<p>It seems as if many of the top universities offer little to no merit aid (ie Ivy League, Stanford, etc). My family makes pretty good money (about $150K a year) so I probably wouldn't be looking at much need based aid, if any. How then will I be able to attend a top university without shelling out tens of thousands of dollars a year??</p>
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<p>How then will I be able to attend a top university without shelling out tens of thousands of dollars a year??<</p>
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<p>You and your family can either pay up or you can find a school where you can get merit aid.</p>
<p>Read the thread above for schools that have merit aid programs. Remember that, in general, you will need to be above the oft cited 75 percentile in grades and test scores to have a realistic chance at significant merit aid.</p>
<p>Some top universities like University of Chicago give scholarships, but those are reserved to only the best students with something really unique. You can apply for outside scholarships, but most are small and the big ones like STS are even more competitive than merit scholarships.</p>
<p>In short, it's pretty much impossible not to shell out tens of thousands of dollars. Olin College and Cooper Union doesn't charge tuition for anyone, so you can consider those schools. I think the best choice would be to go to a school that awards merit scholarships: the schools trying to attract top students who would otherwise to go an Ivy league or something. Finally, a state school is not necessarily a bad choice. I don't think a Harvard degree could bring anyone more opportunities 200,000 could not.</p>
<p>here are my stats</p>
<p>I'm a junior about to be a senior in arizona</p>
<p>Ethnicity: Male Asian (2nd Generation)
GPA: 4.0 UW/4.9 W
Class Rank: 1 out of 530</p>
<p>SAT:
2280 Overall (first try and ive only taken it once)
1560 Math+Reading
800 Math
760 Critical Reading
720 Writing</p>
<p>SAT II:
World History-740</p>
<p>AP Test:
World History-5
Calculus AB (expecting 5)
U.S. History (expecting 5)
English Language (expecting 4)</p>
<p>EC's:
4-year Varsity Basketball
Will be Varsity bball captain this upcoming senior year
Special Olympics Basketball Coach
YMCA Youth League Referee
YMCA Employee
Nighthawk Basketball Camp Counsler
Internship With Univ of Ariz Track Coach
People Club Treasurer
Connect-4 (similar to Link-Crew)
Show Choir
Univ of Ariz MEDCAMP 2007
Had a poem published </p>
<p>I will most likely be a National Merit Finalist in the fall</p>
<p>How would I be able to maximize my merit based scholarship money?</p>
<p>USC automatically gives all Finalists a half-tuition scholarship worth about $17,000 if you declare USC as the designated school.</p>
<p>This is the stat for someone who received a full-tuition scholarship at UChicago</p>
<p>Generally, the top 15 National Universities and top 10 Liberal-arts colleges won't give merit scholarships, or they are extremely hard and/or limited. After that, some schools give scholarships to attract those who would otherwise go to the top 15/ top 10. Most schools after rank 30 or so give merit scholarships. These are rough estimates.</p>
<p>Are you good enough to be recruited D1?</p>
<p>Just look at the thread above ... Institutional Merit Based Scholarships (Full Tuition +)...</p>
<p>You should be competitive for a number of them, although the most attractive ones wouldn't be a cinch.</p>
<p>If you don't like them, then be prepared to pay.</p>
<p>Here's the thing about merit aid as it was explained to me by the University of Pennsylvania. Because all of their accepted students are so exceptional it would be nearly impossible to award merit aid to one qualified student over another, therefore their aid is based solely on need. If your family makes decent money then you're pretty much screwed unless you're a multi-millionaire. Even a family making $200,000/a year would have a difficult time writing a blank check for $50k.</p>
<p>if you are interested in applying to top schools, make sure you have taken the correct number of SAT II tests needed. Many top schools require 2-3 SAT II tests and you are only showing you have taken 1.</p>
<p>bballpg04 - There are a number of "top 20" schools that offer very good merit aid. Is it competetive? - absolutely - but it is also available. Having been through the process recently - I assure you it can be very worthwhile. Schools that we had success at included Duke, WashU, Rice and Emory. It involves some extra work and what they look for is how you are different or stand out from the other top applicants they have. They look for leadership - or what you did to either change things or make a difference.</p>
<p>Caltech, Duke, Chicago, Wash StL, Northwestern, JHU, Rice, Emory, and Vanderbilt. All top 20 schools offering merit aid. Also among LAC's Harvey Mudd and Claremont McKenna offer merit scholarships.</p>
<p>Does anybody know the stats for full tuition at USC and Washington & Lee? Just curious.</p>
<p>I love Bright Futures! Pays for 100% tuition. Thank god people play the lotto :)</p>
<p>Plus my mom did the Florida Prepaid Plan which would have covered tuition but can now be used towards room and board, or meal plan, etc.</p>
<p>Go Gators!!</p>
<p>curious14, are you sure Northwestern offering merit aid? My understanding is that NU only offers need base aid.</p>
<p>Ways To Give Your Parents & Yourself a Tuition Break</p>
<p>Get a copy of 'How to Pay for College Without Going Broke' either the 2007 edition which is out now or the 2008 edition, which will be out in October, it is published by <a href="http://www.princetonreview.com%5B/url%5D">www.princetonreview.com</a>. Also, look for schools where you may qualify for merit aid such is those profiled by Loren Pope at <a href="http://www.ctcl.com%5B/url%5D">www.ctcl.com</a> and get to book, 'Peterson's Smart Choices: Honors Programs & College' 4th Edition, at <a href="http://www.peterson.com%5B/url%5D">www.peterson.com</a>.</p>
<p>Also check out the websites of the top 40 or so Universities and LAC to find out what merit scholarships they offer and apply accordingly, for example Washington University in St. Louis and Kenyon College.</p>
<p>I took a look at the NU website and they only give need based aid.</p>
<p>CMU also has some decent merit scholarships.</p>
<p>You should not forget the top publics, UMichigan, UVA and UNC-CH all have full ride (tuition, R&B) for the very top students (instate or OOS). Be aware, that the students that get these scholarships are usually also accepted at the most select schools (HYPSetc).</p>
<p>Davidson College</p>
<p>The program at Northwestern appears to be new this last year. I tried to find a web link but couldn't. I have seen it in print and it has been referenced somewhere on CC. I have some vague recollection that they may have a need cap on it that prevents it from being available to students whose family income and assets exceed some fairly high threshhold. I'll keep looking.</p>
<p>I knew I'd seen it somewhere. Here is a link to Northwestern Merit Aid Program info:<a href="http://www.dailynorthwestern.com/home/index.cfm?event=displayArticle&ustory_id=de808678-e22d-4b95-939f-677c30dee30e%5B/url%5D">http://www.dailynorthwestern.com/home/index.cfm?event=displayArticle&ustory_id=de808678-e22d-4b95-939f-677c30dee30e</a></p>
<p>The UVA merit scholarship called the "Jeffereson Scholarship" is actually not awarded by the University but by the Alumni Association. Officially UVA does not give merit aid. The Jeffersons are very competitive and very generous. I think, in most cases you need to be nominated by your high school and that there is only one nomination per high school allowed. If your HS is not one of the nominating high schools I think there is an at large nomination process available, but I don't know how it works.</p>
<p>This program is not to be confused with the Echols Scholars program, which is administered by UVA but which carries no monetary award.</p>