No different info for UMD and Pitt.
I believe UCF offers a full ride to all NMSF. The merit seems stingier for everyone else.
@SincererLove, thanks for info on GA Tech needing FAFSA for merit consideration.
UPitt admin just stated in the other thread that no additional financial forms are required.
Any other colleges require FAFSA or CSS in order to be considered for their merit scholarship?
@4beardolls I donât know what schools your C is looking at, but if youâre wanting to make a general list, weâve found Iowa State requires the FAFSA for merit aid and it looks like UT-Dallas requires either the FAFSA or their own fin aid form for merit.
I thought GA Tech requires CSS profile only for Merit with Need as a criterion.
From their website:
CSS PROFILE This requirement applies to students applying by January 31 for institutional funds (scholarships, grants, loans) with need as a criterion. (Georgia Techâs CSS code is 5248) - Not required for students applying for Federal funds only or HOPE/Zell Miller only.
@4beardolls & @SincererLove --Now this is frustrating news about GT, but better to know now than later.
I have to confirm with my son, but I could have sworn that he reported back after the HS info session that FAFSA was not needed for merit consideration at GT. It was the only question I asked him to pursue at these info sessions where merit aid might be an option.
I can see clearly on the GT FA/scholarship page where it say: âThis 2017-2018 GT App is required for all applicants who are seeking scholarships and/or financial assistance for the Fall 2017, Spring 2018, and/or Summer 2018 semesters.â
Very annoying as the only reason I had him apply early was the scholarship consideration.
THANKS for the heads-up.
Thanks, @IABooks.
As the calculators are showing that we get little to no financial aid, I am thinking that we should not fill out FAFSA/CSS so we âmightâ get that tiny bump when it comes to waitlist time.
I think Carnegie Mellon may require FAFSA for merit aid. I am emailing RPI about - seems unclear to me.
This is in the email to D. I called their office a while back and they told me the same thing (about requiring the 3), but I am confused about âfinancial need as a criterionâ
âThe priority deadline for the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid to receive the FAFSA, Georgia Tech Application for Scholarships and Financial Aid (GT App) and the CSS PROFILE is January 31, 2017. Additional supplemental documentation requested by our office must also be submitted by January 31st. This deadline applies to prospective incoming freshman applicants to be considered for institutional funds (i.e. scholarships, grants, loans) with financial need as a criterion.â
Very busy lately with year-end and new year planning/budgeting etc at work. Big event in chicago office for cubs, but we didnât get to participate from the east coastâŚ
D made some progress during this period also. She had done 2 interviews. She felt good about them. FH season finished by now. She will start her scholarships essays now. Other than that, it is just grades, volunteering, job and enjoy senior year while waiting for results 
Iâm happy (and relieved) to report that D18 did go to robotics yesterday and apologized to the coach, and is working hard in her new position. She was juggling improv with robotics, and really it came down to her having to decide which activity was going to get the fuzzy end of the lolly pop.
Since robotics is very specific and very requirement-oriented, I think she realized she could not skip a robotics meeting and have it be ok like she could the improv meetings (because, well, itâs all improvisation, so how much prepping can you really do?).
Iâm breathing a sigh of relief, frankly. As a former drama kid, I loved theater in high school, but I did not let it interfere with the stuff that was going to help me in college.
No money in the swear jar yesterday!
On UCF meritâŚ
They donât publish the amount of each scholarship, so we really donât know until they start awarding scholarships You have to look at last years results to figure out the likely award levels. Iâve had to dig through old threads on CC to figure out award levels and matching GPA/SAT/ACT scores. For example:
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-central-florida/1696118-scholarship-roll-p1.html
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-central-florida/1578781-pegasus-bronze-silver-gold-p1.html
So, OOS students with around a 31 ACT score were being awarded the Knightâs Achievement Award(44,000 over 4 years), while in-state students with 32+ ACT scores were being awarded the Provost ($30,000 over 4 years). In-state students with ACT scores of 31 got the Pegasus Gold scholarships (14K over 4 years or $3.5K a year).
They also support the in-state Benacquisto Scholarship Program (FIS), which awards full COA for NMFâs.
@CT1417 Love your post about the ease of applying back when⌠so true, I do not remember the anxiety of today.
