I had the same question! In my son’s school, Honors/AP courses are weighted to a 5.0, with regular classes at a 4.0. There are certain courses (most fine/practical arts, religion, etc.) that are not offered as weighted courses. The highest possible cumulative gpa at his school is around 4.5-4.6, too.
Ohio State offers a NM Distinguished Scholarship for those NM finalists in top 10% of class, and who designate by March 1 that Ohio State is their first choice…award amount is full in-state tuition. Prob is dd’s school does not release class rank EVER so Ohio State says they will assign one based on GPA, course difficulty and competitiveness of school. It will also determine her acceptance into Honors program. She can also compete for Maximus Scholarship which then entitles you to compete for additional scholarships. This is based on 32 ACT/1420 SAT and top 3% class rank.
Good news! Just found out that one of the schools D is applying to (Furman) is starting a new merit aid program for out of state students - ten awards per entering class starting with class of 2013. She was working on their big merit program application but now may qualify for this as well. It will be need-based, but I think given the current economic situation it would be worth a shot for just about everyone. This is nice given that so many schools (including some D was interested in) are taking away many of their merit options. Check out the details on the Furman board…
Sweet thread
New Out-of-State Automatic Merit Scholarships for U of Alabama
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Listed below are the automatic merit scholarships for out-of-state University of Alabama incoming freshman for Fall 2009. NO interview or essays necessary. Just scores and GPA… If you are interested, please go to UA.edu, pull down “Quick Links” (near top) and click on Scholarships, click on Types of Scholarships, then click on Out-of-State.
UA also has great NMF scholarships for students from ALL states. Full Tuition, housing, laptop, etc.
(BTW… if you are “in-state,” check the website for similar scholarships with lower thresholds required - for example full tuition for ACT 30/SAT 1320 (Math & CR) and GPA 3.5)
Also, UA is very generous awarding AP credit. Please check the website for details for each AP exam. My son entered UA with 41 credits from AP classes. (UA is on the semester system).
The University of Alabama is in the midst of a 10 year planned growth program. So far, it has exceeded all expectations, which has caused its USNews rankings to improve in recent years.
The University of Alabama, under the leadership of its president, Dr. Robert E. Witt, has committed the University to an ambitious plan for growth and achievement. His goals include increasing enrollment to 28,000 students by 2010 and stimulating significant growth in research in support of economic expansion for the state and nation. Under his leadership, enrollment has reached record levels and academic quality has increased significantly. The University ranks 12th nationally among public universities in the enrollment of National Merit Scholars and leads the nation in the number of students named to USA Today’s All-USA College Academic Teams. Since its inception in 2003, the University’s Honors College has grown exponentially, enrolling more than 1,000 freshmen in 2007. Dr. Witt has also led a major building program on campus with 20 new facilities opening in the last five years. Private giving to the University is at an all-time high with supporters embracing the “Our Students. Our Future.” capital campaign and its major goal of improving scholarship opportunities for deserving students.
The University of Alabama is ranked #83 by US News & World Report for National Universities. That is ahead of the following well-known universities: #89 Drexel; #89 UC Riverside; #89 Iowa State; #96 UC Santa Cruz; #96 Auburn; #96 SUNY StonyBrook; #102 U of San Diego (to name a few). UA is ranked #37 as Public University.
UA has an Honors College, fabulous Honors Residential Halls, and a gorgeous campus. It also is home to the Crimson Tide football team - currently rated#2 in the nation.
The University of Alabama
Out-of-State Scholarships for 2009-2010
Presidential Scholar
An out-of-state first-time freshman student who meets the December 1st scholarship priority deadline<em>, has a 32-36 ACT or 1400-1600 SAT</em>* score and at least a 3.5 cumulative GPA will be selected as a Presidential Scholar and will receive the value of out-of-state tuition*** for four years.
