Even if Christian schools don’t turn out affordable enough, there are some publics where she could get full rides.
UA Huntsville for example. She should be able to get full tuition and room and board there.
Also she could apply to Pitt. Recently it has been harder to get the higher merit, but it’s worth a try, she might get full tuition. She could try Temple as well, and Ohio State.
Now these are public universities, some big and urban, but she could join Christian clubs and find like minded students like her. If she applies soon, she might know by December that she has a few affordable options.
Then she can also apply to some LACs.
Try the net price calculator at Messiah College.
@AroundHere Maybe I’m mistaken, but I was under the impression that her stats DO place her among the top students in the pool. We’re not looking at the Ivies or any of the other traditional “top schools” in the nation. She just wants to go to one of the smaller LACs (Covenant College, Taylor University, University of Northwestern - St. Paul, Union University, plus about 6-10 more schools of similar size and location). Among those schools, wouldn’t she be among the tippy top applicants they see each year?
I want to be sure to say thank you to everyone on this thread. I appreciate your helpful responses and efforts to find options for us! I don’t mean to shut it down but wanted to jump in and say something while some of you are still checking in here. :-bd
We have looked at that one a few times. It’s a bit far away from us, but what makes you suggest it? My daughter does know one student who is attending there.
There are 2 main basic types of merit scholarships, stat-based and competitive. Stat-based scholarships are often published on school website or pretty predictable based on student reports.
Competitive scholarships are going to be more holistic and require more than just stats.
So, yes, there may be scholarships beyond the published guaranteed scholarships. Unless you can see a consistent pattern of scholarships based on test scores (Pitt, Temple, Case, etc are examples of where you can sort of figure things out based on student reports), I wouldn’t assume that stats alone are going to be enough for large merit awards.
Fwiw, competitive scholarships are usually named and have info posted on their websites.
It can be hard to find affordable schools when you need merit and need based aid enough to make it work.
But she does have fabulous stats and being from Iowa might give her some geographic diversity at some of the OOS publics with competitive merit.
Pitt is a great city, she should definitely apply and visit if possible.
Also, has she looked at Grinnell?
Grove City is pretty small, christian, and for a private school pretty low cost (I think tuition, fees, room and board are about $26,000). They also give merit.
Do any of the work colleges interest her? They are LACs with programs and aid for students to graduate with little or no debt. http://www.workcolleges.org/node/30