<p>I'm a junior from NY, but I'm really interested in James Madison, University of New Hampshire, University of Delaware, and UMass Amherst. Does anybody know if one is better than the other for need based aid. I have a 3.3-3.4 and a 1880 SAT, so I don't think I qualify for any merit $$.</p>
<p>All of those are public Us and you would be out of state for them. Almost all public Us reserve their need based aid for in state students. You should look in state for schools. The SUNYs are very good.</p>
<p>I suggest SUNY. There’s no point looking for other schools out of your state if you’re not gonna get enough money for them. Unless you’re prepared to get loans, and what’s the point if you can get TAP by studying in an instate university?</p>
<p>Estimate your EFC through one of the online calculators to see if you’ll qualify for federal need based grants. They will stay constant (except for FSEOG) at any school. You can also estimate your NY TAP award online at the HESC website. If you go to a SUNY and have a low EFC, you may also receive a SUSTA grant. I wouldn’t look for alot of need based aid from OOS publics and suggest you definitely apply to 1-2 SUNY’s as a financial safety!</p>
<p>Thanks for the advise. I do hope I get into Albany, but I really loved James Madison.</p>