I got another 30 
I have been working my way through some of those Net Price calculators. Almost all of them come out to be more than 10K Right now Truman looks like it is the most affordable. But I still have some more to look at.
There are several schools that offer great aid based on need. They are seeking high-achieving students like you. It’s impossible to guarantee anything in this college world, but please look at–
Vassar (which has a reputation for setting the standard for making sure that high-achieving students can afford to attend)
Amherst
Colby
Grinnell (as one other person mentioned)
Union in NY (they need girls, too, and provide great aid. You might do well here)
Earlham (also mentioned by another person, but worth underlining)
Agnes Scott
Bryn Mawr
Smith (The Stride scholars)
Mt. Holyoke
Haverford (Bryn Mawr and Haverford are practically the same campus)
Hobart and William Smith – http://www.hws.edu/admissions/finedu_scholarships.aspx
While the net price calculators are great as a general tool, you won’t know what aid you personally will get until you apply. Apply and see what offers they make to you.
Best wishes.
Practice for both the ACT and SAT… And take both in the fall…Oct, Nov, Dec are not too late
What have been your ACT breakdowns?
ACT#1
Composite Score: 30
English 34
Mathematics 30
Reading 27
Science 27
ACT#2
Composite Score: 30
English 30
Mathematics 28
Reading 33
Science 27
About 60 colleges claim to meet 100% of demonstrated financial need.
http://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/paying-for-college/articles/2015/09/14/colleges-that-report-meeting-full-financial-need
Here are estimated net prices, after grant aid only, for several of them:
$14,114 Grinnell College (-$5700 “self help” = $8414 from parents)
$13,761 Macalester College
$10,425 University of Notre Dame
For comparison:
$34,880 Butler University
Assumptions:
$90K family income
$90K home equity
$45K cash savings
2 siblings (ages 12 and 14)
Your Mileage May Vary. Run the online net price calculator, inserting your own numbers, for any college that interests you.
Would you consider an all-women’s college? Wellesley’s got great aid and caps loans at 14k over 4 years - I believe you could still take out additional loans up to the Stafford amounts. Like a lot of the schools that have been listed, it’s in the northeast, where the oldest, largest-endowment schools that meet need are most concentrated.
@tk21769 I saw that list and looked a few of them. For instance I love Vanderbilt and their calculator was a number we could afford. But I don’t think my stats are good enough to get in. Aren’t most on the list really competitive?
I have no hooks and few ECs.
This sort of brings me back to my original post…where can I get in AND afford?
I guess I really need to focus on studying and improving my ACT score over the summer.
Just a few thoughts…
Your superscore is now 31, so that may help at schools that superscore. I do agree that you should invest the time to retake the ACT and try the SAT at least once. A 32 ACT (usually from one sitting) could open many doors for merit aid!
Do check out the Midwest School Exchange Program. There are many schools on that list that guarantee in-state tuition. Combine that with merit aid, your parents’ contribution, Stafford loans and your own earnings. I think you’d be pleasantly surprised at the choices you have!
Finally, as others have noted, you are not at all average. In the top 10% of your class and in the top 5% nationwide for ACT testing? Those are stats that many other kids can only aspire to.
The science section of the ACT is pretty easy to prep for and raise…learning how to read those charts and graphs and make the best use of time can get that up a lot. Do you have an ACT prep book?
PS: While you are net-pricing, pop College of Wooster and Denison in there too.
Yes, those ~60 schools are very selective. Some - but not all - would be out of reach. If top ~50 LACs (Colorado College, Macalester, Grinnell, Occidental, etc.) have any appeal, then they’d be worth a shot both for the good aid and for academic quality. Vanderbilt would be a little longer shot.
Less selective private schools or out-of-state public schools are likely to have higher net costs … unless perhaps they offer large merit scholarships. But even after a full tuition merit scholarship, your net costs may not be much lower than what you’d get from a selective, “full need” school like Grinnell. Getting in to the latter would be a reach … but that’s why you also apply to match and safety schools.
http://automaticfulltuition.yolasite.com/
OP, how do you feel about Truman State? I’m in a neighboring state (Illinois), and I’ve heard very good things about it (although I have no first-hand knowledge). It’s talked about as one of the good public LACs, especially in the midwest. Of the schools you listed, it stands out to me.
