NYU Tandon is Polytechnic University with NYU branded on it. NYU bought it out just a few years ago. You are essentially paying for the NYU brand name.
@vader123 : your full ride at Stony Brook, dorming during the week, going home on weekends, would likely be the best solution for you. SB is much better than Grove academically and in terms of experience (which is important for college students - to find a job after college, you need to network, have a good career center, be involved on campus, develop leadership skills…)
What are your parents saying?
In order to avoid confusion, Op does not have a “Full ride (which assumes merit scholarship)” to Stony Brook. Op is benefitting from a generous need based aid.
The direct cost of attendance (tuition fees room and board) at Sony Brook is $22,704 for in state.
If Op has a 0 EFC, s/he is eligible for for $5165 in TAP, $5960 in Pell, SUNY Credit that will offset some of the Fees (I think the max is $1435).
Carefully read your award letter. While you think you have a $4k presidential scholarship, I believe it may be $4k over the course of 4 years (1k/year). Please double check.
However, even if you do have full tap, full pell, a full tuition credit and a 4k presidential scholarship, you are still a little over 6k short where you will need to use your $5500 loan and can pay the balance with a summer job.
You will still need book money, transportation, health insurance and misc. costs. (if your presidential scholarship is only 1k, you will have a 9k gap before applying your loan).
^ wouldn’t the student have free tuition for STEM, PLUS Pell and other grant in aid? (or., Being stem, would have a different scholarship than Excelsior which is last-dollar)?
“Full ride” isn’t just merit scholarships - most students may confuse it with full tuition but the origin of the money (need or merit) shouldn’t be assumed, only that it covers tuition, fees, room, and board. The distinction matters on these boards where many families make 200+k and are looking for merit but for the general population the correct idea is 'tuition, fees, room, board are covered". It’s much more important to make sure it’s not confused with full tuition and that it isn’t packages with plus loans (both of which is very common).
No, you cannot double dip.
If Op was eligible for STEM scholarship, it is also a last dollar scholarship as far as NYS aid or any other tuition scholarship is concerned. TAP or the school’s tuition based scholarship would kick in first and then STEM would pay the balance.
Since OP has a 0 EFC, s/he would probably be best served keeping his/her need based aid because it provides the most flexibility. Should OP take the STEM scholarship and changes mind on major, not meet gpa requirement or decided not to work in NYS for 5 years post grad, then the STEM scholarship converts to a loan.
Like PELL, TAP is an entitlement as long as the student’s family income/assets continue to make the student eligible for full TAP.
Also with Excelsior, in addition to being a last payer scholarship, if you don’t meet the requirements of the scholarship every year, you lose the scholarship with no recourse for getting it back.
If Op is looking for the debt free option, there is no shame in attending City College
Sorry, but this does not equate to a full ride. For 2017- 2018, the COA at Stony Brook University (SBU) is approximately $25,500. Assuming the $15K excludes loans, you have about a $10K gap and including the $5,500 loan, you need to come up with ~$4.5K for freshman year.
Maybe this is why your “low income” parents are reluctant to have you dorm at SBU, when you can attend CCNY Grove School of Engineering for free (Tuition = ~$6,700 per year; zero loans). Macaulay Honors Program would offer additional perks, with the possibility to dorm your first year (free) on campus, year abroad and free laptop.
I went to Grove years ago and was fortunate enough to get a job with a company that paid for one year on campus at University of Michigan engineering graduate school. ALL expenses paid, including a very generous stipend of one-half entry salary. In my year, at least 10 - 15 Grove graduates were employed by this company and all of us went off to graduate schools immediately after graduation, at one of the top engineering programs across the country. My total loan after graduate school was of the order of $3K, all accumulated at CCNY.