Application process has been a roller coaster so far. Daughter plays two sports and has gone the athletic route but focused ok higher academic schools before realizing that we will not get enough need based money to make these schools affordable. Now trying to find schools where she might get good merit money and may also be able to play a sport or two - D3. ACT 32 but hopefully even higher - retook on Saturday. GPA 4.46 and IB student. I’m realizing that even some of the schools that are less competitive still only offer enough merit money to bring the tuition down to $35,000. I need it to be closer to $20,000. Suggestions? Advice? Live in PA - lots of good schools. She’d like to stay on the Esst coast.
How much are your instate public universities? I know Penn State main campus is more than $20,000.
Is there a regional campus that is more affordable…and where sh could play her sport?
Would she be interested in club sports?
Look at the Colleges that Change Lives…one of them might work.
tuition down to $35,000. I need it to be closer to $20,000<<<
Tuition or total COA? UW GPA? Major? Realistic geographic expansion? Do you have a safety lined up?
Ah yes…just the tuition at Penn State is under $20,000 a year.
The PA schools like West Chester, IUP, Bloomsburg are almost all D2, and do give athletic aid as well as merit aid. You might also look at the Sunshine State Conference in Florida as it is D2 and many of the schools give merit as well as athletic aid, and by stacking the awards you might get under $20k.
What sports, and what does she want to study. A D2 tech school might be a good fit.
Remember that merit aid depends on two factors…how much is allocated to merit, and how your daughter’s profile stacks against the average. You can begin by looking at the data here…https://www.kiplinger.com/tool/college/T014-S001-kiplinger-s-best-values-in-private-colleges/index.php?table=all. Pay attention to the column where it says average non-need aid and the next one, percentage of students who receive it. I couldn’t find this data anywhere else except by tediously looking at the common data set for each college. It’s in there…but this tool is much faster. When acceptances were returned last year, our estimates for each college were dead on. I remember a gal that got into Princeton but went to Seattle University because Princeton gave no side, and SU gave her a full ride. She loved SU, and received many, many perks as a “big fish” in a smaller pond. Jesuit schools often give excellent merit, and are more dedicated to service than religious in most cases. Marist stayed on my DD’s list for a long time!
She would play club sports if she went to a D1 school and could run cross country at the D2 level. She also plays softball. She has been talking to Ursinus coaches - this is a Colleges that change lives school. But I don’t think their biggest scholarship will bring the total cost down low enough. We could probably do a state school honors college (other than Pitt or PSU) for close to 20 and she will apply to one or two. She’d rather be in a smaller environment so I think our list will be long because she will have to apply to a wider range of schools. UW GPA is 3.95. Thank you for the data table. I have been doing a lot of research and it has been tedious and time-consuming.
Lycoming is a beautiful little school in Williamsport PA with a lot of athletes and good merit. York College of PA also very sports heavy. I think they changed their merit since S17 applied, but they were in the $30’s with no merit, so with her stats might get close to your target.
Ursinus may give lots of merit, St Francis University in Loretta PA, Allegheny, Juniata, Susquehanna. Don’t know the sports scene.
My son got merit at IUP, your D would qualify for Cook Honors. She should apply soon for best merit consideration.
Penn State Behrend? Slippery Rock?
@nodebtwanted Here is a good thread with many suggestions for D3 schools that have merit aid, obviously no athletic scholarships. http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/athletic-recruits/1966277-looking-for-d3-schools-with-good-academic-leadership-merit-aid-for-distance-runner-p1.html I will also summon @Midwestmomofboys
D2 might be a good sweet spot for merit and athletic money, IUP is a great suggestion above. Here is a list of d2 schools, you can sort by state. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_NCAA_Division_II_institutions
You will have to research the schools for size, merit, athletic fit (can she be recruited). You are right, this is research intensive and time consuming