I’m not saying you shouldn’t look for other schools (and, sorry, I don’t have any good suggestions to add to what others have given), but if you like Truman, that’s at least one good option for you.
Otherwise, I do echo the comments about doing some focused ACT prep – looks like you could use improvement on your Math and Science scores (but don’t neglect the English and Reading!). If you can get your composite up a point or two, that could be a big help.
I’ll throw out a few LACs that I think are within your geographical limits – Cornell (College not University), Illinois Wesleyan, Centre, Hendrix, and Sewanee. Not sure how they are for financial aid, so you should check that.
@csdad2 I am not sold on Truman yet. On paper it looks like a near perfect fit. But I am worried about 2 things: 1) the town it is in…might be too small/rural for me and 2) the people (I hope this doesn’t sound snobby but when the student ambassadors from Truman visited our HS they just weren’t the type of people I see myself hanging out with. They talked about how LARPing in the quad was what they typically do for fun…this is so not me)
However I haven’t visited the campus yet - so I think once I do that I will confirm or alleviate these fears.
I spent a ton of time looking at this list this week http://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/paying-for-college/articles/2015/09/14/colleges-that-report-meeting-full-financial-need It has convinced me to push past my fear of being within driving distance of home and think about something farther away…possibly.
Almost all of those NPC come out much closer to what I think my family can really afford - even if we have to factor in the occasional plane tickets. But I am still worried that my stats aren’t good enough to actually get accepted into any of them.
And UNC, UV, Notre Dame, and Boston College look the most appealing since they are a little larger in size…but I think they are also probably some of the most competitive ones on that list.
Seconding whoever said to look at MSEP (midwest student exchange program). It may show you schools you hadn’t thought of.
Clarify with any Kansas school if you would be eligible for reciprocity. Not all campuses will offer, and not every major on the campuses that do.
Also, last I knew, U of Arkansas offered waiver for 90% of the OOS tuition difference for someone with your stats.
Wake Forest is another college that claims to meet 100% of demonstrated need (even though it isn’t on the USNWR list linked above). It has about 4900 undergrads and is a bit less selective than many colleges on that list.
Albright in York PA also meets need and is not very selective.
Is Albright meeting need? I know they stated they would meet need as of 2012 but the info in Collegedata doesn’t show that. Only 78% of need met.
http://www.collegedata.com/cs/data/college/college_pg03_tmpl.jhtml?schoolId=10
from http://automaticfulltuition.yolasite.com/
University of Louisiana-Monroe
Application Deadline: Dec 3rd
Award: Full Tuition + Fees + $5000 housing stipend
Requirements: 3.0 GPA, 30 ACT or 1320 SAT (CR+M)
http://www.ulm.edu/scholarships/freshmen.html
http://www.ulm.edu/scholarships/outofstate.html
Note: First come, first served as funds are available
University of Arkansas at Monticello
Application Deadline: March 1st
Award: Full Ride (Tuition+Room+Board)
Requirements: 3.0 GPA and Top 10% Rank, 30 ACThttp://www.uamont.edu/pages/admissions/institutional-scholarships/
University of Arkansas – Little Rock
Application Deadline: Priority, Dec 1st; Final, Feb 1st
Award: Full Tuition+ ($10,000/year + OOS Tuition Waiver)
Requirements: 3.5 GPA, 30 ACT or 1330 SAT (CR+M)
http://ualr.edu/scholarships/academic/
University of Alabama-Huntsville
Application Deadline: June 1st
Award: Full Tuition
Requirements: 3.5 GPA, 30 ACT or 1330 SAT (CR+M)
http://www.uah.edu/admissions/undergraduate/financial-aid/scholarships/merit-tuition-scholarships
and there are others on that list.
@“Erin’s dad” yes. http://www.albright.edu/admit/home/home/financial-aid/
They did for D last year. Not the best package she got but better than many.
Albright is in Reading, not York. This school’s “meets 100% need” policy may or may not be extended to future years, though it was still in effect as of the freshman class starting this fall. I’m waiting for a website update to determine whether my D17 should consider it.