UA Scholar
An out-of-state first time freshman student who meets the December 1st scholarship priority deadline<em>, has a 30-31 ACT or 1320-1390 SAT</em>* score and at least a 3.5 cumulative GPA will be selected as a UA Scholar and will receive 2/3 tuition.
Collegiate Scholar
An out-of-state first-time freshman student who meets the December 1st scholarship priority deadline<em>, has a 28-29 ACT or 1240-1310 SAT</em>* score and at least a 3.5 cumulative GPA will be selected as a Collegiate Scholar and will receive $3,500 per year ($14,000 over four years).
Capstone Scholar
An out-of-state first-time freshman student who meets the December 1st scholarship priority deadline<em>, has a 27 ACT or 1200-1230 SAT</em>* score and at least a 3.5 cumulative GPA will be selected as a Capstone Scholar and will receive $1,500 per year ($6,000 over four years).
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<li>Please note that meeting the priority deadline requires submitting a completed admissions application and scholarship application, application fee, official high school transcript, and official test scores (either ACT or SAT).</li>
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** SAT scores are calculated using critical reading and math scores only.
*** Based on 12-17 credit hours per semester
myohmy >>>>Financial Aid - D received great financial aid offers from USC, Scripps, and Ivies, Purdue, U of Oklahoma, U of Alabama and U of Texas. Georgetown’s was disappointing.<<<<
Glad to hear that you D rec’d good offer(s) from U of Alabama. Is she a National Merit?? My older son goes there now, and my younger son will go there next year. My older son was hesitant to go there at first (he was hesitant to go to a “southern school,” but he absolutely loves it there. He was just home for a “mini fall break” (they had Thur and Fri off). This is his second year there.
The honors programs are awesome, and the honors residence halls are the nicest we have EVER seen.
At our HS, it is possible to have a 6.0 -although know one ever has. The valedictorian last year was a 5.9. It totally depends on the number of AP/IB courses that you take over the course of 4 years.
Im really new at this but here goes…son has barely 3.0 as HS senior, is National Merit Semifinalist, SAT 2100. We have no $$ but when I look a scholarships, it seems you have to have a high GPA with your SAT or Merit Semi. He wants LAC , History, Creative Writing Psych, Theatre. Has great letters of rec-he is just ADD and never turns things in. I wont’ tie up the posts further and will look at all the places everyone so kindly noted-just wondered about the GPA negating his other positives. Thanks.
kimmy: >>> Im really new at this but here goes…son has barely 3.0 as HS senior, is National Merit Semifinalist, SAT 2100. We have no $$ but when I look a scholarships, it seems you have to have a high GPA with your SAT or Merit Semi. He wants LAC , History, Creative Writing Psych, Theatre. Has great letters of rec-he is just ADD and never turns things in. I wont’ tie up the posts further and will look at all the places everyone so kindly noted-just wondered about the GPA negating his other positives. Thanks. <<<<
Congrats on your son becoming a NMSF. I hope that his GPA doesn’t prevent him from becoming a NMF. Did he turn in all the NM paperwork? Have you had his SAT scores sent to NM corporation. Since he’s ADD and “never turns things in,” you’ll have to follow up to make sure all deadlines are met. If he doesn’t dot all the i’s and cross all the t’s, he won’t advance to NMF. I hope his principal will write a good recommendation.
Hopefully, your son will soon realize the importance of “turning his work in” because colleges are not going to let him “slide by” on that one. Has he been tested, so that he can receive the meds necessary for him to “stay on track”?
Below is basically a “full-ride” NMF scholarship - tuition and housing (including honors dorms) but does not include meal plan. This is for all NMF, no matter which state they are from. My son (a NMF) goes to this school and LOVES it!!!
Application to the school (available online) and the scholarship application (also online) must be submitted by Dec 1. Transcripts and test scores must also be submitted.
From the University of Alabama website… NO GPA minimum required.
