I will add Case Western to the list. Thank you!
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Both schools have gotten much stingier with merit in the last few years.
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So I recently put together a list of schools for someone with less grades and a tighter budget. But here are some that fit. I think many you have names have little chance of hitting your target. Yes an FSU will even with no waiver but if she’s concerned with getting lost…she likely will there unless she gets the very hard to get into Honors or maybe an LLC.
I think some on your list already can provide a smaller experience and I already mentioned College of Charleston. My daughter said all her classes were 10-30 first year. And the Hillel is super strong.
These schools likely won’t have a strong Jewish life but you’ll save money - even over what you’re saying.
Southern Maine /Maine
Western Carolina
Miami Ohio - others such as Ohio U, Bowling Green, Toledo work too
Truman State…a really solid school but hard to get to.
Millersville or other PA schools like West Chester, Bloomsburg, etc.
Coastal Carolina
I think, when you are a merit chaser, you have to have trade offs - whether size, geography, or pedigree. If large is better than super small, then add to your list for schools with better merit. Well I’d remove Va Tech bcuz it’s HUGE. UGA would be the alternative bcuz you have a shot at an OOS waiver and Honors but it is HUGE. Pitt and Miami work better size wise but one is city, one is rural. If Pitt get your application in as early as possible bcuz you need merit to hit your #. It’s unlikely you will but early gives the best chance with them.
There are fine mid size schools you can be all in under $30k but it’s a trade off for location, # of Jews, or name recognition.
Good luck
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Great input. Thanks!
She will definitely try to get into the Honors colleges at the big schools to shrink her universe somewhat (probably a decent chance to be admitted to the one at FSU, South Carolina, Miami of OH, etc.). Not sure how difficult it is…so maybe I’m being naive about her chances.
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You might find this site very helpful: Merit Aid by Institution – College Transitions. It lists the percentage of freshmen without need who receive merit and what the average merit award is for a number of universities. Here’s what I found for the schools on your list:
School, percentage of freshmen without need receiving merit aid, average award for freshmen without need
- Indiana, 52%, $7,445
- Purdue, 20%, $5,408
- Pitt: 19%, $9,699
- Virginia Tech: 20%, $3,385
- FSU: 20%, $2,941
- South Carolina: 85%, $6,394
- Miami (OH): 80%, $11,330
- Binghamton, 13%, $11,692
- Rutgers, 10%, $10,948
Look at the auto merit charts and run the Net Price Calculators (NPCs). They will generally tell you what the minimum amount of merit aid you can expect if the NPC asks for the academic stats. But without running the NPCs or getting the exact numbers, most of the merit awards from these schools are far lower than your estimates.
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I don’t think you will get merit from Rutgers or be eligible for honors. Pitt gave $8000, Bing was just under Rutgers full pay. My girls had higher test scores but very similar stats (8th and 10th out of 300+). No temple, but peer leadership for Catholic youth group. Plus jobs. Ended up at UDel honors and Clemson honors (Clemson came in close to $40,000 but my daughter loved it, will probably graduate in 3 years like her sister thanks to AP scores).
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Sorry. Since you read my last note let me just add:
It’s so true that you can make a large school smaller. For example and just because I have awareness of it as my son attends and a ton from NY/NJ as well - Alabama is a home run financially for your child. You’re out low 20s a year. Yea it’s big but forgetting Honors which other than the dorm isn’t much - they have small groups such as The Randall Research Scholars and for someone in bio, if medicine may be of interest, The Mcculough Medical Scholars. Btw Bama has 1k Jews and an active Hillel although my son doesn’t participate. UAH - not a lot of Jews but in a booming city that is high tech oriented (Huntsville) so has an airport, is well respected and will be dirt cheap for you.
I think through special programs like this or through Smaller Honors programs (Bama’s is huge…other schools just a few hundred), you can get that smaller school. And not everyone is Greek or goes to football games.
So u of SC is a top Honors but so many schools today have Honors….seems like almost every school…so you can get smaller, etc. my kid got into both U of SC and UGA Honors….both tough …but not into FSU or Pitt…so there may be no rhyme or reason. Colleges also have Living Learning Communities.
Bio is known to be low paying. So if your budget is $50k…u might take it down given outcomes or the need for further schooling. . Seeking help when getting lost and kids learn this …takes a while…at both a big and not at a big school…if you need help, if you’re getting lost academically, You need to ask. Kids are fearful and make excuses why they couldn’t get help. Took my son til 2nd year and daughter til second semester to learn help is there. And while colleges offer counseling, you may be better off finding a private counselor for availability purposes….if your student struggles socially.
