Scholarships for OOS Students

Hi, I was wondering if OOS Students receive any significant scholarships. I’m from Las Vegas, NV and I have a 34 ACT, 5s on several AP Exams (calc ab and bc, lang, apush, and psychology) and 4s in physics and WH, and a 4.8 gpa. I have my application ready I just don’t know if it’s worth it to apply if I won’t get scholarships. Thanks.

Getting in as an OOS student will be your first hurdle. Your stats are there… but… you just don’t know. Getting merit as an OOS student is very hard and is not based on stats alone. Have you used the NPC to see if you would qualify for financial aid?

@twogirls
UNC Net Price calculator estimates my net price will be 12,140 (w/o self-help and loans)

Your chances of getting a merit scholarship from UNC-CH are about zero, unless you have some factors going for you that have nothing to do with grades or test scores. I know people with better stats who have gotten no merit aid at all from Carolina.

Exactly ^^

It appears as though the OP may qualify for significant FA, if accepted.

UNC-CH gives extremely little merit aid. Their aid is focused on need based aid. They meet full need (as they define it using the CSS Profile).

Based on what you wrote (assuming the net price calculator is accurate), it sounds like FA is covering almost all of tuition anf fees. Considering that UNC-CH is a state supported school and you are OOS that is not bad.

They may meet full need but that includes loans and not all grants. So if you get in you’ll have to see what the package looks like. They gave my D a $2K grant and the rest in loans to meet her need.

Your better off applying to private schools that offer excellent FA.

You have a high need- around $40,000. UNC will meet this need through a combination of work study, subsidized loans, possibly a small unsubsidized loan, and grants. Everybody’s package will be different depending upon their circumstances.

How does the NPC break it down for you? I know several people who received generous grants.

@twogirls NPC estimates around 40k in institutional grants, 9000 in student loans, and 400 in self help. Estimated remaining cost is around $400

I figured you would get a large grant. I found the NPC to be very accurate- within $50.

As I mentioned, your first hurdle will be getting in as an OOS student. If you do get in, I strongly doubt you will get merit… but you will get FA.

If you want to spend the money on the application fee…apply, and see what happens. If you get in you could compare offers. Good luck!

On the subject of merit aid, it occurred to me that there has been no specific mention of the possibility of the Morehead-Cain Scholarship. Have you looked into this? I don’t know whether your school is one that can make MC nominations (see here, http://www.moreheadcain.org/list-nominating-schools/); you may want to discuss this with your guidance counselor. Some students who apply EA may also be nominated through the Admissions Referral Program (see here, http://www.moreheadcain.org/apply/admissions-referral-program/).

Also, the link to the Robertson Scholarship, for which you must apply separately, is here: https://robertsonscholars.org/

Even if you are nominated for the MC or the Robertson, your chances of getting it are statistically very low. It may be another avenue for you to consider regarding an award of merit aid; but as I mentioned above, you still need to keep your expectations low regarding an award of merit aid from UNC-CH.

@gandalf78 My school cannot make nominations for the MC Scholarship. I know the Robertson’s is a separate application but is it worth applying to if the chances are low? Does Robertson require me to ask for recommendations from different teachers that I selected for the Common App? The deadline is rapidly approaching and I need to get those ASAP if I do need different ones.

@twogirls You said the NPC was fairly accurate. Did you receive a generous grant? I’m not necessarily low-income but I guess my situation is more complicated

Yes I found the NPC to be accurate within $50 and was pleased with the offer. We are not low income and have 2 in school. I found the FA office to be very easy to work with- if you have a complicated or unusual situation I would call them and discuss it.

You can ask for a special consideration. First they will create a package for you, and once everybody’s original award is complete… they take another look at requests for special consideration and re-do if deemed appropriate.

@tt8082: I don’t know about the recommendations, or applicable deadlines, or any other requirements, for the Robertson; I would look at the site and see what you can glean. Obviously, if you don’t apply for the Robertson, you have no chance whatsoever.

With regard to the MC, if you do not attend a nominating school, you can “self nominate” by applying EA, and getting a referral from the Admissions Office through the Admissions Referral Program.

re: The Robertson I don’t believe they specifically say that you have to have different recommenders from your CA application. They don’t have access to your CA app so how would they know?

I will say that it is my opinion that the Robertson and about any full ride scholarship like it really emphasizes leadership. They are looking for leaders in whatever industry the student works in the future. I recommended to my D - a very introverted, academic nerd not to waste her time on it. You can easily create an account and log in and see the requirements. It’s basically like another involved College App.

By applying EA, it seems like I’ll be in consideration for MC and other scholarships (I.e. Pogue Scholars).
Not sure if I’ll get them but I have everything ready to submit I just don’t know if it’s worth it financially

The Robertson Scholars Leadership Program will have access to a student’s common application if they are chosen to progress to the Semi-Finalist Round. That being said, the program allows students to use CA recommendations - however the best recommendations for a leadership scholarship will be recommendations that reference a students’ accomplishments in the leadership realm. So - students should be sure to tell their CA recommenders if they plan to use the recs for multiple purposes and ask those recommenders to specifically address their leadership if possible.