<p>I really want to go to UNC Chapel Hill, and my counselors and teachers, even the ones that really do not know me, have said that I'm pretty much a lock to be accepted. </p>
<p>However, my parents are freaking out over the cost for tuition, room, and board. I want to be either a dentist or a physician, but I'm also willing to be a nurse just so I don't accumulate as much debt. Anyway, is in-state tuition really THAT much of a hindrance? The UNC website says that I'll be paying about 20k a year without any merit aid... If my household income is in the $100-150k range, will it really be THAT bad for them? I understand that college tuition is expensive, but in-state tuition is supposed to be a pretty good deal, right? I'm asking here so I can actually have some good arguments to my parents about the financial part of going to a college like Chapel Hill.</p>
<p>About merit aid, I'm somewhat worried... I missed the EA deadline because I really didn't feel that comfortable with my essays, and I have heard that the Pogue and other merit scholarships offered by Chapel Hill are pretty much limited to EA applicants.. Would any of the scholarships I qualify for do much to help?</p>
<p>I just honestly don't know that much about how the finances and scholarship processes work.</p>
<p>You need to sit down with your parents, and talk with them about how they expect you to pay for your education. How much (if anything) are they able and willing to pay? How do they feel about you taking student loans? How much money do they expect you to make by working during the vacations and the school year?</p>
<p>What is the full Cost of Attendance (COA) for you? Not just tuition and fees, but also housing, meals, books, materials, travel, personal expenses, etc. If tuition alone is 20k, the whole cost would be more like 35k. Re-check the website to find out how this university calculates the COA. Is there any expense that you could skip? For example, if you can commute from home, your housing expense could be lower.</p>
<p>UNC Chapel Hill is a good deal, as college costs go, for the in-state resident. But a bunch of folks on a message board cannot tell you whether it’s affordable for your parents. Scholarship money is available for EA and regular decision but I don’t know about the Pogue. There are two scholarship days, one for the EA candidates and one for the regular decision candidates. </p>
<p>Happymom - the cost is about 20K inclusive of room/board/books/and fees.</p>
<p>OP, Even with your household income you can borrow the Stafford amount ($5.5K as a freshman) which would reduce what your parents have to pay to <$15K. Talk to them about what they are willing to pay.</p>
<p>UNC is such a great bargain that we’re even applying out of state. It’s hard to imagine a better deal for a quality flagship for an in-state student. UNC in-state might just be the very best deal left in the country …!</p>
<p>(barring massive need-based grants or big merit dollars, of course)</p>
<p>For many families, even paying instate rates with room, board, and books is too expensive. </p>
<p>You need to ask your parents exactly how much they’ll pay each year. If it’s about $10k or less, then you probably need to look at some schools that will give you a large merit scholarship for your stats.</p>
<p>*Gender and Ethnicity: Male 1st Generation Asian
GPA: ~3.9 (UW) / ~4.64 (W)
Rank: 8/225 (top 5%)
SAT: 2010 (math 700, reading 630, writing 680, 9 on essay)
Major: Nursing or Biology
*</p>
<p>I doubt that your stats are high enough for merit at UNC-CH. Your M+CR score is 1330. You could get merit scholarships elsewhere. </p>
<p>It sounds like your family’s income is too high for need-based aid at UNC.</p>