Need-based aid for average/above average student

Paying for College
1

<p>What private colleges/universities, if any, offer good (i.e., high grant, lower loan) financial aid packages to A-/B+ students? We will certainly qualify for need-based aid, but I know that Pennsylvania state schools give little aid to applicants who are not top students, and I am concerned that even with some federal and/or state grants, we will be unable to afford another option than community college for the first 2 years. My son (currently a high school sophomore) is not a strong enough student to be accepted into the top schools, which are usually the ones which meet most if not all of EFC.</p>

2

<p>Hopefully someone can provide the link to an OLD thread by momfromtexas. She found full ride scholarships for both of her kids. While the specific scholarships aren’t all still available, the strategy is timeless.</p>

<p>Thread is “what I learned about full ride scholarships” or something like that.</p>

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<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/148852-what-ive-learned-about-full-ride-scholarships.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/148852-what-ive-learned-about-full-ride-scholarships.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/291483-update-what-i-learned-about-free-ride-scholarships.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/291483-update-what-i-learned-about-free-ride-scholarships.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>Your kid sounds a lot like mine. We made peace with the idea of CC for two years, and it has worked well for her. Get to know the CCs that your child could commute to easily, and find out about any scholarships that they offer. Some CCs have scholarships for kids with grades like your son’s.</p>

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<p>Determined need isn’t determined by a student’s GPA or test scores. Grants are based on need, not stats. </p>

<p>However, you’re right that the better the student (GPA and TEST SCORES!!), the more likely he is to get accepted to the best schools that give the best aid or be given merit scholarships at mid tier or lower tier schools.</p>

<p>What are your son’s test scores? As long as he’s a 3.5ish student, then it’s his test scores that will more likely affect the amount of money he’s given. </p>

<p>What do you think your EFC will be?</p>

<p>Have you used any of the NPC calculators on the college websites?</p>