Congratulations to all who are admitted to OSU!!! After the initial excitement, we have to face the BIG reality of Cost of Attendance. How can we pay for college education?
This thread is for middle class who are struggling to find dollars for their kids to attend OSU, especially if you are from out of states, the price tag is very high. So I create this thread for anyone who would like to discuss and share the information in the months ahead. Thank you all in advance for your contributions!!!
Does anyone know when they are going to release financial package?
I could of sworn I saw someone say they already received their merit package in the other thread … I believe they were OOS
Someone may receive merit scholarship upon admission if they have competitive stats, none will receive full financial package until March
Financial aid will come out in March. My son did already receive his merit scholarships. We are OOS in Illinois and he received two, for a total of $16,500. He had a 35 on his ACT. I believe that’s all they base it off of.
@uofmmom, was the merit scholarship info on the portal, in an email, or in the mail?
Buckeye Scholarship (OOS) is $13,500 per year (SAT 1330+, ACT 29+)
The following can be added on:
Maximus - $3,000 (1450+, 33+)
Provost - $2,000 (1390+, 31+)
Trustees - $1,000 (1360+, 30)
Was not included in acceptance letter.
Here is an npr story about understanding financial aid packages that includes a sample spreadsheet for comparing offers.
You should also investigate your health insurance to make sure you have coverage, especially if going out of state and include an expense line for a student plan if needed.
Does anyone know how much the Ohio State Alumni Club Scholarship is worth?
Please please please be aware that these merit scholarships are NOT guaranteed. You may have the stats for Maximus and get something less than that or perhaps even nothing at all. There are many posts in prior year acceptance threads of individuals who meet the stat thresholds but do not get the level of scholarship. It’s unfortunate but I just want to manage people’s expectations so they understand these are not automatic merit scholarships.
Does anyone know what ELSE is reviewed/evaluated for the OOS Buckeye Scholarship outside of test scores?
For example, does a student who scored 29 on the ACT have as much chance as someone who scored 32 on the ACT? Do they start looking at the student OVERALL for this scholarship once the minimum test score is met? Just curious if anyone has any knowledge from the past…
( I realize the SAT 1330+, ACT 29+ minimum must be met first).
Unless someone works in admissions I don’t think anyone can have knowledge of how they determine who gets merit scholarships above and beyond meeting the minimum stated criteria.
My son cleared the SAT hurdle 4 years ago when he applied. Our high school does not rank but there is no way he would have been even in the top 10% yet he still got the Maximus on top of the Buckeye.
Merit scholarships are given as incentives to attract particularly desirable applicants to enroll. They may be attractive because their scores bring up an average, or they add to diversity (gender, racial, geographic) or add to the campus in a needed way (play the oboe). For a university like tOSU, which is so decentralized (each college calls it’s own shots), many of those things will vary from year to year. Availability of $ will also vary.
For financial aid, file your FAFSA asap.
If your EFC is $0 you can get up to $6,195 in Pell Grant.
Ohio residents might qualify for a Ohio State grant.
There might be a small SEOG grant and maybe federal work study in your package
Freshmen can borrow $5,500 in student loans.
Run the net price calculator on tOSU website to get an aid estimate.
Any chance they will overlook a lower SAT score if a child is top 20% of class and have a very rigorous class schedule, extensive EC and community involvement and very strong GPA 4.4 but SAT killed her at 1310. She is also AP scholar and co-founder of charity for ALS , 4 year multisport varsity athlete etc, etc. In other words do they take a more comprehensive looks at the applicant? If not, is there a petition process for these scholarships? Thanks
@Finalchildof3 May I ask her major/college within OSU? And you are OOS, right. Her SAT is hardly low, and all colleges stress GPA and rigor over test scores. I don’t have inside info on this, but I have noticed that OSU tends to really like applicants who were high school athletes (my oldest was inexplicably admitted 10 years ago and was quite below the bottom scores of those admitted from our HS. he was not a recruited Athlete). But I don’t know if that influences scholarship decisions. I also know that it depends on her major/college. Many have freshmen scholarships just for those within their college. All in all, I would be really surprised if that SAT held her back from a scholarship since she is so strong otherwise. OSU has not shown signs of focusing on increasing stats by ‘buying’ high stats kids at the expense of enrolling a well-rounded class. Wish I knew more, but that type of info is held pretty tightly by most colleges!
I doubt there is a petition process for merit scholarships. Yes, for need-based aid.
@cypresspat Thank you for your insight. Yes, we are OOS and she is applying to Fisher which I think is one of the tougher schools to get acceptance.
I would be very surprised if she were not accepted to Fisher. But your concern was more about merit $, right? I can’t say if Fisher has more than average merit $ for incoming freshmen.
@adlgel Thank you…that is good to know. I just wondered if there was any chance for my daughter who was just admitted with a 29 ACT to get the Buckeye scholarship. Her GPA, EC’s, etc. are strong so we will continue to hope for the best, prepare for otherwise…Happy 2020 to all!
@buckeyemomma I don’t know what else they consider, but I can tell you that my D19, who was admitted last year with a 1450 SAT (which concordance table puts at about a 33 ACT), did NOT get the National Buckeye scholarship. OOS, of course, with a 3.4 GPA, strong ECs, school doesn’t rank but likely top 20%. So, she was within the qualifying range. I wish I had called to see if there was a way to appeal, or at least to understand why she didn’t get it, but I didn’t.
Still hoping D20 may get it this year, with a 3.9 GPA, 1470 SAT. I am wondering whether it’s necessary to file the FAFSA. We didn’t last year because we don’t qualify for aid, but I may this year. OSU is not completely clear on this point, even when I called and asked this specific question.