<p>I have maintained a 4.0 gpa as a transfer student and have been accepted to the USC mechanical/petroleum engineering department. Fafsa gave me no help except a ridiculously large loan. I tried calling the university and they were vague as to whether the university is still waiting to grant merit scholarships or not. Anyways, I expected that I would be given some reasonable amount of aid both for my parents income (comfortable but by no means can we afford college) and for my experience and grades. How the hell is anyone supposed to afford USC unless they are below a certain income bracket or so far above it that a yearly cost of attendance of $60k is insignificant? This is probably why USC has fallen so far behind in rankings because they scare off the people with brains with their tuition price. </p>
<p>A stickler for details, I, so I must mention that USC has been rising steadily and quickly in the rankings over the last two decades. USC is widely considered to be an up-and-coming school: <a href=“http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-universities/up-and-coming”>http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-universities/up-and-coming</a> , so I can reassure you that your concern that USC is falling behind in rankings is unfounded.</p>
<p>Next, CONGRATS on your acceptance! I am sorry to hear that you are finding USC unaffordable. I see from your post history that UT-Austin was your number 1 choice, that you were accepted, that you estimated your cost to be ~$40,000 and that you considered that amount to be a good investment & one that you could afford - CONGRATS! I also see that you mention several times that you do not consider the opportunities at USC to be to your liking, so I am relieved to hear that you were accepted to schools which you prefer.</p>
<p>I am sure you are aware that merit opportunities for transfer students are far scarcer than for freshman applicants - at all schools, including SC. In my experience transfer merit scholarship information has arrived with the hard-copy admission information via postal mail. There may be continuing scholarships available for next year, but those usually are in amounts from $1,000 - $5,000, which might not offer you the relief for which you are hoping.</p>
<p>I did note that you only mention FAFSA - did you submit the CSS/Profile and copies of your tax returns? Without those items the only aid offered would be Federal aid (in other words, no USC grants). Of course merit aid would still be considered without the CSS/Profile, but again, those notifications have likely already gone out.</p>
<p>If you have not submitted the CSS/Profile and tax returns, do so as soon as possible to see if it makes a difference - though I continue to wonder why you are concerned with USC’s financial aid when you already have an acceptance to a school you prefer and that you stated that you found affordable - did the cost of UT-Austin turn out to be more than you anticipated?</p>
<p>Best of luck - hoping you have a great, affordable option in-hand.</p>
<p>@alamemom Wait so I wasn’t considered for the Transfer Merit Scholarship? I had all the criteria and my FA was in review until they asked for my medical expenses to process my FA application. Do you think they are still considering people for the $10k Transfer Merit Scholarship?</p>
<p>I am sure you were considered for it - remember merit scholarships are awarded in a separate process from need-based aid, so the status of your FA being in review is not an indicator of whether or not you received merit aid.</p>
<p>Things are always changing, so it is certainly possible notification is different this year, but in the past the very few posts (maybe 3 posts in 6 years) I have seen about receiving the transfer merit scholarship were received with the admission notice. The scholarship pdf lists June 1st as the notification date ( <a href=“http://www.usc.edu/admission/undergraduate/docs/uscScholarships1415.pdf”>http://www.usc.edu/admission/undergraduate/docs/uscScholarships1415.pdf</a> ). You have scoured the past threads more than anyone, so you know how very rare posts are about transfer merit scholarships - we are going on only tiny tidbits of info on this issue (as opposed to the volumes of info we have on almost everything else). My suspicion is that the scholarship itself it somewhat rare.</p>
<p>If you look at the criteria to be considered listed in the scholarship pdf (GPA >3.7 & >30 units), that describes the bulk of transfer admits. There is no published account of how many Transfer Merit Scholarships are awarded. Based on my observations, only a very few of the many, many very deserving candidates receive the award.</p>
<p>The good news is that NEED-based aid for transfers is calculated the same as it is for freshman (as opposed to most other schools which tend to grant less aid to transfers), so you may still receive enough to attend. In general financial aid offers are made within two week of all requested information being received and of notice of admission. You do not have to submit your commitment deposit until you have received your financial aid offer - simply email you admissions officer to say you haven’t received your aid.</p>
<p>alamemom is always right, so I am just adding to the larger question of how middle class families can possibly afford to send their excellent students to a top-ranked private university or LAC charging over $55K COA/year. Btw, that includes just about every one. Some families prioritize private college education for their offspring and they start saving for college when their kids are very young. Some are lucky to use inheritances or have older relatives help pay. Some have their students aim for schools with excellent merit awards for freshmen–USC is one of these, btw, but it is always a very big deal to be selected from thousands of very worthy, equally talented applicants. Some have their students attend a CC for 2 years and then only need pay for 2 years of high private university costs. Some expect their students to accept a certain amount of school loan debt and help pay. And still others realize that while they would love their students to go to a private college, it’s just not affordable. Private universities are a luxury. And these folks make wise financial decisions for their family that may mean they choose instate public schools. Attending college at a private school is not a right–just like driving a Mercedes Benz is not a right. They are high priced choices.</p>