<p>I'm a HS senior, and I'm thinking about applying to UMass Amherst. I'm from OK so I'd have to pay oos tuition, which I'm not sure I can afford, but I also doubt I could get much (if any) need-based aid. I was just wondering what kind of merit aid UMass would award. I have a 4.0 UW GPA, 4.78 W GPA, 34 ACT, 2nd in my class of 494, rigorous coursework.</p>
<p>See [UMass</a> Amherst: Financial Aid Services - Scholarships](<a href=“Financial Aid : UMass Amherst”>Financial Aid : UMass Amherst)
</p>
<p>The average GPA at UMass is 3.66 and the mid 50% for the ACT is 24-28. Your numbers put you at the tippy top of the applicant pool. I do not know what the top merit award is, but you are certainly in the running for it. What is it that you like about the school?</p>
<p>Just curious why you mention UMASS. Is there a particular reason? It’s a fine school but if you are willing to travel that far for college, with those great stats, there are likely a number of schools where you could get better merit.</p>
<p>Also, if you give some info about your family’s financial situation and why you don’t think you would qualify for need based aid, folks could comment on whether your feeling is correct.</p>
<p>What you plan to major in could also affect what merit you might get at different schools.</p>
<p>The main thing I like about UMass is its location, how it’s pretty close to Boston and NYC. Also, usnews ranks it 97 among nat’l universities, which I figure is pretty good. I don’t really know of any 4 year public research universities that would give me a full ride or close.
My parents only have 1 dependent, and they make probably around 70-80k a year.</p>
<p>I calculated our approx EFC and it’s 25k, but we can’t really spend that much</p>
<p>While UMass is a fine school ( my older daughter has friends there), quite frankly you can do better. There are plenty of schools in the Boston/NYC area ( and surrounding areas) where you may qualify for decent merit aid and/or financial aid. There is nothing wrong with applying to UMass Amherst, but there are SO MANY options available to a student of your caliber that it would be a shame to limit yourself. Your parents income would likely qualify you for financial aid ( if your numbers are correct).</p>
<p>Is there a reason you are only interested in public research universities? With only a few exceptions, out of state publics are the least likely to have need-based and large merit aid for out of state students. Do you have an intended major? If being close to Boston/NY doesn’t work out are you still more interested in being farther away from home than being in state?</p>
1 Like
<p>twogirls, thank you so much! I’ll start exploring other options</p>
<p>I just think I prefer public to private, not sure why. I don’t have a major in mind. And I’m definitely more interested in oos schools than in state. If it’s not too much trouble, could you give me a couple examples of schools (public or private) that give sizable aid to oos students? Thanks!</p>
<p>Try these schools for merit and/or FA. While there are no guarantees, it’s worth investigating:
Ivy League ( worth checking into FA)
SUNY Buffalo ( you qualify for a full ride - worth exploring although not near Boston or NYC)
Northeastern U ( they have full tuition scholarships for top applicants)
Boston U ( Trustee Scholarship)
U of Rochester- upstate NY
There are many more, but I don’t know your exact geographic preferences. You have much work to do- good luck!!</p>
<p>UPitt is another school that gives merit aid to OOS students. How far do you want to be from Boston or NYC?</p>
<p>Thanks for all the help! That’ll definitely get me started.</p>
<p>UVa and UNC are known as probably the two best publics financially for out of state students. Several publics in Alabama including UA have large automatic merit aid for CS and Engineering students. UMiss and Miss State also have some of the better aid for out of state students.</p>
<p>Here’s a list of schools that will waive out of state tuition for stats:</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1505285-automatic-out-state-tuition-waivers.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1505285-automatic-out-state-tuition-waivers.html</a></p>
<p>and one about automatic full tuition scholarships:</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1348012-automatic-full-tuition-full-ride-scholarships.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1348012-automatic-full-tuition-full-ride-scholarships.html</a></p>
<p>You have to verify the info each year on the school’s web sites as it can change.</p>
<p>Each school on their website has a Net Price Calculator(NPC). You plug in financial info and sometimes GPA and test scores and get an estimate of what kind of aid you may get. But it’s only an estimate. If your parents are self-employed, own a business or own rental properties the estimate will be less accurate.</p>
<p>You realize the “pretty close to Boston and NYC” means a couple hours drive? I would be surprised if you made it to either city more than once or twice a semester. With your stats you might be better off looking at other schools that will offer you a good amount of merit. What about Marquette or any of the Jesuit schools like Fordham in NYC? BC does not offer a lot of merit money, but might be worth a look.</p>
<p>If $25k is too much, how much have your parents said they can and will contribute each year? That’s the starting point of any financial decisions regarding college.</p>
<p>They can probably afford 5-10k a year, 10k is pushing it though.</p>
<p>And I know Amherst isn’t right next door to Boston/NYC, but it’s far closer than OK is.</p>
<p>There are a number of small LAC’s that might offer a substantial merit scholarship to someone with your stats, one that would make the cost of attendance less than in-state tuition at somewhere like UMass. One that comes to mind is Trinity College which has a Presidential Scholarship that covers 100% or 50% of tuition (don’t forget, you will still have living expenses to pay for). Trinity is closer to NYC but between both cities. </p>
<p>With your stats you should be considering any college that offers merit aid, big or small. Widen the search, you could find that it’s considerably less expensive to attend a top 50 small private school than a top 100 large public university.</p>
<p>If your EFC is $25K, it is unlikely you get more financial aid than that. The way it work, you would need to get merit aid that brings the cost down to the level you and your parents can afford. That is not going to be easy even with your outstanding stats. You are looking for full tuition waiver and then some. You need to check out college that have generous merit awards. SUNY Buffalo is one, yes. Be aware that the more name recognition a school has, as a general rule, the more difficult it is to get a full tuition merit award. Take a look at our lists of schools that do have have generous merit money.</p>