I know UF is ranked very highly but I also heard that unless you are the top of your class they do not offer merit scholarships.
I expect to get admitted but I don’t expect any money based on these rumors. Are there any OOS students that have gotten merit in the past and what were your stats?
If you didn’t get any, are there any OOS that are paying full price? and do you think it’s worth it?
UF’s OOS tuition is $28,591, and there are three levels of OOS merit scholarships available:
Office of Admissions Alumni Scholarship: $8,000 per year - 42
Sunshine Scholarship: $16,000 per year - 18
Gator Nation Scholarship: $20,000 per year - 12
These are given holistically, so who knows what the criteria are. Each year, UF enrolls between 500 to 600 OOS, so you can see the chances of getting meaningful merit aid from UF are low. In fact, given the high stats of many of the kids that get into UF OOS, most of them can find much more generous guaranteed OOS merit aid at other state schools.
@Zinhead thank you for this insider information, but other than confirm what I said that there’s not too much merit awarded OOS students you didn’t say if you feel it’s worth it.
@NewYorker404 - It depends on the individual and what their alternatives are. Certainly if you live in a state with a good, affordable flagship, UF is probably is not “worth it”.
On the other hand, one of my roommates at UF was a New Yorker who paid OOS tuition. He didn’t want to go to a SUNY, and UF, although expensive, was cheaper than the private offerings he qualified for. If your alternative is paying $45,000 for Fordham, $40,000 at Syracuse, or similar OOS rates for desirable state schools like Michigan or Maryland, UF looks like a bargain.
@Zinhead can you clarify your comparison of UF and Michigan?
@Zinhead thank you, I see what you mean. I have many options some are better ranked than UF some are lower, most have given me very generous merit awards. UF has the Florida warm weather appeal.
I’m curious as to how you would compare U Miami and FSU to UF for business? I was accepted at both of course Miami is overly expensive and FSU I got a huge scholarship for.
@Zinhead @ClarinetDad16 I think he’s saying that Michigan Maryland and UF are equivalent? Which I certainly think you are wrong on certainly Michigan is in its own category and Maryland is not even close to UF or Michigan.
@NewYorker404 - here is a good snapshot of the best public universities:
https://colleges.niche.com/rankings/top-public-universities/
And I believe Michigan OOS is far more expensive than UF or Maryland
NewYorker404, I’m guessing you got the tuition waiver scholarship at FSU so you’ll get in state tuition rates? The real question is : is there any way to justify paying Out of State tuition rates at UF (approx. $38,000 for tuition, room and board) vs. the in-state rate at FSU (approx. $17,000 for tuition, fees, room and board). Without getting one of the UF out of state merit scholarships you are looking at a $21,000 a year difference to attend UF vs. FSU. That’s a real question to ponder…I suspect FSU is drawing off quite a few of the out of state students that would normally attend UF due to the in state tuition waiver they offer.
@ClarinetDad16 - Michigan and Maryland were listed rather randomly to illustrate a point about high OOS tuitions for state universities. I could have just as easily listed OSU, PSU or a host of other state schools with high OOS tuition.
As for UF and UM, both schools identified each other as peer institutions:
http://chronicle.com/interactives/peers-network
If this bothers you, I suggest that you take it up with the UM Board of Trustees.
@Zinhead This is very informative to us as our daughter is OOS applied to UF. It is her dream to go there for many reasons. So the cost was at the bottom of the list as a deciding factor. I will say it is going to be difficult without a scholarship of some kind. But I am curious about your comment regarding private institutions in NY. She is finding they give the most aid and it brings the cost right down to the cost of UF. I’m not sure why your roommate did not experience that. IF she gets in, we will have to find a way to pay. I would rather she be successful at a school she wants to be at than settle for a private school here just because it will save us money. But all this information is very useful.
UF is the best deal in the country in state. OOS accross the country you pretty much get what you pay for.
Florida is pretty average for OOS tuition (see below) but is one of the better state universities. UVA and UMich are priced way up there but very elite. Berkeley and UNC are in the next tier of prices but also elite. Then most everyone else is clumped around UF tuition levels. So compared to other OOS choices I think UF is definitely worth it. However, compared to in state deals that is a choice you have to weigh with your pocketbook.
@FINKELLY Merit aid is tied to family income, which may be different from your family. Also, this would have been a few years back since Zinhead’s (and I) attended UF, so what’s common for Merit aid today, may not have been the case then.
If you’re looking for that large college experience, to get engaged in large research university or want to major in fields like engineering, agricultural and life sciences (to name a few), then you may find UF a much better fit than several of the privates in the NE.
@citygator Good perspective.
@NewYorker404 - Miami has some strong programs in medicine, law and niches like marine biology. Their MBA program is popular due to its location, but I am not sure that Miami is the financial hub that it was 20-30 years ago. Realize that much of the economy in South Florida deals with Latin America, so not being Hispanic or knowing Spanish can be detrimental to a long term business career there if you want to stay in Dade County. Many of the financial services firms have moved to Broward County for this reason. For undergraduate business, it would probably be an good choice if you wanted a career in South Florida, but an undergraduate UMiami business degree doesn’t add much value compared to a similar FAU or FIU degree.
Between UF and FSU, Florida definitely has the better business school with a stronger regional reputation and better recruiting. However, if FSU is $84,000 cheaper over four years, and you have no ties to either school, you are better off going to Florida State and saving the money.
However, if you are looking at FSU and have a 32 ACT, you are probably better off going to Alabama. Tuition would be free, and UA’s undergraduate business program will be similar in quality and get similar recruitment as FSU’s.
@citygator - I would peg best deals in state as UNC, UM, UVA, UCB, UCLA and then UF
@Gator88NE Merit aid would be great. We are trying to prepare ourselves for the full amount but anything will help. Being from New York, travel expenses alone will be difficult. She was offered a softball scholarship at a local school but turned it down in hopes of being a Gator. I would rather spend a little more to get a great education and experience. Well, she has to get in first. 2 more days! If it doesn’t happen, back to the drawing board in March.
@ClarinetDad16 - We all have our different personal rankings, but Kiplingers, which heavily weighs the cost of tuition in its rankings compared to USNWR, has consistently ranked UF one of its “Best Value” colleges.
http://www.kiplinger.com/tool/college/T014-S001-kiplinger-s-best-values-in-public-colleges/index.php
For 2016, the ranking for Public Schools is:
1 - UNC
2 - UF
3 - UVa
4 - UCB
5 - UM-Ann Arbor
6 - UCLA
7 - UM-College Park
8 - UW-Madison
9 - UWashington
10 - William and Mary
The problem with these rankings is that they are largely moot for in-state comparisons, as it would be difficult to get in-state tuition for more than one of these schools.
And niche has them in this order:
https://colleges.niche.com/rankings/top-public-universities/
People who live in Florida are lucky that they are to be able to get the incredible education University of Florida offers at such a low price. UF’s direct costs for in state residents are $16,930 a year (tuition, room and board). If you factor in the Bright Futures scholarship that Florida gives it’s residents, the cost is more like $14,000 a year in state. That’s amazing!!! Compare that to UC Berkeley or UCLA in California - which are both around $28,000 a year for direct costs for residents of California. It’s easy to see why UF ranks very high for in state value.