Every college that participated in federal Title IV aid (for example, Hillsdale does not). But maybe they meant doubling the grant by matching with institutional money?
Yes. I shouldâve worded better. WVU is a public school. It might be affordable. I think itâs a sleeper school. They have a teaching/trauma hospital on campus. WVU is basically becoming the health system of WV.
I know little about the intricacies of FA but was also thinking of ways to lessen the impact of farming assets. Look for private schools that only use FAFSA.
Iâm not financial-aid savvy at all, but my D was accepted into Simmons Universityâs 3+3 DPT with a generous merit scholarship for all 6 years. That was her most generous FA offer. Stat-wise, your D would be near the top at Simmons I think. A big pro for Simmons is its location in Boston and big con (for my D) is that itâs small and all women for undergrad. So sheâs not taking their generous offer.
I know youâll get good advice on this thread and your D will have some great options, Iâm sure.
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Well, one thing at a time. I like the idea of Questbridge. That would be a no-brainer with your daughterâs stats. Wait to see what the SAT scores look like first though.
Why not try auto merit schools? I would look at Texas Tech, Wyoming, Maine as three reputable publics with auto merit for GPA and SAT. Alabama would be another great option. If out of pocket is ~$10k then with federal loan and summer work, many of these schools would be doable. Another option is ROTC. Then it is free.
One potential issue with LACs is that the sex ratio is often lopsided and women are at a disadvantage. However, womenâs only LACs could be great!
Obviously, in reality, there is a significant cost to accepting an ROTC scholarship.
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No one should do ROTC for college tuition benefit unless they want to serve in the military.
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Looks like not all ROTC students get full tuition + stipend scholarships, which are competitive.
Obviously, joining ROTC (scholarship or not) requires being interested and eligible for service as an officer in the US military. (Note that only about 30% of young Americans are considered eligible for US military service.)
If finances are dire, then ROTC is AN option. Not for everyone but a very legitimate and great option for the right student. My daughterâs best friend went that route. Full cost plus living expenses.
I disagree. If ROTC is only a consideration because finances are dire, the student is making the decision for all the wrong reasons. Wanting to be a military officer and being willing to make a serious commitment to military service should be the prime motivators for submitting an ROTC application - not the money. I say this as a retired officer with 24 years of service, and although ROTC was not my commissioning source, many of my fellow officers did have their education paid for by U.S. taxpayers (ROTC or a service academy). It was usually easy to tell who among those officers had been more motivated by the government paid college education than by the ideal of service to their country. In the corporate world that might not be such a big deal, but when the bullets start to fly, you can bet your you-know-what that it makes a huge difference.
Donât complete an ROTC application unless your primary goal is to serve as a leader in the United States military.
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OP has too many assets for QB (farm, agricultural), which OP said they looked into for their first D.
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I have no opposition to any of my children signing up to serve our country. However, I would definitely want them to do because they want to serve and not solely for financial purposes. In fact, one of the discussions I recently had with my daughter was that maybe she should consider joining the military.
Actually Pell eligibility is based on 1 child. The tough part about being in the business of producing food is that we have a very high income but also equally high expenses. That gets coupled with huge investment in land and equally large mortgages. For the fafsa, they base it off AGI and schedule F. So as far as fafsa is concerned we are at a $0 EFC. Itâs when they start considering land equity without considering mortgage liability for things like questbridge that it gets muddy.
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Right, this is why CSS Profile schools likely wonât work for you, unless theyâre willing to review financial aid holistically, like they claim to review admissions. lol
WVU is worth looking at. Iâm not sure you can get a full ride there, but they have an auto-merit chart, and the individual colleges have extra $$ to give. I know this b/c my kid is at WVU on a full-tuition scholarship.
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Texas Tech should be around $10K for your daughter. Its sister school Angelo State would be almost free. Both will offer OOS tuition waivers. I believe at ASU, Honors college will be another $3-4K. I would consider these safeties.
These are some colleges I would consider that do not use the CSS Profile (per this siteâŠmake sure to select âNoâ for domestic applicants), so would be more likely to not be negatively impacted by your farm. They are all residential colleges that offer some version of physical therapy/athletic training/exercise science/kinesiology as a major:
- Springfield (MA): It has a small student/faculty ratio of 12:1, has about 2200 undergrads, and majors in physical therapy and related fields, but also in non-health related fields (business, English, art teacher education, etc). Their average is 77% of need met, but as your daughter would probably be a top candidate, I wouldnât be surprised if they made a very competitive offer.
- Saint Louis U. (MO): This one has an even smaller student/faculty ratio of 9:1 with about 7300 undergrads. Thereâs a major in physical therapy, but numerous other options are available. It meets an average of 81% of financial need, but I think your daughter would be a top contender for a more extensive financial award.
- Marist (NY): There are about 5200 undergrads at this university with a major in physical therapy, and a plethora of other options. Only meets an average of 74% of financial need, but this might be one of the NY institutions that PHEAA can be used in (or whatever the Pell matching grant would be called if used in NY). Again, I think your daughter would be very competitive for additional financial awards to attend.
