I think of App and UNC-W as about the same level - and I’m an App State grad!
Yes, UNC-W is ranked higher than Appalachian State, even though App is a great school (it’s one of the “hidden gems”, along with UNC-A, and an up-and-coming school). The weather couldn’t be more different than at UNC-W though - hard to believe they’re in the same State!
There’s UNC-CH, NCSU, UNC-W, and UNC-A for the top 4 schools of all the public universities in a State that includes 17 great public universities. 
Don’t forget to fill out FAFSA. At the very least you’ll get the Stafford loans. If you’re loan-adverse, you could take the subsidized portion only and ask for a work study job (or take on a job).
@MYOS1634 looking them up, UNCW and App State seem to be neck and neck, so I’d place App State over UNCA. Where would ECU rank?
ECU : 73% admitted, 3.59 GPA, average ACT 22, top 25% CR 580 top25% M 590, 4-year graduation rate 31%
App State : 66% admitted, 4.05 GPA, average ACT 26, top25% CR 610 top25%M 610, 4 year graduation rate 41.5%
UNC W: 57% admitted, 4.06 GPA, average ACT 25 , top25% CR640 top25% M 630, 4 year graduation rate 51.9%
UNC A: 69% admitted, 3.98 GPA, average ACT 25, top25% CR 660,top 25% 640,4 year graduation rate 36,9%
So you’re right about App State being above UNCA - it’s really climbed quickly, awesome :). And ECU is much lower than any of the other 3.
@MYOS1634 ah, I see. How would you rank the UNC-designated schools after Chapel Hill, Wilmington and Asheville? I have the feeling that Charlotte and Greensboro are tied, with Pembroke in dead last.
Pretty accurate
I question MYOS1634’s statement that if you didn’t apply for financial aid when you applied, you can’t ever apply for FA. Family circumstances change all the time – people lose jobs, die, have health problems, have a second child in college, etc which affects their ability to pay for college. UNCW is need blind so you got in based on merit, not because you said you weren’t applying for FA.
Okay, I can be more specific: schools that are NOT need blind treat students who apply for FA and students who don’t apply for FA differently. Therefore at need aware private colleges, a decision can be different depending on whether the student applies for institutional aid or not.
It’s the same at OOS publics that expect OOS tuition to help their budget - not all state universities are need blind and those that aren’t may well pay attention to who will be able to pay. This is not as common though.
UNC-W is need blind AND does not meet need for OOS applicants so there’s not much lbad can do, his financial aid package is whatever they offered (probably nothing since merit is unlikely).
Once FAFSA has been filled out, lbad96 will have a right to federal aid: subsidized stafford loans, unsubsidized stafford loans, and, depending on the formula, perhaps Pell (not sure how a college fund would be treated in FAFSA, since so few formerly homeless, now lower income people also have a college fund.) Lbad96 can and should apply for federal financial aid.
So, for UNC W, it won’t matter one iota since there’s no FA for OOS applicants. However, compared to many of these colleges, its costs are relatively low.
At private schools that are need aware, applying for institutional aid is often forbidden if one has not applied for aid in that admission cycle, UNLESS there were changes in circumstances - but that’s not the situation here.
(at 100% need schools, your offer will be re-evaluated if your financial circumstances change; at need-aware schools, your financial aid request will be looked at if your circumstances change, but at schools that don’t meet need, it may mean nothing at all and no change in package.)
@MYOS1634 thanks for explaining!
@MYOS1634 So I shouldn’t mention UNCW on the FAFSA because they won’t give me aid?
Yes, do mention UNCW on the FAFSA.
FAFSA = federal aid = works everywhere.
UNC-W won’t give you institutional aid (ie., aid that they give from their own funds to students from North Carolina). So you’ll get financial aid from the federal government, to use wherever you’re admitted, even if UNC-W does not give you money from their own funds.
@MYOS1634 Ah, I see! Thanks!
So, on FAFSA, you write all the places where you WANT to use that financial aid.
You’d enter UNC W, Quinnipiac, Bentley…
BIG UPDATE #16: I decided to make ONE last change to the list: University of Pittsburgh is back on all of a sudden. I continuously got mail from them even after I told them I wasn’t going to apply, and they even gave me an application fee waiver, so my parents encouraged me to apply. I finally applied there on Thursday afternoon. I just need to send them my SAT scores, but I can now say that I am officially done with applying to universities for undergrad. However, I am under zero illusions regarding my chances; I listed two of the branch campuses (Johnstown and Greensburg) as backups on my application. If I am only admitted to a branch campus of Pitt, I will place it in the “deferral” pile and they will be eliminated from contention.