Good luck.
Ps looking at @AustenNut message…think u r way off on estimates. Pitt will be small. URMs do best there
Purdue. Hard to get. Likely at most $10k but more likely none.
Va Tech likely none. It’s nicer than UGA imho but UGA likely 1/2 OOS but small chance at whole.
Miami u will likely get on the low end of the range.
Miami is very rural. So make sure she’s ok. Not much around.
Might Drexel work ? Co OPs to offset cost?
Good luck to you.
Ps this link shows Honors colleges by size.
https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/articles/these-public-schools-offer-an-honors-college
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Great website. Thanks!
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A few schools that you might want to consider that are mid-size, not Catholic (in fact, I don’t think any of these have religious affiliations), in the desired geographic areas are:
Adelphi (NY)
Bradley (IL)
Butler (IN)
Marist (NY)-maybe a bit too preppy?
U. of New Haven
I know you said your daughter wants to go out-of-state, but has she thought about The College of New Jersey or Ramapo? Both of those are much smaller schools with much smaller classes. Ramapo’s last Common Data Set indicated it had no classes with 50+ students.
ETA: U. of Louisville might be another contender to consider. She’d be likely to get very generous merit aid there.
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Maybe UNC Chapel Hill. If you’re just talking tuition only it’s $35,580 for OOS. Not counting room and board, books, etc. She has a great GPA. All of the other UNC system schools will have the same or lower tuition. NC State tuition only is $30,869. Great science school.
Is she at all interested in a women’s college? I like Hollins and Agnes Scott. They’d be sure to give her money. Total COA would likely be around $30K if she didn’t get a big fat scholarship to reduce it more.
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TCNJ is on the list. It’s a very good academic institution, reasonably priced, small class sizes. From what I hear it tends to empty out on weekends, but she may make enough friends on campus that stay to keep her occupied. Ramapo is perhaps not selective enough academically (frankly speaking). Ditto for Drew, Rowan, and some other NJ schools. She mostly wants to experience a student population different than what she has expreienced during her HS (and pre-HS) tenure.
Marist is likely not a great cultural fit, but I won’t rule it out. Any thoughts about Fairfield? Quinnipiac? May or may not fit culturally either, but figured I would ask. They all have high list price tuition that they discount by $20-30K is what I have heard. They don’t sound very compelling frankly unless tuition is closer to free relative to other schools being considered.
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UNC Chapel Hill would be great but a serious long shot for acceptance and they don’t give OOS merit aid easily. Ditto for UVA and Michigan.
Michigan State would give her $15K automatic merit. NC State probably $10-15K. The other state schools I listed may make more sense though.
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Fairfield is Jesuit
My son had as strong #s…got $0 from NC State and Florida (another big one) but has reasonable tuition. $5k at UMD.
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I understood @Sweetgum to mean, UNC-Chapel Hill was $35,600k (tuition only) for OOS even without merit aid.
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You’re right…UNC Chapel Hill is $38K OOS. Worth applying to even with no merit aid. Low OOS acceptance rate, but worth a shot.
UVA and Michigan are both $53K.
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I’m going to give a big shout out to UDel (UD). My oldest graduated from Rutgers, has a great job (CPA), my next graduated fro TCNJ, great job (finance, he’s in valuations), my third had the best stats and ended up in Delaware honors (did get into more selective schools, but $). The honors college is no joke, went to the graduation ceremony and they introduced all graduates and either their next school or place of employment, very impressive (my daughter is now at BU with a scholarship). Strong Hillel. During Covid they switched scholarships from test scores to gpa, your daughter would be $10,000/$15,000/$18,000 depending on how they calculate. They accept a lot of AP credits, it’s a fun school with a lot of school spirit, beautiful campus, cool Main Street, lots of dages, so many clubs and activities. The freshman honors dorm is very nice, it’s possible to live on campus all 4 years, but there are a lot of nice off campus options.
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Dickinson, Denison, Union, Gettysburg will all probably come in at the top of your price range with merit. Definitely on the smaller side.
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UNC schools (NC State is one despite not being named UNC-Raleigh) don’t typically give a lot of merit either in state or out of state, but tuition is a bargain.
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Appreciate your input!
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