It isn’t a matter of just income level that limits a student’s college choices. It’s how much the family is willing and able to pay, how much the college costs, and how much that student can expect to get from financial aid and merit from a school.
I know many many young people who were limited, very limited in their college choices despite coming from high income families, living in very expensive houses and enjoying luxurious life styles. When the time came to ante up for college, the money was tied up in continuing that lifted style and there were not enough savings to pay what the colleges were expecting these families to pay. The college has no interest in anything but those final numbers as to what a family is supposed to pay, regardless of whether it’s out of the student’s control.
Such students need to get sufficient merit money to cover that gap between family contribution and the final bill or they can’t gontobthst school. For many, commuting to a local college , often a community college is the only affordable options. Big merit money is hard to come by. If you have a big gap, not great test scores and grades, highly unlikely you will get a huge scholarship.
In your case, you can also expect to get financial aid from some schools because you have true defined family need based on EFC. How Private school will look at this, if you have a non custodial dad in the picture, a family business, your need might not be the same at those schools.
But we know that UT-Austin doesn’t meet full need, guarantees zero of its own money to even those with a zero EFC if OOS, and gives very little merit money. And you don’t even hit the OOS accept thresholds for test scores!
It’s going to be tough with a 1200 SAT score to get accepted to those schools that meet full need, and getting a lot of merit with those test scores is not going to be easy. Do the research. Schools stingy with money, you’ll find out.
UMich is not need-blind, however, so an applicant with high need is likely to be at a disadvantage. Among publics, only UNC Chapel Hill and UVA meet full “need” (as defined by the school) and are need-blind. UNC Chapel Hill and UVA do keep majority of their seats for in-state applicants like most publics (especially at UNC CH, where by law, a minimum of 82% of the spots are reserved).
Basically, large public flagships aren’t interested in what you’ve accomplished in context as an OOS applicant. They serve their own state resdents’ kids and OOS applicants are cash cows, admitted to bring in money (or add something like more NMFs).
What do you like about UT? We can try and help you find “meet need” universities that mztxhsome criteria.
Are you registered for the August SAT or the September ACT?
I’m sure 1200 is excellent in context but top ‘meet need’ schools will want to see 27-28 or about 1280-1300. From a 1200 it can be achieved with some time investment and getting an improved score could be the best investment you made. Do you have time to study and prep for these tests (like with books such as Pwn sat math or Meltzer’s English sat books?)
Reaching that score would make you eligible for Questbridge (you can try with a 1200 but your odds decrease a lot of you’re below act 27 or sat 1250). Questbridge guarantees you a 4-year full ride with no loans at some of the best universities in the country (look up Amherst, Williams, Grinnell, Vanderbilt…) It’s for EFC zero students with excellent records.
Right now, possible ~ meet need top universities where you’d ave a decent shot of admission include Dickinson, Beloit, St Olaf . Look them up, fill out the ‘request info forms’ form to express interest (important at LACs: they’ll want to know about you, but they want you to know about them.)
If you’re URM or from a rural area or from a family where no parent has had a 4-y college degree, you could participate in fly-ins to improve your odds.
A 3.96 uw is impressive. Context will also matter. Lots of people on these boards can help you with essays. Course rigor is going to be factored in.
Does your school have a school profile where they provide average test score, number of APs offered, % on free/reduced lunch, % who go to college?
Are your teacher’s and guidance counselor see to writing letters of recommendation for selective universities?
Have you taken all APs offered at your school (regardless of whether you find them interesting - if your school only offers 4-6 you need to take them all). If not, can you adjust your senior schedule to reflect that?
By the end of senior year, will you have taken calculus or Precalculus honors, 4 years each of English and Social science including History APs if possible, foreign language through level 3 or 4, Biology, chemistry, and physics?
My son had excellent stats. He got into Amherst, Wash U, and 7 other good schools. He chose UT. He was OOS. He got all of $1000 a year in scholarships (from the engineering school).
Yes I am registered for the SAT and ACT. I am expecting to get at least a 28 on my ACT because of my improvement in the reading section.
Yes I am applying to fly-in programs.
Yes I am taking all available APs and dual-enrollment classes at the local CC on top of that.
Yes I have taken Pre-calc and I am taking calculus this year.
Yes I have taken all available general courses to make me eligible for UC.
Yes I am URM. I am apart of my school’s founding class, and as of yet I am unaware of my school’s school profile, but just know that we are Title 1 and the majority of students are on free and reduced lunch. From what I’ve heard I think the average SAT score is around a 960.
Additionally, for those who really say stats are uber-important, they are really not. My friend got into UCLA and Cal with an 1140. She was an instate student however. I do know someone from Hawaii who got into UCLA with a 1100. I am from California btw. I would love feedback on essays too, that would be greatly appreciated and any resources for test prep.
