Hey everyone, I just got back my ACT scores, and I got a 29 composite. I currently have above a 4.0 GPA (weighted ) and am I have finally settled on mechanical engineering as my major. Essentially I want to ask for help in finding decent engineering schools where I can get the most merit scholarship money with my grades. I am planning on retaking the ACT to try and get that elusive 30 so if any of the scholarships are in that range that’s ok too. I just want to know where I can get the most bang for my buck. One of my top choices currently is the University of Alabama.
Thanks!
Hi,
Yes you will want to retake your ACT to try for a 30 or even better…a 32.
Also take the SAT…some do better on that.
How much do you wnat your net cost to be?
In another thread, you mentioned that you weren’t sure how much your parents would pay, so please ask them so you’ll know how much merit you need. For instance, if they say $15k, then you’ll need a full tuition award.
Yeah , I will continue testing to try and improve my scores and stats, but right now I am “catastrophizing”. Thanks also for the list of scholarships, it was very useful. For that worst case scenario, do you know of any lesser known schools that have even more merit. For example there’s one near me called Robert Morris that gives full tuition with a 29 and a full ride with I think a 31. Niu by me also offers alot for a little, but obviously I’d rather go to a bigger school. So, having a few of those in my back pocket is useful. My parents say they can pay 4 or 5 thousand up front and will cosign loans with me for probably 10 to 15 thousand.
You can borrow ~$5500/year on your own (~$27k total). Borrowing an additional $40-60k on top of that isn’t a good idea. You don’t need a ~$90k engineering degree; you need an ABET accredited one.
@austinmshauri. I’d love to spend that little, but from my research so far regarding even modest universities, 90k or higher seems to to be the most common cost to attend. If you have any suggestions on more affordable ABET accredited schools, I’d be happy to hear and look into it.
Thanks Again!
University of Alabama Huntsville gives full tuition scholarships for 30 ACT. You would currently qualify for a scholarship of 67% of tuition.
http://www.uah.edu/admissions/undergraduate/financial-aid/scholarships
What is your home state? Cost to Attend or Cost of Attendance is a yearly number and no COA is over $75K right now. If you mean total cost over four years then $90K would be on the low end. Look here for some lower cost options:
My home state is Illinois @“Erin’s Dad” , so our big Engineering school (UIUC) is very expensive for a state school. As of Costa of attendance I do mean over four years. Most schools I’ve seen are 25 to 30k per year.
Are you in commuting distance of any of the IL publics? UIUC Engineering will be over $30,000 a year COA and they’re not known for good aid. I think it’s possible to pull an ACT composite score up by 3 points, which should put Alabama within reach if you choose the least expensive housing option. I would retake the test as many times as you can - sometimes the planets align and you get 4 subsections that you do well on in one sitting.
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pay 4 or 5 thousand up front and will cosign loans with me for probably 10 to 15 thousand.
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No need to borrow a whole bunch.
? When you say that your parents will cosign…do you mean $10k-15k TOTAL? or each year? It would be a very bad idea for you to have them cosign $40k-60k in loans when you’ll already have about $30k in fed loans.
Do you have younger siblings?
Right now, you have half tuition at Bama…plus 2500 per year your remaining costs are about $25k per year.
You really need to practice and get at least a 30, but hopefully a 32 or SAT equivalent.
What is your family income? Is need-based financial aid not likely because of your family’s income level?
Have you run any Net Price Calculators on schools’ websites?
My family likely won’t get much or any need based aid as my dad make a good salary as an electrical engineer (though money is still a big concern). I have two younger siblings (an immediate family of 5). None of the illinois publics are really close enough to commute so that’d off the table. @mom2collegekids those loans my parents mentioned were per year. Also where is that 2500 too mentioned coming from?
Also, any thoughts on The University of Louisiana at Lafayette. It seems to be very affordable counting there out of state tuition waiver plus merit scholarships.
@OwenAllen - the additional $2,500 is a University of Alabama engineering scholarship.
And you really need to focus on test prep. Take a sample SAT test (online) and see if it’s a better fit for you than the ACT. And then think about taking a paid prep course, or getting some tutoring. Yes, it could be expensive . . . but not nearly as expensive as having to borrow $10k - $15k/year for four years! Look at the test score requirements for a full ride at UA-Huntsville . . . if you can pull that off, you’d be saving yourself a boatload of money! And, if you can’t do that, then aim for the scores you’d need for full tuition at UA or elsewhere.
And look at each school’s deadline for submitting test scores. At UA, it’s December, but UA-Huntsville gives applicants until June of senior year to submit test scores - that gives you plenty of time to work on getting your scores up!
I agree with other posters, try to bring your ACT score up, you’re not too far away from the score you need to get some big money! Get a tutor or take a class, and take lots of past ACT tests for practice. If you’re not able to get that ACT score over 29, look at your superscore. Florida State superscores - this year, students with a 30 ACT superscore and 3.5 GPA got in-state tuition ($6,507).