<p>Here is the situation senior to be in high school daughter is looking for a college and we live in Illinois. I am her father and divorce just got finalizied today. I filled out FAFSA this year for sophmore in college to be son who goes to North Carolina and it was an EFC for $0 since I made about $32,000 last year and we were separated last year before divorce. She has gotten a 27 on her ACT and is looking for a bigger school that would give a lot of money in either need based or merit based aid for her situation. I know she can't get in to North Carolina where my son is getting a very nice aid package but are there any schools similar to N.C. that give out nice packages like that for someone with a situation like hers? I know the EFC should stay around $0 even though I am working a part time job now on top of full time job and make a little more money but we will have 2 in college now. Thanks in advance for any help.</p>
<p>UVA and UNC are the 2 OOS publics that give great need-based aid because they promise to meet need. They are - by far - the exceptions, not the rule.</p>
<p>I suggest that your D test again…and take the SAT…for her to have her best shot at a “meets full need” school, she may need higher stats. </p>
<p>is looking for a bigger school that would give a lot of money in either need based or merit based aid for her situation.</p>
<p>A bigger school than UNC? Does she want the big rah rah, big sports experience?</p>
<p>What I meant is she is looking for a school with an enrollemt of like 15,000 Oor more . I would prefer she look at smaller privates that might give her more moey due to the circumstances but she doesn’t think that is true.</p>
<p>You might look at the Illinois publics below the UIUC level. A 27 ACT is significantly above the 75th percentile for all of them. Prestige they don’t have, but a motivated student can get a very good education at any of them. </p>
<p>Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using CC App</p>
<p>*I would prefer she look at smaller privates that might give her more moey due to the circumstances but she doesn’t think that is true. *</p>
<p>OOS privates other than UNC-CH and UVA aren’t likely going to give her the aid she needs with a 0 EFC. It is very likely that an OOS public will only give her a Pell Grant, a 5500 student loan and maybe some work study…and a very large gap.</p>
<p>Your D may be confused because she sees the great aid her brother got at OOS UNC. That is - by far - the exception and not the rule. </p>
<p>OOS publics charge high rates to OOS students for a reason…it doesn’t make much sense to then cover that higher rate with their very limited financial aid…which they need to give to their instate students. Again, UNC and UVA are exceptions…but then they mostly only take top students so it could be argued that their FA has a “merit” component since accepted OOS students would have high stats.</p>
<p>If you can find some privates that give good aid where her stats are in the top 25%, she may get a good FA package. I’m still concerned that she may get gapped wherever she goes…and since at least a 5500 loan will be in her FA package, she won’t be able to close a gap with another student loan.</p>
<p>If you can’t convince your D that large OOS publics aren’t going to give her the aid that she needs, then insist on a few “parent pick” applications to schools that you’re rather certain that she’d get good aid. She should also apply to a state school that she could commute to if her aid at other schools doesn’t work out.</p>
<p>Your D may not understand that there’s such a thing as “preferential FA packaging” that goes on at many schools. That means that at schools that don’t meet full need sometimes will give better FA packages to students who have stats in the upper 10-25% of their school.</p>
<p>Your D has seen the need-based aid that her bro got and may wrongly think that she can also snag the same aid wherever she applies. That’s not true. </p>
<p>If you can’t contribute much to cover a gap in her aid package, you need to tell her now. It is very hard for most schools to “meet need” for a 0 EFC student. </p>
<p>Annasdad may be able to tell you which instate Ill publics might give your D the best aid. I don’t know how that state is with 0 EFC kids. Does Ill have generous state aid to help a 0 EFC kid?</p>
<p>You and she should look at DePauw…it is known for its very good aid. I don’t know if it meets need 100%, but I’ve heard great things about their aid.</p>
<p>Others may know if Grinnell is a possible school to get great aid. I think St. Olaf’s might also, but not sure.</p>
<p>If she bumps her ACT up to a 30+ (or takes the SAT and gets an equivalent score), then there may be some southern schools that might give her free tuition and then Pell and other aid could cover most of the other costs.</p>