Regarding the UC’s, I am not saying it is impossible to get into top UC schools with low test scores, but these students are the exceptions not the rule and you cannot count on being the exception. As a CA resident, you have some great schools from which to choose that will give you a large amount of financial aid based on your 0 EFC. Why go OOS when you have everything your need here?
Some UC statistical data just for your FYI:
2019 UC capped weighted GPA averages:
UCB: 4.23
UCLA: 4.25
UCSD: 4.23
UCSB: 4.16
UCI: 4.13
UCD: 4.13
UCSC: 3.96
UCR: 3.90
UCM: 3.73
2019 Data:
25th - 75th percentiles for SAT totals:
UCB: 1340-1540
I’m definitely considering my UC options, hello I have UCLA and Cal to choose from! But, I’m not limiting myself to UC options. I want see how far I can go, which includes UT Austin. Don’t think I’m not applying to safeties or instate options. I definitely will be, but this is why UT Austin is a reach, financially as well. I like UT Austin because of it’s campus culture. It’s a big school and it has undergraduate journalism and a music major in which I can take business classes as well.
Also, then why is UT Austin on the Coalition Application if it isn’t generous with financial aid? I will still be applying, but doesn’t that defeat the purpose of it being on the Coalition Application if it isn’t accessible to URM and low-income students.
Good luck to you on your applications to all of your schools and Questbridge too. Please send spend some time picking a school or two that you know will accept you and that you will be able to afford. You are lucky to be in a state that makes colleges affordable.
Once you have those sure thing schools in place, apply to all of your dream schools. Yes, sometimes those long shots pan out. Better you apply than feel like you foolishly did not.
It is generous with residents. Same as CA is generous with their residents. The NPC kicked out 12K/year for in-state at UT with a 0 EFC. The money just isn’t there for OOS. As people have pointed out, state schools are first and foremost meant to serve the taxpayers of that state.
UT is tuition free for EFC zero residents, that’s why it’s considered generous.
(This doesn’t apply to OOS applicants).
UCs value GPA WAY over test scores and want the best students from each high school so they use local context a lot. So, you may have lower test scores and it won’t be held against you if your scores are well above your high school’s.
Most public universities don’t. In addition, California has excellent financial aid for lower income students admitted to UCs (probably the best in the country for a public system). In short, you can’t use California as an example, it’s the exception not the rule.
UT isn’t a reach compared to UCB/UCLA. Other high ranking universities which could compete with UCs would be UVA, UNC-CH, and UMichigan.
Your best bet is with private universities that meet need.
For Questbridge, make sure to go half and half on universities and LACs, as the students who don’t tend to be less successful in matching, so choose the 12 carefully.
The California schools are wonderful choices instate but you can read it emphasized again and again on this forum that you cannot expect financial aid from them if you are a OOSer. They just don’t give it out.
There are some state schools that do give out money But UT -Austin and the UCs do not (not do the Cal States). Usually state schools give money to OOSers on a merit basis to attract certain students they do not get enough of from their in state school, rather than financial aid. Very few State schools guarantee to meet full need even for their own state students let alone OOS students. I believe UNC Chapel Hill does, and they have embarked upon a mission to get more first generation, disadvantaged, low income students to their school and have laid out the funds to do do. That is still a high reach for you, but with some possibilities that UT -Austin will not have. As we repeatedly tell you, UT-Austin doesn’t meet full need even for their own state kids. Full tuition, yes, but room and board as well, nope, unless that has changed. Not do they give much in merit money. There is no such cache of scholarships. Can’t get what they don’t have. At least UNC-CH has.
Do note that UT Austin doesn’t make any list for general at large applicants as generous for financial aid or merit money. Because it is not! It’s not a personal thing with you, they just don’t give out much to OOS students
My suggestion is to run this situation by the Office of Financial Aid because as an OOS you would be paying non-resident tuition, so it would be best to get clarity directly from the source. This situation would be a breeze for me to answer if you were a Texas resident… (90% of the admitted UT students have to be from Texas by state law).
I know this is old… but still to that guy who was trippen about my stats. Just retook the act and scored a 28… 35 in english and my intended major is journalism. yes i still will apply yall only motivate me ?
I don’t understand why you are wasting an application fee on a school you won’t get accepted to and even if you got extremely lucky and got in, you couldn’t afford. You’re not showing good money management skills at all. Take a personal finance class in college please.
Congratulations. You now have a shot at a lot of private colleges that “meet need”.
Look into Denison (they have an excellent, versatile non fiction writing major).
Hey yall! I was just admitted to the University of Texas at Austin as an OOS student! Yall was really doubting me, but I just wanted to post this to ensure that kids CAN get into UT Austin, especially kids with low stats. I am representing all my communities by getting accepted. My stats are as follows:
ACT: 28
SAT: 1200
GPA Weighted: 4.11
GPA Unweighted: 4.00
3 APs classes junior year
6 APs senior year
