http://webs.wichita.edu/?u=ugrad&p=/qa/ Here’s the admission requirements for WSU. Since your ACT score is 26, you might be eligible for automatic admission.
The OP is from Oklahoma not Kansas, @albert69 so they wouldn’t qualify and it probably would not make sense financially.
nice username btw
Oh, sorry about that @slights32. Thanks! Yours is good too. Albert is just a random name I like, 69 is an important year to me (1969, and no it is not my birth year.)
Check out the University of Arizona (rolling admissions). Your stats are in-line with UofA. Also, since you have a 504 I recommend you check out their SALT program.
Perhaps a bit off topic here, but I just checked ACT/SAT comparisons, and it seems to me that an ACT of 26 is perfectly respectable … according to one chart, it’s the equivalent of a 1200. In theory that matches the stats of a large swath of well-regarded private colleges that, unfortunately, you can’t afford.
To name just a few (and not looking at the GPA, rigor of high school record, etc but just at the ACT/SAT equivalents): Gettysburg, Dickinson, Denison, Ohio Wesleyan, Earlham, Goucher, American University, George Washington University, Catholic University … the list is very, very long and starts to get into some pretty prestigious territory, actually.
@ambriehl, don’t sell yourself short. You are every bit as good a student as the kids who go to those schools, and you’re handling extraordinary life challenges on top of it. You’re a rock star! Unfortunately you probably wouldn’t qualify for merit scholarships at those schools, they don’t seem to meet full need with grants, and you couldn’t afford the loans, so yeah, you may need to go the CC route. But I could personally tell you about several students who couldn’t afford college, went to a CC, ended up on scholarships to some of the schools on the list above, and succeeded splendidly. You’ve had some bad luck with an application that had to go into a very big pool where it didn’t stand out, but you can do really well for yourself in the future.
Oh, and you’re very articulate and proactive too. I have the feeling that you’ll find a way to reach your goals 
community college is ok, basic classes credit can be transfer to 4 yrs college. You are just doing step by step and working hard in all attend classe. You can do it.
Sorry to hear that you had to experience all that at a young age.
I’m proud to say that I’m currently in my last semester at CC and after the time I’ve spent here (fourth semester), CC is truly, truly overlooked and UNDERRATED.
Let me give you my background in high school. I was a piss-poor student who didn’t give a damn about education. The past is the past, but my GPA was probably even worse than yours. CC is the place for a second chance in your academic career. You can start fresh. Use the high motivation to become a standout student to your advantage. My transfer GPA is sitting at a decent 3.31, and have been accepted to numerous 4-year colleges, and it truly is the best feeling.
So, I would definitely go for CC. Either way, if you think about it, the first two years even in a 4-year university are typically spent on getting GE courses out of the way, which is something you can just do at a CC. So, why pay a higher tuition for GE courses? You’ll ultimately be getting a better bang for your buck, as well as a better investment in your education.
I hope I have helped you to some degree. Good luck!
I think you need to visit your local community colleges and get a better feel for them. I live in a rural area that has two community colleges - one about 10 miles away, the other about 25 miles away. Many of my coworkers attended these schools. A lot of kids I know attend them and it has been a great thing for them. They have had positive experiences and gone on to finish their degrees at four year schools. My husband attended community college and then finished up at a local state college. I attended a more expensive four year college with a better reputation. He and I have the same job working in different school districts and he makes about $10K more than me. I’d say that I probably enjoyed college more than he did, but I think his community college/state university plan worked out well for him.
It concerns me when you say that paying for taking the ACT test and colleges applications has been a challenge for you. Community colleges are a great deal.
Re: the list in post 24, few ( if any) of the schools on that list are still accepting applications, and the OP is a senior. Also, some of those schools don’t make sense for a 26… For example, 26 is under the 25% mark for Dickinson.
There is a list of schools that gets published in around May of schools that still have space and are taking applications. But I suspect affordability would be an issue for most of them.
One of my Son, while still in High School, is currently taking Dual Enrollment Courses at a local Community College (they now refer to them as State Colleges) and will complete 46 Credit hours at the end of High School. Being Dual Enrollment, the cost of Tuition/Fees/Books are paid for my the State/Community College/Local School Board. He will probably finish close to 60 Credits by the end of the Summer Term before going to his 4-year University. He will essentially do only 2-years at this school, finishing his 4-year degree at age 20 and will cost him/us only 2-years of University Tuition/Room & Board.