- Ithaca (NY): About 5000 undergrads that offers a physical therapy major and many other choices. It has a 9:1 student/faculty ratio and is another NY school, so worth investigation if the pell match would work here. Ithaca meets an average of 87% of financial need and gives generous merit aid.
- Marietta (OH): This school has around 1100 undergrads and offers a major in athletic training and various other fields. It has an 8:1 student/faculty ratio and, drumroll please
âŠmeets an average of 100% of financial need and gives generous merit aid!!! And as itâs in Ohio, it appears as though the Pell Grant match could be used here. - Norwich (VT): There are around 3200 undergrads here and an major in athletic training is offered (along with many other majors). It has a 13:1 student/faculty ratio and meets an average of 87% of financial need. But once again, I think your daughter would qualify for substantial merit aid as well. And itâs in Vermont, which appears as though you could use the Pell Grant match as well.
I obviously canât guarantee that everything would turn out the way you want at these universities, but I think the odds would be pretty decent. If your D is interested in any of these after doing some research, I would definitely reach out to the admissions/financial aid offices to get more clarity before applying.
Perhaps look into some of the schools that do a pre-read, so you can get an idea of how owning the farm will impact aid. There was a thread on this.
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My friends daughter was awarded very generous merit at Eastern Uni in Philly. It wasnât on their radar until an open house at her hs. She applied and it was hands down the most affordable. She loved it there and was accepted to her first choice PT school and is there now.
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Here are some other residential colleges that I would consider that are located in Delaware, D.C., Ohio, Vermont, or West Virginia in order to take advantage of the Pell Grant match program. They were not listed on the link in my previous post on whether they use CSS or not. So, I would check each universityâs website and see. And although Pennsylvania may not be wonderful for public school affordability, there is an abundance of good colleges in the state. Iâm rather jealous.
- U. of Dayton (OH): Offers a major in exercise science & kinesiology and in physical therapy. It has about 8700 undergrads and meets an average of 85% of financial need as well as generous merit aid. This is a D1 school if your daughter wants that kind of athletics environment.
- Ursinus (PA ): Offers a major in exercise physiology & kinesiology. There are about 1500 undergrads with an 11:1 student/faculty ratio. Ursinus meets about 81% of financial need but also offers generous merit aid. This is one of the schools in the Colleges That Change Lives association.
- Messiah (PA ): Offers majors in physical therapy and in athletic training. It has about 2600 undergrads and meets 77% of need. Good merit aid is available as well.
- Lebanon Valley (PA ): Offers majors in physical therapy, exercise science & kinesiology, and in athletic training. There are about 1600 undergrads and a 12:1 student/faculty ratio. Lebanon Valley meets 82% of financial need, and I suspect your daughter would receive merit aid as well.
- John Carroll (PA ): Major in exercise science & kinesiology and a 13:1 student/faculty ratio. It meets 80% of financial need and offers generous merit aid.
- Ohio Northern: Majors offered in athletic training, exercise physiology & kinesiology, and exercise science & kinesiology. Thereâs an 11:1 student/faculty ratio and about 2,000 undergrads on campus. The university meets about 78% of need and I suspect your D would receive merit aid, too.
- Hiram (OH): Meets 91% of financial need and offers merit aid. Thereâs a major in exercise science and kinesiology. Thereâs about 900 undergrads with an 11:1 student/faculty ratio. This is another of the schools in the Colleges That Change Lives association.
- Thomas Jefferson (PA )
- Elizabethtown (PA )
- Moravian (PA )
- Gannon (PA )
- Marywood (PA )
- Misericordia (PA )
- Arcadia (PA )
- Bowling Green State (OH): and for a change of pageâŠhereâs a bigger college with about 13,000 undergrads. It offers 230 majors including athletic training and physical therapy. Meets 81% of financial need and is another D1 school if your D wants that kind of sporting environment.
There are some others (primarily in Pennsylvania) that might be worth investigating if you want a longer list, but I didnât want to completely overwhelm. 
I used the College Boardâs site to help develop the above list. And Eastern that @MistySteel27 mentioned was one of those!
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I just had to jump in about Lebanon Valley College. It is a wonderful small school. I was so impressed by the professors we met on our visit with an older child several years ago. She was not interested in PT but I remember the PT facilities that we saw on our tour. I believe they also have a clinic in town for clinical experiences. They were as generous as other small Pennsylvania colleges in terms of scholarships, and added a grant on top of merit. I think they may also have several full tuition competitive scholarships.
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Re: Your earlier statement about Pitt: <<The Pell and Pell match amount to about a $13,000 scholarship and the PHEAA adds another $2000ish>>
Just to reinforce, those #s I gave up above were per semester. So 2100 per semester for PHEAA - not for the year. If you indeed get the same results with a 0 EFC as the person I helped (with a 0 EFC) did.
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