Know of students who received substantial merit money at competitive schools (including flagship state schools), for stats in this range? Please name school, amount of award, and any special interest/field that was involved in being selected for the award.
Is your student a NMSF? If so, there are many schools, most notably UF and USC, that offer major merit scholarships.
If not, most merit scholarships, especially those at already selective undergrads, are extremely holistic: after meeting a certain academic requirement, they’re looking for students who fit the sponsor’s interests, whether a certain major, leadership qualities etc. Check each school’s website that your student’s interested in for more information on their review processes.
Hope that helps!
Nope. Kid didn’t make NMSF. Despite my trying to explain to him that if he just did a little prep for it, he might, he didn’t, and he didn’t. I’m hoping that he’ll get a combination of academic and music scholarships at the flagship state schools and below-the-ivies private schools he’s applying to.
@parentologist my D did not make NMF either, she made commend. Also has 36 ACT and 1590 SAT and top 1% class rank. We are chasing merit. Major will be Electrical Engineering. D is only applying to BAMA, Mississippi State and our local school Texas Tech. Our needs for merit require at minimal full tuition and really need more. Have not found any competitive schools that make it financially doable for us. Best of luck to you and your son.
@TVBingeWatcher2 and OP, there are many schools that over full tuition and full rides. They are awarded competitively, however, and as not automatic. If your kid has ECs to go with those excellent scores, apply more widely.
Have you looked at Univ. Arizona
https://financialaid.arizona.edu/types-of-aid/scholarships/2021-2022-terms-and-conditions
Stamps Scholars- has leadership component https://www.stampsscholars.org/
You could run net price calculator at Iowa State and similar. Unclear as some are going test optional.
https://www.admissions.iastate.edu/scholarships/
His major could be a factor, since many small colleges may have more women than men. State flagships generally have more men than women in business or engineering majors.
There was a similar thread five years ago http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1845583-merit-scholarships-for-students-in-top-5-to-top-10-percent-with-33-act.html
Wow! TVBinge, I’m impressed! I wish her luck.
I knew a young man who got a lot of merit aid at RPI, but it was only enough to make it about the same as his in-state, which had given him some merit, too, so I think that it brought it down to about 20K/yr total, a few years ago.
She has a real shot at MIT, and the other top engineering schools in the country. They are looking for women. Maybe they’ll consider you deserving of fin aid.
At the University of Maryland (College Park), all freshman applicants who are admitted to the Honors College are considered for merit scholarships, including their “top prize”, Banneker/Key Scholarship. A full BK covers tuition and room-and-board (worth as much as $50,000 for an OOS). Must apply EA (November 1); no additional application material is needed for these scholarships.
What’s his UW GPA on a 4.0 scale (with A- as 4.0)? Utah offers their OOS Presidential scholarship for 4.0/36 (full tuition plus $5000 towards room and board): https://financialaid.utah.edu/types-of-aid/scholarships/freshman/presidents-scholarship.php#nonrespres
They also have competitive full rides (25 per year) and I suspect would love to give one to a music performance major as they seek to include a variety of different majors in the cohort: https://honors.utah.edu/eccles-scholarship/
It is very possible to do a performance degree in combination with a second major (D is doing a combined BFA and BSc with Honors and will finish in four years).
Look at University of New Mexico also.
@parentologist I just read your other thread. http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/2196682-chance-kid-for-harvard-yale-complicated-by-extreme-extracurricular-classical-jazz-music-p1.html Take a look at USC’s Thornton School of Music https://music.usc.edu/