<p>I’m pretty sure none of the Illinois publics meet full need. However, given that the OP’s daughter’s ACT is 3 points over the 75th percentile at all five of the downstate directionals (NIU, EIU, WIU, SIUC, SIUE), there’s a good chance that some need-based aid plus a nice merit package might be enough - especially if the student can get a job, and more especially if the student lives close enough to one of the campuses to commute. She should also investigate ISU - a little more selective than the directionals, but she’s still past the 75th percentile in ACT score. There are also the two “lesser” U of I campuses, in Chicago and Springfield, although the one in Springfield is quite small and the student is looking for a large school.</p>
<p>At least some of the Illinois publics are fighting enrollment declines - see the article linked below, which I referenced in a post over on the Parents forum - and that may be encouraging them to offer more aid. The article makes reference to EIU lowering OOS tuition; I don’t know what their strategies are vis a vis instate students. Also note that each school pretty much sets its own policies, even though they’re under the general oversight of the State Board of Higher Education and, of course, our pathetic General Assembly. Students needing significant aid would make sense to apply to all of them and see who comes up with the best offer.</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/1191917-enrollment-decline-illinois-directional.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/1191917-enrollment-decline-illinois-directional.html</a></p>
<p>Thanks for all your info so far. I appreciate you all taking the time to respond. I know she won’t be happy to hear as I know she is not thrilled in attending any of our state schools.</p>
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<p>I think Mom2 meant “OOS PUBLICS” (not privates).</p>
<p>While the thread is very old…the strategies are still good ones…look for the thread by momfromtexas about full ride scholarships. The specific schools mentioned and those awards don’t likely still exist…but the STRATEGY she used to get maximum merit aid for her kids is timeless (in my opinion).</p>
<p>Thumper…thanks for noting my mistake…yes, I meant to write OOS Publics… yikes!</p>
<p>And, yes, the strategies from the momfromtexas threads are very good. Identify schools where your child’s stats are high, so large merit is offered. Since your D will also get Pell and a student loan, she may not need a “full ride.” She may just need “free tuition” which can be easier to find. </p>
<p>*I know she won’t be happy to hear as I know she is not thrilled in attending any of our state schools. *</p>
<p>Those applications will be back ups. This may motivate her to study for the SAT and ACT to perhaps raise her scores to give her more options. :)</p>
<p>She should apply to ISU as well as the directionals, but I think an Illinois dad reported that his ACT 28 son got measly merit from ISU. I think he made a thread about it where he (nicely) ranted and raved about the crappy merit his son got. </p>
<p>Hopefully, someone here can comment on which Ill Directionals are the best…most active campus, attractive setting, kids involved, etc.</p>
<p>Does your D mind any of the religious-affiliated schools …such as any Catholics or ???</p>
<p>I haven’t been on all the campuses. NIU’s is very utilitarian. I doubt too many people would call it attractive.</p>
<p>SIUC’s, on the other hand, is beautiful (IMO). Not Ivy-encrusted eastern LAC beautiful, but a very nicely laid out and landscaped modern campus.</p>
<p>I got my masters at Western Illinois University and I LOVED it there. It’s not Ivy covered buildings but my particular program was excellent. YMMV.</p>
<p>Well, then that’s 2 directionals that should be visited (or at least virtually-visited by website)… :)</p>
<p>Oh…have her look at Troy University in Alabama. I think she’ll need a bit higher scores, but they give a lot of merit and it’s a very involved and spirited campus.
[Troy</a> University](<a href=“http://www.troy.edu/]Troy”>http://www.troy.edu/)</p>
<p>Also…look at Spring Hill in Mobile, AL…It’s Jesuit and is pretty good with aid for low income kids. </p>
<p>[Spring</a> Hill College](<a href=“http://www.shc.edu/]Spring”>http://www.shc.edu/)</p>
<p>I didn’t mean to put down NIU overall; just that its campus won’t win any awards (IMO; I’m sure some people love it). It’s a good school, with strong education and journalism programs (and no doubt others, but those are the ones I’m familiar with). Lots of kids I know have gone there and gotten good starts on professional careers.</p>
<p>annasdad,
I agree about NIU. The campus is not the most attractive and a lot of undesirables in area but know a lot of people that have very successful careers in fact my son just started his job this past April at a great company in Chicago where the CEO started his academics at NIU .</p>