This is my first post, so correct me if I did anything wrong.
I really want to go to Georgia Tech. Getting in won’t be a problem, but I am thinking of how I am going to pay for this. I am out of state, so the estimated cost right now for everything is about 40,000 per semester. My parents have 35,000 set aside, I intend on doing a co-op for 3 semesters, which I guessed about 25,000 will go to tuition. I will also do an internship if possible. I had to pay for my car, so I only have about 2,000 left over from work. There is an MSE scholarship at Georgia Tech that would be a total of 10,000.
So what I have now is:
160,000 (total cost)
-35,000 (from parents)
-25,000 (co-op)
-5,000 (internship)
-10,000 (MSE scholarship)
-5,000 (own money & various scholarships)
This still leaves me with 80,000 to pay. I would like to get this number around 25,000. Scholarships from Tech would be unlikely because 1. I’m out of state and 2. my scores are not high enough.
My ACT is a 32, with a 26 in science, 33 reading, 34 English, and 35 in math. I am retaking in April. My GPA is a 4.0 and I am taking the hardest classes available. I want to make this work, but I feel like I won’t be eligible for financial aid because my parents make 100,000+. I probably won’t get academic scholarships, so I am looking for other ways to help pay for this. Thank you!
Are you a junior in high school at the moment?
Either way, winning that much in outside scholarships is pretty much impossible, especially since you’re not eligible for programs like Gates.
yes I am a junior. My other option is UT, but it isn’t what I want to do, so I need to get around 50,000 somehow
Well, that 50k is almost definitely not going to come from outside scholarships.
Everyone has a dream school, and most people can’t afford that dream school. Your best bet is to focus on schools that give merit aid; apparently Georgia Tech does, but their middle 50 for the ACT is 29-33. A 32 will be too low for merit aid. I would try to improve that score and look into just how much merit aid they give.
Have you considered Alabama?
You say Georgia Tech is $40,000 a SEMESTER? Where did you get THAT number. The cost of attendance at GA Tech is not $80,000 a year.
Your parents can contribute $35k per year?
Here is the OOS cost for Georgia Tech…unless I’m reading it incorrectly, it is $44,052 for two semesters…which is the whole year.
I think OP meant COA of $40k per year, and parents can contribute in total over 4-5 years of college the $35k amount.
The OP needs to find a more affordable option than GA Tech. I seriously doubt that he or she will receive significant enough merit aid to attend this college. Sure…apply…but GT is a public university in GA. Their mission is to provide assistance to the tax payers of Georgia, not those from other states.
It’s 40k per year, I’m sorry! The reason for Georgia Tech is 70% of the school is engineering, all 6 colleges are ranked in the top 10, it is located in the South, and it’s acceptance rate is high(33%), and the environment matches what I like. I know it’s difficult to work-out, but 40% of their students are out of state, and I doubt they all had 160,000.
@macabeney The 40% from out of state probably have money saved like you do. They also likely have parents willing to take money from their salary and take out loans. You need your parents to make this happen or it won’t happen. Most kids do not go to their dream school.
Don’t doubt that a good chunk of those OOS students are full pay. Many likely are. $40,000 a year is $20,000 LESS than many private universities.
You want to be an engineering major, correct? You don’t have to go to a school where the vast majority of all students are engineering majors. You need to go to a school with ABET accreditation and a solid engineering program. Once you are in the thick of your major, you will be spending most of your time with students having similar interests.
Ga Tech is a fabulous school, and certainly apply. You never know…the money could be forthcoming. But if it turns out to be unaffordable, look at your more affordable engineering options. There should be plenty.
I believe your SAT and GPA would give you full tuition at University of Alabama…plus $2500 additional. Their engineering programs are great, with a nice state of the art facility. It’s in the south, well ranked as a public university, And would be very affordable for you.
I don’t think the acceptance rate of OOS students is very high at GaTech. It is very difficult for instate students, and even harder for OOS non-athletes.
It is HIGHLY unlikely you’re going to get that much in merit. Outside awards are generally SMALL and only for ONE year.
Your ACT is very good but not high enough for merit from GT.
You also need to realize that your internships and co-ops will likely be in a place that you won’t have housing, so your internship money will also go towards THAT…and other living expenses during that time.
You need to have some good back ups because VERY likely, GT will not be affordable. You can certainly TRY, but do not get your hopes up. Apply, and then just see what happens.
At Alabama you would get free tuition plus 2500 per year. That could be a safety for you.
Rankings don’t mean much for eng’g. There are many very good eng’g schools. GT grads aren’t going to get paid more…companies pay their new hires the same.
What area of eng’g interests you?
No matter how great the school is, if it is not affordable, it is not going to happen. Just like shopping for a new car. Setting the budget is the first thing you need to do. Check out the NPC of the schools unless you have a high chance to get merit aid.
That was my first time taking the ACT, so I’ll see how things go after I’ve studied, but yes I factored in living expenses for the co-op. I am hoping to go into materials sciences and engineering, which fortunately is the only department that gives individual scholarships at GT. GT is also extremely high for ROI and so I would like to leave any college with < 25,000 I’m debt.
Please have a safety. Alabama would be a great safety.