<p>Case Western really can’t be a financial safety because it’s unlikely that he won’t be significantly gapped. The cost is about $50k, yet their merit scholarships are mostly $15k-20k. They seem to “meet need” when need isn’t that high (so need is easily met with a token scholarship or loan). Their average debt at graduation is nearly $40k. That’s high.</p>
<p>A financial safety needs to be a school where the student is assured that all costs will be covered by assured merit, assured grants, small fed loans, and/or family funds.</p>
<p>A note to the OP…explain to your parents the importance of submitting FAFSA shortly after Jan 1st (as soon as you can). The best aid goes to those who submit their completed FAFSA early. Since your dad is really concerned about aid, then he’ll be motivated to help you get FAFSA done ASAP.</p>
<p>I might throw Drexel in there - I have seen some students get significant merit awards there.</p>
<p>It is rolling admission - suggestion would be to apply right now (like this weekend). Some students have already gotten accepted and their merit awards.</p>
<p>Having an acceptance and a large merit award soon would take a lot of the pressure off.</p>
<p>Last year, at last one student posted that he got the Presidential Scholarship (full tuition) and another posted that he got $26,000 from a Drexel Scholarship. They give out a lot of merit aid to the highly qualified, but the COA is in the $50k range:</p>
<p>Presidential Scholarship
Presidential Scholarships are awarded to a select number of students enrolling in each college or school. Potential scholarship recipients are invited by the scholarship selection committee to participate in the selection process. Invitations are limited and extended to students based on the student’s academic profile, including, but not limited to, grade point average, high school curriculum, class rank (if applicable), standardized test scores, and recommendations. Students chosen by the committee are awarded full-tuition scholarships renewable each year that the student maintains a 3.0 grade point average and full-time enrollment.</p>
<p>A.J. Drexel Scholarship
Awards in amounts up to $26,000 are available to freshman applicants with strong academic records, high SAT scores, involvement in extracurricular activities, and who have complete applications on file by January 15. The scholarships are renewable each year that the student maintains a 3.0 GPA.</p>
<p>“Case Western really can’t be a financial safety because it’s unlikely that he won’t be significantly gapped.”</p>
<p>The reality is this student is likely to be gapped at any school that doesn’t meet full need. I suspect he would be able to get what would be considered a generous merit scholarship from Case which he could add to Pell but I wouldn’t be surprised if it would leave him with a good $20K in loans per year.</p>
<p>The reality is* this student is likely to be gapped at any school that doesn’t meet full need.** I suspect he would be able to get what would be considered a generous merit scholarship from Case which he could add to Pell but I wouldn’t be surprised if it would leave him with a good $20K in loans per year.*</p>
<p>I really can’t agree with that. And, obviously all gaps are not equal. A school that leaves a tiny gap isn’t in the same boat as how Case has been described as likely leaving him with $20k in loans every year. Yikes…and such school could never be described as a safety. It would require Parent Plus loans or cosigned loans, which this family wouldn’t likely qualify for year after year. </p>
<p>I can think of a few schools that wouldn’t gap him much or at all.</p>
<p>mom2ck, I know your personal experience was strictly with merit but we had financial need and stats and found that if high-need kids are accepted at meet-full-need schools, they will generally do better than with a straight merit aid award since there won’t be a gap at all. The catch for this student is getting accepted when ecs are unremarkable. A lot of those schools want more than stats. That said, if you know a few schools that will give him full tuition or full tuition and more, those would be wonderful choices-- and better than Case where he <em>might</em> get more than half tuition but really couldn’t bank on it. Where are you thinking?</p>
<p>Hi - I’m from Massachusetts, and attended RPI back in the day. Apply early, submit your apps at the earliest possible date. Being #6 in your class of 400 and with those scores, you may not be gapped much at most of these schools.
With regard to your family home value - if it was purchased in 2002 for $300K, $400K may be high. Town tax assessments are based on formulas that may not account for what your house would sell for since they are based on last year’s sales, and are extrapolated from houses in your neighborhood, not necessarily houses like yours.<br>
Another school to consider is UMASS Lowell which has an honors program, and a very good engineering program. Not sure how the financial aid will work there - EFC for us is > than COA, so UMASS is our safety.
Another reach to look at, that is very generous, is Franklin Olin College of Engineering.</p>
<p>Olin
RPI
WPI
Northeastern
Rice
Cornell
Wash U. St Louis
Swarthmore (has engineering and generous FA)
U Mass (any of the branches should help a resident with excellent stats)
U Alabama
U Pittsburgh (is their OOS FA high enough to help?)
RIT
Drexel
NJIT (they will offer a lot, and Newark campus is better than you might think)</p>