@tR5674 …that is the final one after May 1st…so you can change multiple times before May 1st.
@sajju786 Even if one school wants to be #1 on “in early March” when the limited selection happens (7 students)?
So maybe NMSC gets notified that the school has selected the student. Have this situation as another school is April 4.
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@tR5674… that is why NMSC gives you time to finalize your first choice till May 1st as they understand some universities will not even give you admission but want #1 by March 1st…I spoke at length with NMSC you can call them if you want more clarification and they are pretty good helping you understand the process…
@sajju786 So there is not the risk of a school with a March 1st deadline offering you a scholarship well before the NMSC’s May 1st change deadline, then disqualifying you from receiving a sponsored scholarship from another school you may later choose to change to? I’m just not clear on who exactly is notifying the student (and when) that they are sponsored by a college. If NMSC completely controls the timing of the college sponsored scholarship announcements then it seems a student would be ok planning that they could safely change their first choice school by May 1st if need be.
Yes @kforty2 that’s the understanding…but again as I said please call NMSC and clarify your questions and let us know too here…I will call them again once we get the Finalist letter from them next week.
FYI: The Governor of Florida has submitted his first budget to the legislature.
Reading the tea leaves, it doesn’t look like any changes will be made to the Florida Benacquisto scholarship (out of state NMF).That’s an increase in Bright Futures spending from $520M to $582M, which includes Benacquisto funding.
@Gator88NE - thank you! This was the info we were seeking!
Did you guys end up looking into University of Idaho anymore? Do you have any info or impressions? thx
Just got off the phone with UF Financial Aid regarding the Benacquisto program for OOS students. She indicated students need to complete items #1-4 on Freshman enrollment checklist. Then in a week or two, admissions notifies the office of NMF students. At that point the financial award letter will detail the Benacquisto. I asked about backup plan if state were to withdraw funding st some point and was told they are working on the assumption that funding will remain but if something happened to a student’s funding, they “would do everything they could to come up with alternate funding” for the student. If anyone else calls, could you please post what you hear from UF?
Even with the uncertainty, attending UF remains a strong possibility for S19. It will come down to Alabama and UF at this point for NMF schools.
@mountainmomof3 Thank you so much for that info! At least it seems they want to help if an issue comes up. Do you know what the deadline is for a finalist to accept at UF and still receive the Benacquisto? Is it still May 1st, or do they have an earlier date?
Also, have you heard yet about NMF? Our school still has heard nothing as of 8:30 a.m. 
I thought for sure they would have the names by now. If my S does get NMF, we are also at UF and Alabama as most likely for NMF schools.
@gamom2023 - no we haven’t gotten any news yet but hope to soon! I am not sure of the deadline but either way want S19 to narrow down to one NMF school and one other school where he won’t hear about competitive merit till about 3/15. Basically, come 3/16 I want him to decide. We have visited every school at this point. He likes UF and Alabama a lot so it will be a hard choice for NMF schools. My DH finds the lack of certainty at UF a little worriesome so there is that factor to contend with as well.
@mountainmomof3 Sounds like we’re in exactly the same boat. We’re waiting on a couple of non-NMF contenders where we won’t know until mid- to late-March, as well. After this weekend, we’ll have visited all of them, as well (except for one last-minute NMF school he added a couple of weeks ago). We’ve been to Alabama twice, and I think we’re going to go back to UF once more, and they are the top two NMF schools for him. We’re also concerned about the uncertainty of UF if the funding runs out. If it goes away and we end up being charged full OOS for future years, that’s going to be a problem. 
@gamom2023 - I feel a little more optimistic about UF. I think absolute worst case - full price but maybe with an OOS tuition waiver and perhaps some merit on top of that. Also, it looks like FL actually increased funding to the programs that include Benacquisto so that makes me feel like this is something they are committed to long term. But Alabama seems to really take care of their NMF kids and that 5th year of tuition means S19 would likely come out with both his BS and MS completely free. Hard to ignore. Hard decisions but a good problem to have. 
Let me know if you visit UF again and find anything more out!
@mountainmomof3 Yes, I feel more hopeful after hearing about your FA phone call. If we go down there again, I will definitely try to meet face-to-face with someone to learn everything I can about it. I saw an earlier post about the governor’s new budget proposal, but it seemed like there was only an increase to the instate funding. I may have misunderstood.
Yes, that 5th year at Bama definitely makes a difference! The best I can tell, we’ll still have to pay a little for food, as the stipend doesn’t fully cover that, and also the room is only paid if you’re on-campus. From what they said at our last visit, something like 85% move off-campus after the first year. So, there may be some cost, but it’s still a great deal, and they seem to really want NMFs. That’s definitely encouraging. And we feel very fortunate and blessed to even have these options to choose from. Very thankful! Good luck in your decision!
@gamom2023 and @mountainmomof3, if you want a school ranked higher than Bama by US News that pays Total Cost of Attendance as well as tuition for one year of grad school, you should look at USF in Tampa. (USF is ranked #124 and Bama is #129). You can still apply thru June 1. USF’s medical school, which is ranked just a few notches back from UF and Miami, is getting a new and exciting campus in downtown Tampa.
I’m still partial to UF, which was my son’s choice. But my daughter, a HS junior, should qualify for NMF, so I’m starting this whole process over again. Sure would be nice if UF added a year of grad school tuition too!
@oldandwise, thanks for the suggestion. My son actually has been accepted there, but he just doesn’t seem as interested as I thought he’d be. That’s the one school on his list that he didn’t visit, and he just said he’s not really feeling it. I think he’s just tired with this whole process and the anxiety of essays and interviews and still having to keep up with his current job and AP classes. I don’t remember having all this stress when I was a senior. It can be draining. However, I didn’t realize they would cover a year of grad school, too. I thought only Bama did that. I may talk with him about it again. Thanks!
Good luck to your daughter! I did this two years ago with my daughter, as well. I was tired then, too. She ended up going to UGA even though it didn’t offer any benefit to NMFs. She did get the $2500, which helped a bit, and with our state’s scholarship system, she only has to pay room and board. Still, I wish this OOS opportunity had been available for her with UF, but she was a year early for that. Oh well, she loves UGA, and wherever these students end up, they’re going to do great!
My daughter is NMSF with 3.95 GPA, 5.0 HPA, 1480 SAT, top 6% of her class, extra curriculars. Anyone have any idea if she might receive National Merit scholarship at Fordham (or anyone know similar schools that have given full scholarships for NMSF). Thanks
Fordham is a sponsor, according to the National Merit Foundation, but you should check on their website or call them. With a 1480 SAT and a great GPA, your daughter should be a Finalist, as long as she applied, and was endorsed by her principle, so you may be able to base your calculations on that.
Congratulations to your daughter!