I think I applied to 4 schools and got into 3 after laboriously typing up my applications. But honestly do not remember being worried about it. Itâs definitely much more competitive now which I think comes from the ease of applying and the fact that each school gets thousands more apps.
@4beardolls It depends on the school, your best bet is to check the financial aid section on the website for all schools you are considering. I ended up not worrying about it and just sent the FAFSA for every school D17 applied to because most of them requested it anyway. Also, if a school wants the CSS Profile, itâs a good indicator they will require the FAFSA as well. I really donât think it can hurt to send it.
@mamaedefamilia talk about being clueless for the process financially, I was just discussing this with a co-worker this morning and told her to get on CC immediately since she has a college sophomore. I just joined a couple of months ago and wish I had joined when D17 was a Freshman. the knowledge here is tremendous. Example - I always thought about test scores as an avenue to âget inâ to a college, not as an avenue to get âmerit aidâ too bad, probably wouldâve stressed the importance of that a lot sooner.
The merit is more generous if you are in-state, especially since the COA is so low. It seems the best awards come early.
Beating a dead horse on GTâs FAâŚbut I clicked around a bit and found yet another page confirming need to submit FAFSA & FTâs own FA app. I am now wondering if UMD has same requirement.
http://www.finaid.gatech.edu/scholarships
To be considered for scholarships awarded by the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid, you must complete a financial aid application (FAFSA) and the Georgia Tech Application for Scholarships and Financial Aid each year.
âPlease note that there are many students who may be equally qualified for a scholarship, however preference is given to students who show financial need and meet the established application deadlines. Individual scholarship applications are not required to apply for listed scholarships.â
@Fishnlines29 â Even though I applied to ten schools, the process was just less frenzied. My parents didnât grow up in this country and I am the oldest child, so I learned along the way. Fortunately, I attended a very good HS where going to college was assumed, so there was a process in place to move us along the path. But once we filed our apps, we just went back to enjoying senior year.
Applying back in the day: Filled out only one app, all hand writtern. Just ranked 3 UCs in the order that I preferred them. Didnât think anymore about it until some time in the spring when another kid got his UC Riverside acceptance and I hadnât received anything yet. At that point I started to wonder, but a couple of days later got mine.
I was the youngest of 3 and only one looking at college - neither parent went. We were visited by a recruiter for a small Jr. College near home - I applied to that school only and dropped out after 1 Semester. Finally got my degree in 2008 along with my DH by going through an Accelerated Business Management Program. Definitely a different game for my kids.
S just got an e-mail from his EA school saying the app was recieved in time. Whew. They donât send out portal infomation for a couple of weeks according to another email, so it is good to know his part of the app is complete.
Back in the day of typewriters⌠I was a California resident when I was applying to schools, back when the UC system was well funded and not over-subscribed. I applied inly to instate schools; the UC system and the Cal State system. I did have to write some sort of personal statement or essay for the UC schools, and because my typing was soooo bad (thank goodness for the advent of word processors) I may have neatly printed my app. I marked my 1st, 2nd, and 3rd choice of schools on each app and sent it in. I got my first choice school (go Banana Slugs) and happily attended. It was easy for me and not very stressful. I picked a UC that fit my tree-hugging personality (Santa Cruz), but also was not one of the top UC choices, partly because it was still kind of new and partly because they didnât give letter grades. The school was probably about 6,000 students, so it felt more like a LAC than a public U. I loved it.
I donât have any recollection of my college application process. Took the SAT once, filled out a UC app for one school (donât think I ranked the campuses), and filled out a Cal State application for one school. Donât remember writing an essay or getting recommendations (but I was much more sanguine about having to write stuff back then, so maybe I did have to do an essay, I just donât remember). I have vague memories of lining up the application on the typewriter and Wite Out. Got into both. Parents not involved at all. Donât remember drama or angst (wonder if Iâm just blocking it out thoughâI do tend to get worked up about stuff). I will enjoy asking my D what she remembers about this whole process in 20 years, lol.
@mtrosemom I had a dorm friend that transferred from UCSC and always talked about a class that was often held outdoors which he called Suntan Psych. Now heâs some fancy schmancy management consultant I think.