Safety/Target Schools with good merit aid

College Search & Selection
1

Title. Recently, my dad’s business popped off and suddenly my EFC is >$80k. My parents have $40k total they’ve saved up for my education, but this brings into question the feasibility of private colleges when sticker price is almost $75k.

I’m a national merit semifinalist (I don’t know how selective Finalist is, so I don’t know if I’d pass the first round) and I have a 3.74/4.33 GPA & 36 ACT. I also live in Illinois. With these stats, are there any match/safety schools that would give enough merit aid to graduate without a crushing debt? Currently, I’ve only applied to a few safeties that don’t exactly have ideal financial aid programs, so I’m concerned that I’ll end up paying sticker price at Indiana or something.

2

What can your parents afford to pay each year for college? “Good merit aid” is going to mean something different for everybody…depending on what they need the bottom line cost to be.

3

Also, what major and what type of school (large, small, urban, rural, geographic preference, etc.)

4

University of Alabama Huntsville- full tuition and 1 year housing
https://www.uah.edu/admissions/undergraduate/financial-aid/scholarships/freshmen/freshmen-non-al-merit-tuition-scholarships

Apply by Dec. 15 to Alabama forPresidential Elite scholarship for full tuition, one year housing, various stipends
https://scholarships.ua.edu/freshman/out-of-state/

Mayve Arizona State if your class rank is high.
https://scholarships.asu.edu/estimator

5

Good suggestions from hippobirdy. Also take a look at Miami of Ohio. https://miamioh.edu/admission/merit-guarantee/

For NMF, take a look at all of the Florida publics, UT Dallas, Texas Tech, U Kentucky, U Minn-Morris, U New Mexico, U Tulsa, and VCU. I fear you are late in applying for some of these.

Have you spoken with your parents about how much they can/will pay per year? You do need to know that. You can only take out $27K in total debt over 4 years ($5,500 frosh year, then $6,500, $7,500, $7,500. Any loans beyond that would be on your parents.

6

UF, FSU, and UCF are free to NMF. Save that $40k your parents have for grad school.

7

Almost all NMF semifinalists make finalist ($15k out of $16k, or thereabouts). You just need good grades and scores (your are easily good enough) and to write the essay, so if you did that by the deadline you should be an NMF.

Seconding the recommendation of the Florida schools - each has its own strengths but there is a good program there for you whatever your interests, and the price can’t be beat. Here is a link to the UCF program, which is particularly aggressive in going after out of state NMF’s:

https://www.ucf.edu/admissions/undergraduate/national-merit/

8

On that web page, “National Scholar” means NMF or NHRP.

University of Arizona also has scholarships for stats.

There are also automatic full rides for your stats at Tuskegee an Prairie View A&M.

9

Everyone is giving you good advice.

What can you parents afford per year?

What you parents can afford (amount saved + out of pocket) + how much are you willing to borrow per year (5.5K Fresh + 6.5K Soph +7.5K Junior +7.5K Senior is the standard) is the number you deduct from the tuition + room and board that you need for merit (roughly per year).

Do you want small, medium, large schools? Public? Private?

What might you want to study?

You have excellent stats.

Ivies and Super-Elite Liberal Arts colleges tend to only offer need-based aid.

Some offer merit, but the more elite the school, the higher the cutoff for merit aid.

Here are some safeties (or low matches) in the Small Liberal Arts Colleges that offer merit.

Gettysburg
St. Lawrence
Muhlenberg
Dickinson
Ursinus
Juniata
Allegheny
Knox
College of Wooster
Denison
Dickinson
Kalamazoo College
Lawrence (Wisconsin)

Check out the book and online consortium Colleges that Change Lives. Lots of these schools offer merit. They also offer and excellent education.

For high stats kids, In general you get more generous merit scholarships at competitive, but generally not elite schools, since you stand out more.

Again, it all depends on how much your parents can afford.

Check this out: https://www.road2college.com/top-30-colleges-largests-merit-based-scholarships/ since it seems that your high stats might get you aid at a more elite school.

Best of luck

10

Note that when assessing reach/match/likely/safety, if you need a scholarship to afford the school, the assessment must be based on the scholarship, not admission. Admission but too expensive = rejection.

Most large competitive merit scholarships should be considered reach. Scholarships that are automatic for stats (or NM status) that you have can be safety if admission is also assured.

11

Centre College and Hendrix are small LACs that would also likely give you merit.