I am aware of the thread with the listed automatic scholarships.
In addition to that, I am looking for a school - preferablly a LAC - that will give me a fullride.
Should my college list have 5 schools where I am above their 75 percent stats for a high chance? Or is it better that I call these colleges up /email and see if they’d be interested in such an offer, prior to applying?
Your list should be very UNbalanced! You should look for the LACs that give they type of aid you need. If you qualify for need based aid, apply to those schools. If you don’t qualify for need based aid, you have to focus on the schools that have merit aid.
If you aren’t going to qualify for need based aid, but can’t afford the schools without it, don’t apply to those schools. If your stats really aren’t going to get you merit aid at certain schools, don’t apply to those.
If you are looking for large merit scholarships, your list should include schools which offer such merit scholarships but where you are among the strongest applicants. Generally, these will be where you would be likely or safety for admission only (but would be reach for you if you need a competitive large merit scholarship).
Colleges whose net price calculators indicate that need based aid or automatic-for-stats merit scholarships will make affordable should also be considered for your application list.
@conflictedkang Your posts are all over the place. You have several threads stating that your parents were willing to pay $20,000/yr out of pocket. There is a huge difference between an $80,000 budget and a $0 one. Your SAT score, unfortunately, is too low for many of the well-known automatic full-tuition scholarships (which would still leave you with between $10-15k per yr in room, board, book costs.) Full-rides are even more difficult to find and are limited in number.
In order to pursue full-ride at this point (you have missed the deadlines for many schools’ competitive merit aid applications), you are going to have to apply to much lower ranked schools than you have been asking about. Your Case Westerns are not going to be free based on merit. With a 1430, you need to start investigating schools like Tuskegee. https://www.tuskegee.edu/programs-courses/scholarships/freshman-scholarships
College admissions isn’t a bartering system. You can’t really call them up and offer them high stats in exchange for an $80k education. It takes more than stats to get admitted, and much more than that to get a full ride. You need to study individual school websites to find out what kind of aid they offer and what they look for in an applicant.
If your parents aren’t willing/able to pay for college then you need some financial safeties on your list. Are there any schools you can commute to from your home? If you can find a school with guaranteed merit that you know for sure would be affordable that would work as a financial safety too. But I agree that their ranking may be lower than the colleges you’ve been asking about.
If your family can’t afford, or is unwilling, to pay the full price of a college education, here’re the steps that I recommend:
@conflictedkang are you thinking that some college is going to tell you whether they will grant you a full ride…on the phone or via email…before you apply? If so…forget that idea.
Could you please give us succinct and accurate information here?
How much can your parents pay annually for you to attend college?
Did you apply to University of Alabama as suggested to you several times? You won’t get a full ride, but you will get something…and you will get the scholarship award with your acceptance…quickly. You need to complete the admissions application and the scholarship application.
What is your home state?
This family owns a second piece of real estate…one that is not their primary residence. In May cases, the net price calculators are not accurate when this is the case.
THE most important thing this student needs to find out is how much his parents CAN and WILL pay annually for college. That’s the signal. Everything else is just…noise.
Then he needs to find schools where that price point can be met, and yes, this can include the Direct Loans, and scholarships or grants from the university. But he needs to find schools that really are going to be affordable.
Sure, he can apply to other schools, and see if the money is forthcoming. Maybe it will be. Maybe not.
Full free rides are just not all that plentiful…at all.
Adding to the above: some schools’ deadlines for merit consideration have passed, other deadlines are coming up very quickly (many schools have Dec 1 scholarship/merit deadlines).
@conflictedkang Please update us on the status of your applications and where you have already applied. Further, as many others have said, without an understanding of your family’s financial picture (what your parents will pay and an accounting of internationally held assets), no one can provide the answers that you are seeking on your threads.
What? That’s not how it works OP. YOU need to do your research on the college’s financial aid website" and do your own due diligence if they offer full ride scholarships. No school is going to offer you a full ride on the phone. They are few and far between.
Look at the pinned threads in this sub forum for schools with generous merit aid.
If you can’t go to school without a ton of merit, you should only be applying to schools where your stats put you over the 75th percentile. That should be your whole list and more than just five. That said, you still have to figure out the room and board piece which can be $20k/year on its own. Look at schools that are within commuting distance of your home.
Ok…I’ve read a lot of your other threads. It looks like you are a CA resident.
What public colleges are within commuting distance of where you live?
What IS your parent annual income from 2017…and it doesn’t matter where it was earned?
Do you qualify for the Calgrant?
@Gumbymom am I correct in my thinking that if this student qualifies for the Calgrant and can commute…college will be affordable?
@thumper1: Yes, this student should qualify for the Calgrant and claims they are in within commuting distance to UCLA and probably some of the Cal States. OP states they live in the Valley assuming San Fernando, so Northridge can be an option. I know this poster has started many threads and states their EFC is $12,00K and parents are willing to pay $15-20K/year??? Parents AGI listed is anywhere from $63K to $80K.
Depending upon what is correct regarding the parents financial situation, they could easily afford a Cal state and possible a UC. OP you need to run the Net price calculators on the Cal States and UC’s and post your results.
The results won’t be anywhere near accurate unless you include the value of all property, income, and assets (including foreign bank accounts, real estate, and any rent/income generated by that property). That information also must be included on all financial aid forms. If you enter the information accurately and your parents can’t/won’t pay their expected family contribution, it’s better to know now than in April when it will be too late to apply to most colleges for this cycle.
True @austinmshauri: As they say garbage in so garbage out.
Full rides are very very rare and have early deadlines. It’s more like top 5% to have a shot unless it’s automatic. Manyvhad Nov1 deadlines so hopefully you’ve already applied.
Where have you applied so far?
Your posts are confusing.
Why do you suddenly need a full ride when recently you said parents will pay $20k per year?
When you fill out FA forms, are your parents going to include their foreign holdings (real estate, savings, investments)?
Are the UCs suddenly unaffordable to you?
What about Redlands or Whittier or St Mary’s College of California? They would give merit and you would get some cal grant money towards the cost.