I have an ACT score of 35 and an unweighted 4.0 GPA (100.179 percentage average), and NYU is my top choice. Also, I am bilingual and a dual citizen, so I’m hoping that international status may help me. As someone wanting to study neurolinguistics, NYU is the only school that would offer a major that would fully cater to my needs for a future in the subject. Unfortunately, my EFC is around 15k above what my family can actually afford. I know NYU isn’t the greatest in terms of financial aid. What are my chances in receiving the aid needed?
Another aspect I’m curious about is Early Decision. I see that chances of acceptance are higher in ED, but my financial situation would be a worry. How easy would it be for me to get out of the contract if finances wouldn’t work out?
If admitted ED and the financial aid package is not do-able, that is a valid reason to get out of an Early Decision, but if it’s fairly likely it’s not going to be affordable, then you are basically wasting your ED Shot on wishful thinking.
You’re never obligated to go to a school you can’t afford, so I wouldn’t worry about ED. That being the case, you can’t afford NYU. Could you get a scholarship? It’s slim to none, compared to how competitive the school is.
Affordability is a precondition before you even start applying anywhere. Even if you got in, you couldn’t go there because of the price, so it’s no different than a rejection letter. Just scrap NYU off your list and move on to another school you can afford,
@college_query NYU is basically my only top choice, otherwise I have around 6 schools where I’d thrive and be happy (I’m applying to at least 16 schools). Therefore, there wouldn’t be a risk of wasting an ED application, as everything else is based on aid.
Also, my extracurriculars are hopefully going to help me A LOT (I have volunteered for more than 800 hours since start of high school, been VP of NHS and president of several other programs, led marches and other social justice events, and had 2 paying jobs). What are my chances for the MLK Jr. Scholars program? Most of my extracurriculars are focused on leadership, social justice, or working with special populations.
I would imagine if you want a career in neurolinguistics, you would need to pursue graduate study, so I wouldn’t be concerned that no other institution has the exact undergraduate major you want. In addition, there are lots of institutions that allow you to create a personalized program, where you take courses from a variety of disciplines.
I don’t know what your chances are for the MLK Jr Scholars program are. The description of the program mentions a need based component, which doesn’t describe your situation.
If there is no other school you would apply to ED, then go ahead, but keep working on your other applications in the meantime, since even if admitted ED you may not be able to attend, if it is not affordable.
Since you have high stats, you should identify institutions where you would receive merit aid to bring the cost down to your budget, since cost is a concern.
NYU has plenty of international students. That is not an admissions advantage at NYU.
Sure apply to NYU, but realize that plenty of other colleges can meet your need, most likely…and are not close to $80,000 a year in terms of cost. Remember too…while your FAFSA EFC is $15,000 above what your family feels they can pay, its very possible that NYU will expect MORE from your family.
In my opinion, you should view the FAFSA EFC as the minimum your family will be paying annually for college.
What is your end career goal that you feel NYU is the “only” place that can meet your needs.
Read this link. According to this link, admissions standards are the same for ED and RD.
I’m assuming you are not a last year high school student now. If you are, you missed the ED deadline for applying to NYU.
If you are looking for future years…you have time to research places that are affordable for your family.
Merit-based aid is very rare at NYU - it’s there, some kids do get a full ride, but it’s scarce and requires strong ECs as well as stats. But while the vast majority of aid is need-based, they generally do not cover full need either, so it will be a tough discussion about loans if (more likely when) grant/scholarship aid falls short of what you need. You can withdraw from an ED offer if it’s not affordable, but they will expect that you will have run the numbers on their NPC first.
Of course, with those stats, there are a number of colleges you could get significant merit.