I saw a thread about this back from 2010 so if there is a more recent, updated one, I apologize & feel free to direct me.
I have a CO senior who missed the NMSF by 1 pt at 217, has a GPA of 3.2 but took the “strength of schedule” to heart and is graduating with more credits than he needs along with passing 7 AP classes. He’s at a competitive HS & graduating in the top half of his class. Snooze. I know. His activities are just okay. We likely won’t qualify for financial aid and our state colleges are very expensive. He got a 33 & 34 on his ACT without studying & is taking the SAT Oct 1st. We’re assuming he’ll do comparable to his PSAT & ACT scores. I have heard there are “automatic” scholarships given from many different schools themselves based on just standardized tests alone, but how do I find these?? I’ve been searching for months (!) and I’m going nuts. There are over 4,000 schools out there (as you all know.) We are not pushy parents and have let him do his thing but now that it comes to finances, I need to take the reigns so I can retire before 80. Thanks!!
Another source: http://automaticfulltuition.yolasite.com/
If his weighted GPA is 3.5 or above you might want to check out the University of Alabama. It has a large number of out of state students and some great scholarships.
http://scholarships.ua.edu/types/out-of-state.php
A beautiful campus also.
I haven’t found schools with ACT /SAT only scholarships.
Ole Miss uses a lower GPA than Bama at 3.0+
Most require a gpa/score combo to get scholarships. His 34 ACT would get him the highest scholarship at Wyoming, as long as his gpa is at least 3.0, $8900 with OOS tuition at about $16k.
Check out Utah State University, both the freshman non-resident scholarships and the western exchange program. https://www.usu.edu/admissions/scholarships/freshmen.
He may get better aid at Southern Utah University or Dixie State University. The Utah schools all give aid on a GPA/test score combo, so his higher scores raise his index number to compensate for the GPA. These are good non-resident scholarships but it is not too difficult to establish residency here
At each of the Utah schools there is usually a grid showing what scholarship you would get based on stats. Just seach scholarships at each school. Super straightforward and easy. Good luck!
He already qualifies for full tuition for Ole Miss:
http://finaid.olemiss.edu/scholarships/#8
A 3.5 GPA will get him full tuition at Alabama as well as Alabama-Huntsville.
I really don’t think there are any schools that give scholarships for SAT-ACT alone while ignoring GPA.
I am a little unclear what might be available from University of New Mexico but it may be worth a look. At the very least he could get the Colorado Reciprocal which would qualify him for in-state tuition ($7K per year). It’s probably worth it to apply there ASAP for earliest consideration. It’s only $20 to apply.
Here are all the schools that are part of the Western Undergraduate Exchange.
http://wue.wiche.edu/search_results.jsp?searchType=all
I would run the NPC’s for Arizona, Arizona St, Utah, Utah St, Wyoming, Idaho, Idaho St, Boise St, Montana, Montana St, NM St, SD, SD St, ND, ND St, and Washington State.
But at the very least he has full tuition for Ole Miss and hey, that’s a start.
From the list in post #1
University of Louisiana-Monroe
Application Deadline: Dec 3rd
Award: Full Tuition + Fees + $5000 housing stipend
Requirements: 3.0 GPA, 30 ACT or 1320 SAT (CR+M)
http://www.ulm.edu/scholarships/freshmen.html
http://www.ulm.edu/scholarships/outofstate.html
Note: First come, first served as funds are available
Thank you all VERY MUCH! You have all been very helpful!