<p>I’m guessing your family income is above $100K, but not too much above? If it were much less, you could qualify for some need based aid. If it were much more, your parents should be able to come up with resources to support you (though of course every family is different).</p>
<p>Anyway, if you are somewhere in that difficult middle zone, the very most selective schools (HYPS) may turn out to be your most affordable option (depending on your income and the school). With your grades, SATs, and URM status, you may have a decent shot if you apply to several of them, assuming your essays and LORs are excellent. Look for outside scholarships if your family income is at the upper end of the HYPS cut-offs. And, don’t let anyone convince you that you’re a shoo-in for admission to these schools, because they are a reach for everyone.</p>
<p>Your next best option would be top schools that offer merit aid. Many of these are in the midwest or south (such as the Associated Colleges of the Midwest). Grinnell, Carleton, Macalester, Oberlin (LACs), the University of Chicago, Tulane, and WUSTL are a few that come to mind (not sure if the latter gives merit aid though). This group includes some excellent, well financed schools that you may never have heard of, so don’t be put off by lack of a famous name.</p>
<p>Next, consider public institutions in your state as academic and financial safeties.</p>
<p>You should have many excellent choices if you apply to a mix of reach, match, and safety schools in 2 or more of these categories.</p>
<p>Vicky, you should apply to a bunch of schools ranging from the great publics (like Michigan, Texas, UVa and Wisconsin) to the great private universities that give merit scholarships (such as Duke, Rice, Vanderbilt and Washington University). The four public universities listed offer merit scholraships, particularly to URMs of your calibre) and have relatively easy applications to fil. The four private schools listed above are all part of the common application. </p>
<p>Furthermore, as some have suggested, certain Ivy League/private universities are VERY generous with aid. Harvard, MIT (especially in the case of female URMs), Princeton and Yale come straight to mind. </p>
<p>Of course, you have the added comfort of knowing that Cal and UCLA are virtual safeties for you and both are relatively affordable ($25k per year).</p>
<p>There seems to be this perception that HYPS just gives anyone money. And then there’s the notion that $100K won’t get you any money. Both are false. The OP has told us twice here that she does not qualify for aid. We have talked by PM, she does not qualify. </p>
<p>In another thread there’s a family that makes $450K looking for merit aid. Real people with high salaries often look for it! So can folks ask once if someone qualifies, and if they say no stop suggesting that they must qualify at HYPS and actually address the question and help the OP?</p>
<p>Yes, I agree with hmom5. My family does not qualify, even at HYPS. Hence, my son did not apply to them. End of story.</p>
<p>If this student does not want her family to shell out full pay for non-merit schools, why bother applying? Her record makes her a good candidate for merit money at good schools.</p>
<p>Did you look at NYU? You may be one of the few they would give good aid to. U Chicago would be worth having a look at, hard to believe BU wouldn’t give you good merit aid, Sarah Lawrence near NYC probably would too.</p>
<p>I love how people say they like urban schools but then they say Columbia is “too urban.” Then you like suburban schools, schools that are near a big city or feel like they’re close but are really isolated from a big city. Most urban universities are like Columbia – an enclave within the larger city. (Also, I wouldn’t rate Columbia as too urban. It feels like an oasis from New York when you step here).</p>
<p>None of the Ivy League schools offer merit aid, and saying “you can always appeal…” Appeals get denied all the time. In order to appeal, you have to have a compelling reason you think they didn’t give you enough money.</p>
<p>Also, very few students don’t qualify for aid. You may not qualify for any nonrepayable aid, but I doubt that as well.</p>
<p>Also vicky, consider looking at some liberal arts colleges in or near urban areas – around NYC and a bit further there’s Sarah Lawrence (which is pretty close to Manhattan), Marist, Vassar…in MA Babson and Emerson…Haverford in PA…there are others.</p>
<p>Very few students don’t qualify for aid!!! Are you kidding? An average of 50% of kids at ivies get no aid. At some top LACs it’s considerably higher. Many driving up the rates at the uber generous schools are upper middle class kids getting loans only who are considered to get aid. These schools could fill themselves many times over will full pay students.</p>
<p>If money is a big issue, go to Berkeley. If you can afford $60-$80 K in out-of-pocket expenses including room and board, or loans, paid back over 10-20 years then a family with an income of $100-$150 K should be able to afford an Ivy. It depends on how much you want the Ivy League (or Georgetown).</p>
<p>To clarify, many of the Ivy schools offer substantial aid up to an annual income of about $180,000 per year, and IIRC H and Y require the family to contribute no more than 10% of income. I don’t know what your family income is, obviously, but I think that it is unwise to eliminate the true deep-pockets schools from consideration. Especially since you have high stats, URM status, and leadership experience: all things that appeal to those schools. [ Edit: I see after posting that Hmom says that the student is indeed above the aid limits for these schools. In that case, it seems to me that if the family can’t or wont spend that kind of $$, there’s no point in the student applying and just being tortured if she gets in. Unless, of course, she is able to get an outside scholarship such as the Pepsi or Lowes or something else that is substantial.] </p>
<p>I’ve seen lots of good suggestions here. You might also want to look at the University of Rochester, which is a great school in the size range you are looking for that has an array of good merit scholarships ranging up to pretty much a full ride, and is interested in diversity.</p>
<p>I’m in danger of being a broken record on this, but the U of Chicago Odyssey Scholarships are capped at about $5,200, and only cover what would otherwise be subsidized Federal student loans. The U of C does give need-based aid beyond Odyssey, but it isn’t known for being great in that department in comparison to peer institutions. On the other hand, unlike many of its peers, it does have a limited number of very high $$ merit scholarships.</p>
<p>^^^Most of the merit money at Chicago is a 10K/year award. There are a couple of dozen 30K or so awards offered each year. Very tough to get, but if that brings cost down to the point that vicky and her family can/will cover it, then Chicago is definitely worth looking at.</p>
<p>This is a super college but a bit of a “secret”. It is in Burlington, Vt.- a great small city! They have lots of merit and other aid…also a phi beta kappa chapter. Check it out. Our daughter can’t say enough about her education there. She now attends graduate school at Syracuse where she is getting a free ride, so Saint Michael’s certainly got her to the prestigious graduate school in fine fashion and she graduated in three years, saving even more in money.</p>