Order of preference of remaining schools:
- University of North Carolina at Wilmington
- Quinnipiac University
- Bentley University
- Syracuse University
- University of Pittsburgh
- Hofstra University
- State University of New York at Binghamton
- Stetson University
- Rider University
Were you counting on merit aid from Pitt? The deadline was January 15.
@mommdc not at all.
Oh, also: I received my UMass Amherst denial letter in the mail on Friday. It was dated January 9th…my UNC Wilmington acceptance letter was dated January 8th (received on the 12th). So, that means that I was accepted to UNCW before being denied by UMass the very next day. One door closes, a multitude open (remember there was a point that I promised enrollment if accepted at UMass). I’m VERY proud of the schools that have admitted me, and I wouldn’t want it any other way.
BIG UPDATE #17: I received two more acceptances this week. Hofstra University finally got back to me on Friday after deferring me in December. I also gained admission to the University of Pittsburgh…Johnstown campus earlier this week. I was denied from main. I do recall saying that I would treat an acceptance to a regional campus of Pitt as a deferral; however, I have decided to treat it as both an acceptance and a rejection at once. That is what it is, after all. However, I’d rather stay in New Jersey to attend Rider than ever go to Pitt-Johnstown, so UPJ is already eliminated. In regards to Hofstra, my mother has been basically bribing me to attend either Hofstra or Quinnipiac, seeing as those schools are far closer to me than the one I’ve chosen from. My mother also flipped out at me for going to a 16th ranked school in the list instead of a school that’s 135th nationally according to USNWR. Hofsta were also the very first "National University to give me admission, which was nice.
I still have Syracuse to hear back from for RD, as well as Bentley and SUNY Binghamton. I have completed the FAFSA, and my grades in the first semester were pretty darn good. Overall, I’m very pleased with the way things
Current admissions record: 6-2-5
Rider University - accepted
Stetson University - accepted
Clark University - rejected
Fordham University - rejected
Northeastern University - rejected
Quinnipiac University - accepted
University of North Carolina Wilmington - accepted
SUNY Binghamton - deferred
University of Massachusetts Amherst - rejected
Bentley University - deferred
Hofstra University - accepted
University of Pittsburgh - rejected
University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown - accepted
Order of preference of remaining schools:
- University of North Carolina Wilmington
- Quinnipiac University
- Bentley University
- Syracuse University
- Hofstra University
- SUNY Binghamton
- Stetson University
- Rider University
Congratulations! And thank you for the update.
To be frank, I think Syracuse and Bing will reject you, and Bentley, well, not sure. After all, they deferred you, meaning they wanted to see your senior year grades, and those are pretty good, but they be good enough compared to the other applicants?..???
Johnstown is depressing and can’t be compared to Wilmington, NC, that’s for sure. 
As for your mother… I would say that academically UNC-W is at least on par with Quinnipiac and is better than Hofstra, but others may chime in on this - perhaps post in the “college selection” forum with a title such as “Hofstra vs. UNC-Wilmington” to get people’s advice, and/or in the parents’ forum. You don’t need to describe your application experience, just the results, and ask for advice about the choice as well as what points you could make to your mother, or whether she has a point.
BTW, of the three, which is the cheapest?
(Indicating net price for your family would also matter).
@MYOS1634 My senior year grades are indeed very good, better than my overall GPA from the past three years combined. Some Bentley applicants may have better senior year grades, true. But I am on the fence on what result I’m getting from them. I’ve not shown much interest in Syracuse, so I wouldn’t care what they say quite frankly. And I might just withdraw my deferred application from Bing if I make my decision before April 1st (which is expected).
I would say that UNCW has the edge over Quinnipiac, and is definitely better than Hofstra. I like the thread idea, though. UNCW is the cheapest of the three, even with a $13k per year scholarship from Quinnipiac. I don’t know what scholarship I’m receiving from Hofstra, but I should get that along with my official acceptance letter in the mail this week.
Hofstra is not that great and the surrounding neighborhood is sketchy at best. I also think Bing and Syracuse will reject you. Its between Quinn and UNCW. Can you visit both? That would certainly help you make up your mind (or just add to the confusion if you love both). I find that usually a school will take themselves out of the running by messing up accepted students day somehow (bad organization, tour inadequate, food terrible, info shared is very generic, etc.). I don’t have any knowledge of either school except that when I owned a temporary service I hired a girl to be my receptionist from Quinn and she was as sharp as a tack. I was sorry to see her go back to school. As usual keep us posted.