National Merit Finalists will receive:
Value of tuition in-state or out of state for 4 years
4 years of on-campus housing at regular room rate* (based on assignment by Housing and Residential Communities)
$1,000 per year University National Merit/Achievement Scholarship for 4 years
One time allowance of $2,000 for use in summer research or international study (after completing one year of study at UA)
Laptop computer** (after attending Bama Bound)
Thanks for the feed back, I am really glad your son is actually going to school there -a direct referral vs. “should look into…”.
My son does take meds, just falls into the trap of hyperfocused and loses track of anything he is not looking at.
Bizarre twist…school counselor did not mail forms! Said she would call them Tuesday, but the scholarship question may be moot now.
I just joined the network. Thank you for the advice on looking at USNEWS. My D is in tenth grade but we are starting to look at and visit schools this year.
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Thanks for the feed back, I am really glad your son is actually going to school there -a direct referral vs. “should look into…”.
My son does take meds, just falls into the trap of hyperfocused and loses track of anything he is not looking at.
Bizarre twist…school counselor did not mail forms! Said she would call them Tuesday, but the scholarship question may be moot now. <<<<
We are not “suing” people…BUT… if my kid’s school did not send in the NM stuff ontime, I would sue the school and the school district for the cost of the scholarship that their error cost my family. Seriously… I would do that.
When my son was NM, I emailed the counselor a couple of days before the “due date” and asked her to let me know when the stuff was sent in. She sent it all “certified mail” and let me know when it was done.
You know, I am not a “suing” perosn either, but I have to tell you, I was at the school 8 this am, GC could not find the NMS phone number, then said she would call me when she got it; no returned calls, I was there again at 11, had not been done, I was there at 3 and got-Oh! I was just going to call you…its all Ok. I expressed over and over that Iwanted to hand deliver it to the post office for overnight.
As you know, I was pretty resigned that the GPA was a sinker, but I could live with my sons reality/responsibility. But THAT!? I had thought about the certified part. Because (call me suspicious or call me smart), If I did not want a parent mad at me, I would also say it was “all ok” and who’s the wiser? Didn’t make it- so sorry.
Well, that was an emotional vent-enough about me.
We started the Alabam discussion today-same response as your son! Gonna have to go see the dorms and …talk about the LAPTOP!
Thanks for all your help. I see your name throughout CC and you are always kind and informative.
Apparently I am not a “spelling” person either. Guess we know where the son gets it.
kimmy…
Glad to hear that school got the stuff “worked out.” AND… good for you that you “stayed on their case” to make sure it got done. To make sure it really got sent in, feel free to call National Merit Corp sometime next week - they are usually very nice and helpful on the phone. Obviously, allow some time for the school’s packet to get there, but then call to make sure it was received. The number is available on the website, and it may be in your child’s packet.
Was your son the only NMSF from the school? If not, then the school would have some explaining to do if no one makes finalist.
Feel free to ask any questions…
I definitely think Brandeis as well as Ohio University have great merit aid.
Does one of your children go to University of Rochester? My daughter is looking into it and we’re from California – any input? She’s focusing on smaller schools (50000), strong academics (she’s a great student) and an Equestrian team. What about the area, nearest city/town. Thanks for any first-hand information you can supply. How generous is their financial aid?
My d is at U of R. She loves it. Merit aid is fairly good; their calculation of need, though, is much higher than mine!
You might get more information in the College Search and Selection forum, or in the University of Rochester forum under the alphabetic lists of colleges.
I forget where I read it, but often the aid at a school varies year to year depending on the applicant pool and the current students. Depending on the school, the admissions office might be more likely to accept students who are involved in a certain activity or hail from a certain part of the country in order to maintain diversity. Just thought I would put that out there! Also remember that the aid offered is often proportional to the tuition of the school, provided, of course, that the student has appropriate stats. Also, that rule generally does not apply to the Ivies or Northwestern in IL.
For Florida residents, nearly every school but U of Miami accepts Bright Future’s and the Prepaid Plan. In the Midwest, St. Olaf seems to have several different scholarships. I am not sure about full-ride, though.
I’ve heard that Boston College has very good merit aid.