<p>I’m out of state, have a 32 ACT (going to retake), a 4.0 unweighted, a 5.2 weighted GPA, and plan on majoring in chemical engineering. I qualify for the out-of-state presidential scholarship and the engineering scholarship, but I was wondering how hard it is to get the academic elite scholarship (the one that is basically a free ride)? Any info is greatly appreciated. </p>
<p>(And also, a little off topic, but if anyone else knows any schools with full rides, please let me know)</p>
<p>Just so you know, in order to receive the Academic Elite Scholarship, I believe you have to be accepted to the University Fellows Experience, which in itself is very selective (my stats were very similar to yours but with a higher ACT and lower GPA and I didn’t get accepted).
Also, OU gives full rides, but they’re ugly.</p>
<p>To get the Academic Elite (which is more than a free ride, it’s a free ride plus they pay you!), you have to be in the University Fellows Experience program. It’s incredibly selective, and not always for academic reasons. Perfect scores and GPAs get turned down, and they focus more on service to your community. And even then it can be a crap-shoot.</p>
<p>Lots of schools, including Bama, give out free rides for National Merit Finalists. There are some threads on the Financial Aid & Scholarships forum that would probably be of use to you; do a search over there.</p>
<p>The above posts are right and Academic Elite and University Fellows.</p>
<p>Are you a likely NMF? If so, you’d get nearly a free ride that way once you add in the Eng’g scholarship.</p>
<p>As for any other schools that offer assured free rides… Very few schools (almost none) offer assured free rides without being a NMF. UA-Huntsville does, but I think you need an ACT 34. No school ranked above Bama gives as much as Bama does.</p>
<p>the problem with going to a much lower ranked school on a free ride is if you’re OOS, chances are the school is a commuter/suitcase school. that means there’s little to do on weekends, and many kids go home at night and on weekends.</p>
<p>mom2collegekids, you mentioned UAHuntsville. Is it a very good school? I’m interested there, but haven’t heard much about it.</p>
<p>Yes, it’s a good school. I live very close to UAH. </p>
<p>But, since you’re OOS, I would be less likely to recommend UA-Huntsville unless it was the only affordable school available. </p>
<p>UA-H is a commuter/suitcase campus with nearly all instate kids. There isn’t a lot going on during weekends. An OOS kid could easily feel lonely. </p>
<p>Right now, your scholarship options at UA-H are less than what they are at Bama, so there’s no financial advantage to going to UA-H. </p>
<p>And, Bama’s scholarship covers up to 20 credits per semester, which is a huge advantage for OOS students. </p>
<p>What is your situation? how much can your family pay?</p>