Scholarship confusion

Colleges and Universities A-Z Miami University - Ohio
1

<p>Hi okay so I am a Junior in high school and I really like Miami university, but I'd be applying out of state and merit scholarships are kind of a big deal for that. And on their scholarship page, I saw that their stats for the highest scholarship are 3.7 GPA on 4.0 scale, and 32 ACT/1400 SAT. But then below it says that if it is on a 100 point scare, you should have a 90/100.
The problem with that is that a 3.7 is a 92 average, and a 3.6 is a 90 average. So why are the requirements different for different scales?</p>

<p>I'm so concerned because I think by the end of this year I'm going to have a 3.68 maybe and it would suck to miss it by so little. </p>

<p>Does anyone have any insight on this or theories? Or am I crazy and totally wrong? Okay thanks!</p>

2

<p>Different schools calculate GPA differently. A 92 might be a 3.7, a 4.0, or even, at my school, a 3.0.</p>

<p>Does your school report on a 4.0 or a 100 scale? Figure that out, and you’ll know what you need.</p>

3

<p>Don’t worry about it. All colleges recalculate your GPA and no two do it the same way. If you are in the ballpark, go ahead and apply.</p>

4

<p>tomenow- We’re on a 4.0 scale. But they specifically say that you need a 3.7 on a 4.0 scale, or a 90 on a 100 scale. </p>

<p>Walker-Do you have any idea how Miami calculates them? I haven’t been able to find that info anywhere. It would put my mind at ease haha.</p>

5

<p>It’s a big mystery how any school calculates GPA. Nobody knows…</p>

6

<p>If your school doesn’t tell them your grades by percentage, they can’t calculate your GPA on a 100-point scale, so the buffer won’t help you. If they do, or if the grades dragging your GPA down are in non-core classes, you might make their cutoff.</p>

<p>Regardless, those scholarships are given on sort of a sliding scale, and being over a 3.7 does not guarantee any specific amount besides at least half tuition. What I mean is that a slight GPA difference won’t be the difference between 2k and 20k a year, and, as Walker said, we can’t really predict these things too accurately. If you like the school, apply anyway; you’ll definitely get something (assuming ACT/SAT is good). Just don’t use it as a financial safety if you need most of tuition to be taken care of.</p>

7

<p>Yeah, I know it’s only guaranteed half tuition, I was just wondering like, why they have different requirement for different GPA scales. Thanks for your help!</p>

8

<p>Just saw this post and I can sympathize with your situation. My older daughter (Penn State, sophomore) applied two years ago to Miami. She was accepted just before Christmas, earlier than the expected Feb 1 decision expected, and the letter stated this was because of her “high academic performance”. Her high school used a 7 point scale, in this case a 4 point A was equivalent to a 95-100%, a 93-94% was sn A- and was worth 3.67, etc. my 2nd daughter attends a different high school where the scale is 10 point, 90-100=A, etc. Miami gave no regard to the scale and offered D1 no money with a 3.68 GPA, even though that was greater than a 93% overall, which at D2’s high school would have been a 4.0 GPA. The difference in grading scales around the country creates an unfair advantage/disadvantage when it comes to scholarships. I don’t want to discourage you from looking into Miami, it is a great school, but when we called and inquired about the scholarships they were less than interested in reviewing our situation and pretty much told us we were out of luck. Hope your situation is different.</p>

9

<p>For everybody who are looking for full range of Merit awards at Miami. We were advised (6 years ago) to submit FASFA to receive full range of Merit awards. We are very far to qualify for need based, not only because of income bu also because of no debt and no other dependents. D. was on full tuition Merit award and later received even more largely due to the fact that we religiously followed Miami advice and filed FASFA every year.<br>
Also, there is a great chance for a top college student to get additional Merit awards starting with the second year. You have to apply to Returning Student scholarships. College GPA = 3.8 used to be a cut for that. Many do not apply thinking that they will not get anything. Better yet for those who do. The awards are substantial, D. received additional $4k for her second year. But if you do not apply, Returning Student Merit awards are not automatic. In addition, certain departments have Merit awards primarily for Seniors, and you need to apply to these also.</p>

10

<p>Following up MiamiDAP’s post #9, here’s the official link from Miami detailing their policy: [Scholarships</a> | Current Students | Financial Aid | Admission | Miami University](<a href=“http://www.miami.muohio.edu/admission/finaid/current/scholarships/index.html]Scholarships”>Costs, Scholarships, and Financial Aid | Miami University)</p>

11

<p>^I am happy to see that Returning Student scholarships are automatic. They used require application, and D. missed deadline one year. She did not recieve any additional Merit $$ the following year, while maintaining perfect 4.0 in Honors program. Oh well, she still was on full tuition renewable Merit. Very positive development! Then it makes even more sense to strive for an A in every single class!</p>