how much they give.
Temple gives great merit aid. In the past, 3.8 GPA plus 32 ACT got you automatic full tuition scholarship.
I’m not 100% sure if this is still the case, but I’ve heard that it is. You should call to confirm.
The University of Alabama in Huntsville offers full tuition plus housing for a combined ACT of 34+ and a weighted GPA of 4.0+. National Merit finalists add meals plus $500 for books and a $500 stipend.
180-200k (difference in cost) provides lots of options for what to do after graduation. Grad school, travel, figure 8 race M3’s, whatever.
The school exists as a research U because of a local need (from the uah web site):
So in what is now well-known state history, [ Wehrner ] von Braun asked the Alabama Legislature to provide funding for a research institute that would not only allow professors at UAHuntsville to continue their research, but also allow those employed by the Army and NASA to pursue their advanced degrees.
During his impassioned plea, von Braun made several points to the importance of a research university on the city’s economic growth.
…
Today, the university graduates 40 Ph.D.s and 350 students with master’s degrees annually, and has earned recognition from the Carnegie Foundation as one of only 73 public universities in the nation with very high research activity.
Rochester Institute of Technology. (Maybe more of a match than a safety.)
Why exclude Illinois, just curious?
@gandalf78 I live here and I want to live somewhere else, my parents are fine with me going far away so I wanna take it while I can. Rochester seems more of a match, I’ve got a good list of matches built up I just really want some safety schools on the off chance I get really screwed over in the crap shoot. @50N40W I’m looking at using my finalist spit to try and get merit aid from northeastern, I had looked at using it for Texas a&m full ride as well.
Once you get as far as Philly, about 12h from you depending on where you live in IL, you can’t make short trips home anyway unless you fly. SLC is a major Delta hub, if that matters. Hopefully you have Case on the list of match schools too. They tend to be generous.
@STEM2017, it is 3.6, which is a high mark for the full ride, but not to establish residency. Any student can do that.
I was going to suggest Northeastern.,. but I’m not sure how merit scholarships work these days for NMF.(assuming you had high PSAT too).
What are your cost constraints?
If they are very limiting, then you may find http://automaticfulltuition.yolasite.com/ to be of interest.
Full tuition for your stats:
Alabama
Alabama - Huntsville
Mississippi
Temple
Full ride for your stats:
Tuskegee
Howard
Florida A&M
Louisiana Tech
@eyemgh Case is on my match list!
@colorado_mom Northeastern recently shot very high on my college list and I’m trying to arrange a visit this summer, I should be a NMF which would mean a 30,000$ scholarship from them on top of (hopefully) some additional need based aid.
@ucbalumnus cost isn’t incredibly limiting, but I don’t want to pay alot of money to go to a smaller safety school. I’d like to use my safety list as kind of a catch all in case everything goes bad lpl
Also, my current #1 Saftey is Valpo, because of my Lutheran background and high stats I feel like entry and high scholarships are basically a sure thing.
I don’t think most schools stack merit and need. Merit would replace a portion or all of your need.
Some other possibilities for ME safeties: UNC-Charlotte; University of Tennessee - Knoxville; University of Kentucky.
The problem with making a private school a safety isn’t the admission side, but the financial aspect. A true safety is one you know beyond a reasonable doubt you’ll get admitted to AND be able to afford. It all depends on your EFC an whether or not it is lower than the net after merit is applied allowing further need based aid. If not, private schools even with $100k merit are still pricey. Remember too, need based aid can include loans.
What is your price limit?
Unless the school says that the scholarship is assured for your stats, it may not be as sure a thing as you think.