DD16 will most likely be a NMF this year. She had a PSAT of 223 (our state last year was 213) with a SAT of 2290. I read that USC awards half tuition to accepted NMF. We did check the NPC on their site and they expect us to pay about $32,000. Is that including the half tuition discount for NMF or that is without this discount? There wasn’t anywhere on the NPC asking about the NMF status. Thanks
No, it doesn’t factor in merit awards. You’ll still get the guaranteed scholarship. However, it won’t stack -it’ll replace part of your grant.
Soo if Cost of Attendance = $67k
and net price = $32k
then your total gift aid is $35k
This gift aid is a combo of the NMF award and a university grant. If tuition = $49k, then your gift aid has a $24.5 NMF scholarship and a $10.5 university grant (for a total of $35k).
@Lilliana330 Thank you for this information. I assumed that they do not stack scholarships, but I thought that the numbers from the NPC are need-based and not scholarships. So what you are saying is that someone with the same financial situation as us who is not a NMF will be getting the same amount of money as DD16 who is a NMF. Right? That doesn’t make sense!
Here is what I got:
Tuition: $46,363
Estimated cost of attendance: $62,595 (includes other things they listed)
Estimated Gift Aid: - $23,493
Federal Work-Study $2,500
Federal Direct Student Loan $5,500
Estimated Net Price $39,102
Estimated Total Other Aid and Resources $8,000
Estimated Remaining Costs $31,102
I just looked at my numbers above again and noticed that our net price is not $32K. It is actually $39K. They included work-study, student loan, and misc. I still see that they give DD16 about $23K (half-tuition), which is the same as someone else with the same financial situation!!
“someone with the same financial situation as us who is not a NMF will be getting the same amount of money as DD16 who is a NMF”
Yes. A scholarship reduces your need at the large majority of colleges. Need = COA - institutional EFC.
Any scholarship coming from the institution/college itself will reduce their grant dollar by dollar. The only way to “win” is if a scholarship is bigger than your need and will cut into your EFC.
" I still see that they give DD16 about $23K (half-tuition)"
Well with that net price, looks like you’ll only get the NMF Scholarship. However, if your EFC decreases in the future, you’d get grant money on top of the NMF. If your EFC increases, then you’ll be glad to have the scholarship, since it’ll cut into your EFC.
Your kid should apply by to USC the December 1st deadline, to see if she qualifies for one of the full-tuition awards. These are holistic and rather competitive, but worth a shot. She should also apply to schools that will give her guaranteed full-tuition for her stats only. Good luck!
@Lilliana330 Thank you again. You have been very helpful.
Yes, I guess the only way she can go there is to get the full tuition scholarship. Does she have to apply for this scholarship separately or applying for admission will automatically enter her for this scholarship?
@lonetreegrad No problem! She only needs to submit her common app + supplement by December 1st to be considered. Be warned, though; it’s highly selective, so nothing to depend on. But it’s worth a try. Don’t forget to consider schools with assured/guaranteed full-tuition as well.
Yes, she knows that these scholarships are very hard to get. She is also considering several guaranteed full-ride and full-tuition schools. We are willing to pay up to $25K/year for a selective school, but she will need to take out loans after that amount. Since she is considering graduate schools/medical schools, she doesn’t want to take on any loans for an undergraduate degree.
Please do consider applying for local scholarships from civic, patriotic, business, cultural, religious and other organizations. Some are not large, but these can add up if your stats and qualifications are excellent. I belong to a local women’s group and we were very disappointed this year only 8 applications were received for $1500 scholarships
At SC NMScholars also receive a $1,000 per year NM Foundation Scholarship, if admitted. Every bit helps…
@“Georgia Girl” Yes, she will be applying to a few scholarships, but we don’t have very many local ones. Colorado colleges are not very generous to instate students. CU Boulder cost about $28K per year instate, but it will give students up to $5K for high ACT or SAT, which she will get. However that is still about $23K for us to pay per year. There is also a full tuition Boettcher scholarship for Colorado residents, but that is for only 40 students, so it is very competitive. I guess none of them would work for USC. We have started to look now, so we just have to wait and see. Thanks for your suggestion.
In your local community think about AAUW, Kiwanis, Elks, churches/synagogues, Chamber of Commerce, corporations, Rotary, veterans, 4-H, banks, cultural groups, ethnic groups and some foundations. Yes, it takes time to fill out the forms, but those high scores will be noted. There are helpful websites that list scholarship opportunities.
These are three sites I found which may or may not fit your particular situation:
www. ■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■
www.collegescholarships.org
www.studentscholarships.org
There are now many scholarships for women who intend to study STEM subjects. Your local library may be another source of information.
@Georgia Girl Thank you for scholarships information.