Possible Changes To Benacquisto and Florida Aid

I suspect FSU will add something for OOS NMFs. Probably not to Benacquisto level but perhaps enough to cover tuition. UCF used to have a full ride for NMFs before Benacquisto, so will likely again.

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I donā€™t know of any other schools that offer full ride/close to it for NMF that are out of the South/Southeast. Is MSU (or other Michigan publics) affordable for you?

For student loans you can only take out $27K in total over the 4 years of undergrad ($5,500 frosh year, then $6,500/$7,500/$7,500). Loans above that will be on your parents, either directly, or as co-signers.

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U New Mexico

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Take a look at Texas A&M as well. OOS students get full tuition for NMF, but there are additional competitive scholarships that NMFs may receive, such as the Brown Scholars. That may end up being our NMF financial safety school.

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MSU is still close to 20k a year for meā€¦ which is like a third of my household income. I really donā€™t want to attend one of the directionals so Iā€™m not sure what to do

Have your parents told you what they can contribute for your 4 years of college? That is the next piece of information you need.

Many students do have budget constraints, and with NMF you will have more options than most. Do some virtual admission sessions at the schools that give big NMF money, and other in-state options, and see if there are some you can get excited about attending.

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Iā€™m trying to figure that out right now! Neither of them really want to contribute anything, and my mom financially canā€™t. So the full rides will be the best bet. Iā€™ll def look into some info sessions! :smile:

Good luck, I know these are hard conversations. Stay active here, there are many knowledgeable posters that can and will help you. Just know that you are a talented, smart person who will be successful no matter the college you end up attending. You will be able to achieve your goals from any of the schools mentioned here.

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Look at University of Oklahoma too - not quite full COA but the out-of-pocket for a OOS NMF is about $8k/year, and runs 5 years (so if youā€™ve got some AP/DE credits, you could easily come out with a graduate degree or two!).

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Contact U New Mexico, UCF, UAlabama, and any other university with a guaranteed NMF full ride, level with them: youā€™re NMF, until now UF was your top choice but the mess theyā€™ve made with it in the FL legislature means youā€™re no longer considering them, what do you have to do today so theyā€™ll consider you?

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Also look at Rice, W&L, and other schools which have made a commitment to provide substantial financial aid for applicants at certain income levels. Sounds like you might qualify.

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It looks like OP has a pretty complex financial situation. OP may have to limit the search to FAFSA only schools or Profile schools that donā€™t require NCP financialsā€¦but if neither parent will contribute, NMF schools will likely be the way to go.

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What is your planned field of study?

UT-Dallas has the full COA+ package
UT-Arlington (also in the Dallas area) might offer full COA as well. My NMF son received something in the mail from them, Iā€™m not 100% certain of the details.
Texas A&M - National Scholars award covers tuition (approximately), you pay room & board
U Kentucky - as of this year was offering full tuition for NMF
University of Tulsa - itā€™s not automatic but you can apply for their competitive Presidential Scholars full ride award (Iā€™m assuming youā€™re not currently a senior)

If you can get at least full tuition, graduating college with strong career prospects and a moderate amount of student debt isnā€™t a bad place to be. But there are still some full COA options out there.

(sorry but would you mind taking down some of the specific details in that post? Iā€™ve tried to keep the specific financial info confined to private messages only)

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@Spineappletwists you might want to update your main thread (pickiest girl) and specify your budget. I now see that a full tuition scholarship might not be enough for you, and that a full ride might be preferable. Note that it is obviously harder to get a full ride scholarship than a full tuition scholarship.

You might also want to read that thread: Looking for advice in Merit aid for a top 1% student - Financial Aid & Scholarships - College Confidential Forums

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Some interesting background in this article. They are funding their ā€œgrandparentsā€ OOS tuition break by axing the OOS Benacquisto. Since theyā€™ve stripped most of the controversial provisions from the bill, I suspect the governor will sign it.

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comment removed

The Florida legislature recessed today. Florida SB 86 (the Bright Futures bill that also eliminated out of state Benacquisto) stalled on the House side. That means there are no changes to Benacquisto. For confirmation and for more information on the work around SB 86, see the public Facebook group Florida Voters Against Scholarship Cuts.

For current college students, yes. For future students, HB 1261 was passed earlier this week by the Florida Senate and House and would stop OOS Benacquisto after this yearā€™s HS senior class. Itā€™s now on the governorā€™s desk.

ā€œUnder the bill, out-of-state students would no longer be eligible to receive Benacquisto Scholarships for National Merit Scholars after the 2021-2022 academic year.ā€

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.gainesville.com/amp/4887759001

Ugh. And I thought I had been tracking this closely enough! It looks like I cannot delete or edit my post, so hopefully a moderator will.