I have been on Campus at the Local Community College and was blown away by their Technology available to their students. One of the Local Community College where he has taken classes also have two 4-Year Universities (Satellite Campus) and a Private 4-Year University sharing the Campus or with walking distance, so there is a mix of 2-Year & 4-Year Students on Campus. These students have just as good College experience like most 4-year Universities. Also, as someone mentioned above, Community Colleges/State Colleges are highly underrated and there are many students from outside the US who attend these Colleges who are very gifted Students (attend due to affordability issue).
This article may help: http://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/articles/2014/05/06/hundreds-of-options-open-to-late-college-applicants
It’s dated last year, but I bet a lot of the same schools are options.
Or look here: http://www.scribd.com/doc/251350433/107-Super-Safety
I recommend you look into Franklin College (not university) in Franklin Indiana. A number of students from my kids’ high school have gone there and are pleased with their experience there. They seem to give out nice financial aid packages and it is a very good regional college. Your g.p.a. is a bit low but with your solid ACT and extenuating circumstances you might have a shot.
You (OP) might want to look into Berea College in Berea, KY. I don’t know what the admission deadlines are - perhaps they have passed - but Berea is a tuition-free college that would probably fit your goals and financial/family situation well. If the deadline has passed, maybe a gap year would make sense if you could get into Berea. A small town, LAC seems like what you are looking for and Berea targets low income students with academic potential.
Yes, the list in post #30 is the one I was referring to. But I think the issue will be affordability – these are mostly not schools that meet need, and the OP would probably be gapped significantly if accepted.
Looking more at this thread, OP I would seriously consider CC. My mom went to CC and then transferred to a four year after two years, and now she makes enough money that we don’t qualify for financial aid (a blessing and a curse). So yeah, it’s cheap, the classes are going to probably be easier leading to less stress on you, and on your resume you’d still be able to list that you graduated from x 4 year university in whatever year. Good luck~
@redpoodles
Thank you so much, you’re very kind. I hope I end up where I want to be.
@citybus
The acceptance rate seems a little too low for me to have a chance, but overall it seems like an alright school and I’ll see if its a fit once I look at it more.
@MomOnALaptop
Thank you immensely for your extremely kind words. They mean more to me than I probably could ever relay to you. A lot of people really don’t realize how much they can help someone with just a little bit of positivity, especially when you’re in my circumstances. While those schools are impossible with my GPA as it stands, if I do well enough in CC I could have a chance at those, or equally as good albeit easier to get into, universities.
@EDawgGoesToCSU
Thank you, and CC is definitely looking better the more I hear about it. Although the CC’s here really aren’t the best from what I understand, I’ll most likely end up moving up to Indiana, where I’m sure there’s some viable options.
@bjkmom
Thank you so much! These will help a lot. I appreciate it.
@tigerfish
Thanks for the suggestion! I’ll see if my boyfriend or his mom knows anything about it. I might talk to admissions there too. The acceptance rate is whats worrying me.
@greeninohio
“Most of our students score between 20 and 30 on the ACT (1410 -1980 SAT) and have a cumulative high school GPA of at least 3.0 in a strong college prep curriculum. Students may take either the ACT or SAT.”
Haha seems like a bit of a stretch for me, and that acceptance rate is making me sweat. Not sure if its accurate though?
@slights32
Thank you (again and again) for all your help! And yea, CC is looking like the right path if I can’t get into the last few unis I’m applying to.
West Texas A&M is not that far from Oklahoma (near Amarillo), has dirt cheap out of state tuition, and appears to still be taking applications.
http://www.wtamu.edu/business-office-cost-of-attendance.aspx
http://www.wtamu.edu/admissions/freshman-admission-requirements.aspx
Please do not pay much attention to “acceptance” rates. These can be very misleading. It all depends on who is applying. At WTAMU, your ACT score would put you in roughly the top ten percent. Its 71% acceptance rate is irrelevant to you.
Also, the University of Central Oklahoma is on one list of colleges with rolling admissions. You might want to check it out.
You have my condolences for all you’ve had to go through.
I don’t have much specific advice, but watch the expenses and the best of luck! You seem like a strong and resilient student.
Check out Georgia State in Atlanta - your stats are on part with theirs and you can request an out-of-state fee waiver. There are quite a few other schools in Georgia still taking apps and are on part with your qualifications but I’m not sure how generous with aid they all are
OP, I don’t know that I have any advice to offer beyond what you have gotten here. I just wanted to say I admire your strength and determination. You seem to have researched things well, and are staying open to all options…smart! If there is a college that you are interested in, you might contact them personally about an application fee waiver, couldn’t hurt.
Please keep us posted on how things are going. we are rooting for you.