Many years ago, someone here recommended a college we had not heard of before and now my son is a proud graduate from it (Northeastern. Go, Huskies!) I’m hoping for some CC magic again.
My niece is struggling to put together a college list for applications. I’m going to share her info and ask for your kind help again.
-MA resident and wants to be within a six hour drive of MA
-Larger sized school
-coed
-Loves the mountains but also loves the art and diversity of larger towns/cities.
-Currently interested in possible majors of public health, Spanish, Latin American studies, outdoor education, some sort of social justice
Cost is a real factor. I would estimate 25K for tuition and room/board. I believe she is in the top 25% of her class.
So far I’ve come up with UMASS-Amherst as her financial/academic safety and SUNY-New Paltz.
What is her GPA and what are her test scores (including SAT breakdown)? That could effect aid or merit. Preferential pkging, etc.
If I recall, your son was a NMF who got free tuition to NEU. Are they wanting a good deal as well…of course realizing that being top 25% might not yield that result.
Is she asking for a larger sized school because she wants the rah rah aspect?
You are guessing $25k…is it possible for you to ask your sibling (her parent) what the amount would be? Would he/she be embarrassed to give an accurate figure?
Is the $25k likely their EFC as well? or would they have a higher EFC? Is there a NCP? Have they run any NPCs?
UMaine Fort Kent has significantly reduced its OOS rate to be affordable. And, does give merit for good, but not top stats.
Yes, my son was a NMF who got full tuition to NEU. My niece is not in that position.
An accurate amount is 25K per year for tuition/room/board. Her parents are both teachers, so their EFC is likely to be fair high but in reality, 25K is the max they can pay each year.
She is looking for a larger school because she’s not firm on what she wants to major in, so she figures the larger the school, the more majors to pick from over time.
Will check out UMaine Fort Kent. Thank you, again!
Also be sure to check out the New England RSP tuition break program, which provides a reduced tuition at public schools across NE for NE residents (somewhere between IS and OOS tuition). RSP can generally be combined with other merit aid (although the schools do differ somewhat in how they handle this, so be sure to check). Also keep in mind that if there is a major close to the intended major, or if you are undecided, you can take advantage of the discount by claiming the eligible major…if you change your major, say, at the end of sophomore year, you would then have to pay full OOS tuition, but only from that point forward. (Look at general ed/required lower level coursework. Often times the first two years have so much in common between majors.)
My friend’s kid got a full-tuition scholarship to UMass-Lowell a few years ago. So, that school apparently gives merit aid. He lives on campus and really likes the school. I think it’s more mid-sized, and not large.
I was also going to say U of Vermont or U of New Hampshire, if she can get a merit scholarship. I think she may pay more than 25k altogether though, even with one of the highest scholarships I saw on their page (my kid was looking at these two schools at one point).
I’ve found the best merit aid at public schools comes from the “regional” schools, i.e. not the main campus, or “flagship”. So she might consider looking into those in Mass. or nearby states.
edited to add: Actually, at some of the OOS regional, or directional publics, the full COA may be 25k or less. That’s the case in the Midwest, anyway - not sure if it’s the same in the Northeast.
^^
Be aware that “full tuition” to UMass schools is almost nothing. The schools aren’t allowed to charge much for tuition so instead they have annual “fees” that cost $10k+ per year (the real tuition).
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Her parents are both teachers, so their EFC is likely to be fair high but in reality, 25K is the max they can pay each year.
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Ok, so that’s important info. They’ll likely have an EFC that is much higher than what they can pay. So, she needs large enough merit, to get costs down to $25k.
Are they allowing her to borrow about $5k per year? and is that part of the $25k?
SUNYs cost ~$30k/year for OOS students. If she can work summers and you tweak options (meal plans, dorm, health ins), you may make it. It sounds like she’d like New Paltz but they get the most apps of any SUNY, so make sure she applies to a couple so she has a backup. If she wants large, city, and art, then maybe SUNY Albany would work too.
Umass Amherst is now a bit above $25k for instate. Also, I wouldn’t consider it a safety for someone with a 1730 SAT. You might want to look at the other Umass campuses.
I think those stats are high enough for the $5k merit at UMaine Ft Kent
$5k of merit from this school is about half tuition!
2015-2016 Scholarships for First Year Students (12 or less college credits)
Scholarship Name Eligibility Requirements Amount
Bengal Gold 2 out of 3: If SAT score is 1050+ (23+ ACT), class rank is top 30% or High School GPA of 3.00-4.00 $5,000.00
Bengal Silver 2 out of 3: If SAT score is 950-1040 (20-22 ACT), class rank is top 50% or High School GPA of 2.80-2.99 $3,500.00
Bengal Bronze 2 out of 3: If SAT score is 850-940 (17-19 ACT), class rank is top 50% or High School GPA of 2.60-2.79
Maybe look at the University of Southern Maine in Portland. The school has 9,000 students and Portland is a great small city. @MaineLonghorn may be able to give you some info. COA around 30k but USM does have merit aid, I’m just not sure of the selection criteria. Try running the NPC.
Fort Kent is waaaaaay up north and only has 1000 students.
I agree with @my-3-sons: USM is the Maine university that best meets her general criteria. Fort Kent would not suit her at all, other than potentially being cheap. I would suggest that she also consider U Maine Farmington, although it is smaller than USM. UMF would definitely be within her budget.
Portland is a great place to live, with a very lively arts scene. I have no idea what the FA situation is at USM, though.
The NE just isn’t good hunting grounds for OOS good-sized schools that can get costs down to $20k plus $5k loan - when stats are OK, but not strong…and EFC is higher than what parents can pay.
I second the suggestion of University of Vermont. Medium sized school, near perfect college city; Burlington. Merit aid is available and not exceptionally competitive.