You are right. Thank you. I misread.
OP, what is your projected UW GPA after junior year?
All of these course requirements will be completed Senior year! History/Social Science and Math have already been completed.
By the time I graduate, I will have ticked all of Maryvilleâs admission requirements.
The projected UW GPA for Junior year is ~3.93. If you add this with the 2.85, Iâd assume ~3.1. The majority of my courses are weighted and high level, unlike my freshman year, and this gives me the assumption that including weight, itâd be ~3.4 (Could be 3.3, etc.).
2.85 was updated as of last year. The transcript was requested towards the end of the first semester of Junior year, although Iâm not sure if they wouldâve included my first semester grades in the GPA calculation as the semester hadnât ended⊠The transcript does include my first-semester grades, not sure if that wouldâve been included in the GPA calculation.
That upward trend is notable, and makes me optimistic for your future success. But your ACT confirms a current low level of preparedness for coursework at a competitive, selective college.
Your best bet, especially with your low budget, is to start at a community college near you that hopefully has comp sci as a major, and has a transfer agreement with your local 4 yr state college, or your flagship state U, that has comp sci as a major (assuming that you continue with that). You can afford the community college, even if you donât qualify for pell grants or other fin aid, plus you can probably get $5500/yr of subsidized federal student loans for your first two years, and then a bit more for your last two years.
Get a 4.0 at the community college and I wouldnât be surprised if you get awarded some merit money, too, at U Missouri or whatever 4 yr college you wind up attending.
The transfer agreement would probably allow you to transfer to the state or flagship U with a 3.5, maybe even lower - you should be able to get a 3.5 at community college pretty easily, since you now appear to be serious about school.
Frankly, the 4 yr schools that might take you with your GPA and ACT are very unlikely to meet your financial need. Your best and most affordable option will be the one outlined above. If you can, get a jump start on your comm coll gen eds by doing them as dual enrollment while in high school, if possible, and if possible, especially those classes that will require two years of work - comp sci, math. This will save you money and time. Also, look into allowable CLEPing out of gen eds, by self-prepping via modernstates.org. You would need to check to see which CLEPs your community college would take. You may be able to dual enroll and CLEP out of so much that youâd be able to get your associates done in one year, by taking summer classes, too. Comm college classes are so easy (other than, hopefully, math and comp sci) that you could probably take six classes a semester, too, so as to get done with the required 60 credits and prereqs in time to transfer to the transfer agreement school to start there in Sept '24. You could be done with your degree with only 3 yrs of college after high school, at relatively low cost, and have a credential (a degree in comp sci from U Miz) that allows you to get a decent job with good pay.
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You can do the math to see. Same for updating your uwGPA with this semesterâs grades, if you know them already.
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According to an online GPA calculator sourceâŠ
UW Cumulative GPA - Freshman Year: 1.66
UW Cumulative GPA - Sophomore Year: 2.71
UW Cumulative GPA - First Sem. Junior Year: 2.86
UW Cumulative GPA - Projected Junior Year: 3.0
W Cumulative GPA - Projected Junior Year: 3.38
W Cumulative GPA - Projected (Guesstimated) Senior Year: 3.6
Seems they mustâve added first-semester Junior year.
If your grade is on the transcript, then yes it would be in the calculation.
Deleted. I canât read!!! 
Not sure what happened to the post.
I deleted my response because I misread your post. Sorry! 
So at end of junior year, ~3.0 UW, 24 ACT
$10k budget⊠some NPCs are around $12k, but youâll need to run for each school as some are more generous with need-aid than others
I do think the CC plan proposed by @parentologist is your best option. How do you feel about that?
The problem, as I mentioned previously, is that GT wonât be affordable even if you get admitted. As a state school, they give very little need based aid to OOS students like you. Certainly not enough to bridge the gap between $10k and their COA (around $51k). They do provide some merit scholarships but you donât meet the academic profile of kids who get these.
So unfortunately, applying to GT wonât help. You know whatâs worse than being rejected? Being accepted and not being able to go.
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A community college isnât quite the experience I would like. Moving onto a public flagship is also not preferred as they are typically very large.
It also doesnât really make sense for me to go through community college to attend local public 4 years (except cheaper). For example, at Mizzou, I already meet all their admission requirements and could probably get in. It just doesnât seem like it is worth the compromise.
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With a budget of around $10k, cost will be your primary factor in selecting a school once you have identified schools that are possible from an academically perspective.
Would Mizzou be affordable?
Not a Maryville requirement, but have you taken at least two years of foreign language?
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Then why do you have Purdue and Georgia Tech on your list?
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Not exactly. It is quite a bit more than my budget, and it doesnât justify the cost.
Yes, I have (in Spanish).
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Outstanding computer science programs that outweigh the size. Purdue seemed like somewhere I may stand a chance of getting admitted, although the size is overwhelming. Georgia Tech has just been a semi-favorite, although still large. Both universities are not going to be on my final list given consideration and feedback.
Theyâve been removed. Nevermind, I cannot edit the initial post.
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These are some schools that you might want to consider. I would run the Net Price Calculator at each and eliminate the ones that will not be affordable. I would say that you stand a shot at these schools, with some schools likelier than others. Iâd say the chances mostly range from a toss-ups to reaches. Although I didnât list them here, itâs great that Truman State & Missouri S&T are in-state for you, as they are terrific options.
- Augustana (IL): About 2300 undergrads
- Aurora (IL): About 4100 undergrads
- Centre (KY): About 1300 undergrads
- Coe (IA): About 1400 undergrads
- Cornell College (IA): About 1k undergrads
- Drake (IA): About 2900 undergrads
- Hendrix (AR): About 1100 undergrads. Iâm not optimistic that youâd get the flagship match program, but you might. Itâd be interesting to see the NPC here.
- Knox (IL): About 1200 undergrads
- Lake Forest (IL) About 1700 undergrads
- Luther (IA): About 1700 undergrads
- Simpson (IA): About 1200 undergrads
- U. of the South (TN): About 1700 undergrads
- U. of Tulsa (OK): About 2700 undergrads
- Wartburg (IA): About 1500 undergrads
- Webster (MO): About 2300 undergrads
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Missouri S&T sounds like the best fit for you, in terms of affordability, environment/vibe, geography, and strong reputation. If you can be accepted as a freshman, I doubt youâll find another option that will beat this one.
If applying as a freshman doesnât work out, they have transfer agreements with both community colleges and four-year schools: Transfer Guides â Future Students | Missouri S&T Iâd go down that list and see what schools on it look like viable options for you. On this list, there are both community colleges (which could be more affordable) and four-year schools (including some youâre already considering, like Maryville and Truman State), which would also give you the option to not transfer and complete your degree at the school where you started. But whichever you prefer, I think this list is a very good place to start.
Itâs hard for me to see your OOS/private options working out. Even South Dakota Mines, which is the ultimate bargain of small, well-regarded STEM schools, would be out of budget. (Unfortunately, MO is not part of their SD Advantage reciprocity agreement.) Luckily, youâre not one of the many students who feel strongly about leaving their home state for college. So Iâd focus on the pathways available in the MO public system (or the commutable Illinois school that was mentioned). If you get into S&T on the first pass (which is certainly possible, just not completely assured), and the $ works, go for it and donât look back. If not, youâll still have good options from that list.
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