Schools that meet full need 30ACT - realistic list?

College Search & Selection
1

So my D found this place a couple of months ago posted for advise. You all were wonderful guided her to NPCs. She started with a list of schools scribbled on a napkin - since then I have become much more involved.

6 months ago I thought even a state school would be a stretch financially for us. But what I have found is our EFC (while somewhat low is actually what I think we can afford). So even though we can’t afford a whole lot (maybe 10K/yr) it looks like schools that meet full need might work for us.

Our HS has very little college counseling, and no Naviance or anything like it. So I have spent a ton of time here and on the typical recommended websites trying to help my D create a realistic list of options.

She is a rising senior - taken the ACT twice 30C both times (31 if you Superscore). She has a 3.65gpaUW (4.2gpaW) I don’t know how much class rank matters but she is in top 20% with unweighted GPA but top 10% when weighted.

She is planning on taking the ACT again in Sept in hopes to improve as she really likes the reaches on her list (I would drop them but she doesn’t want to.) My fear is the matches I have for her are not really matches since it seems 100% Need met schools have low admission rates. (and she hasn’t found a safety she loves yet - but we still need to visit them)

She is completely undecided about major/career but tends to prefer the math and science classes.

Here is our list right now:

Reaches: (all pretty dependent on raising ACT in sept)
Notre Dame -
Vanderbilt
Boston College

Matches:
Rhodes College (this is not a 100% need school so maybe a financial stretch)
UofRichmond
Wake Forest (we both like this one - but the application - lot of work!)
Lafayette College

Safeties:
Truman State
Missouri S&T
Pittsburg State KS
Drury University

Others that have come on and off the list a couple of times for not any real reason (Macalaster and Emory)

Also - she is pretty apathetic about the whole process and some of these we won’t be able to visit unless she is accepted. And while she is a good writer - she is definitely more a left brain kid so while her essays may be well written I am not sure they are going to have the creative wow factor.

She is my oldest. I am really anxious that maybe I have given her some false hope and worried after all the work to apply she will end up the state school anyway (which would be ok - by then why are we going through all this work and stress :slight_smile: )

2

Look at Lehigh as well, and keep in mind that they track interest heavily. It looks like a match and I believe they meet need now (?).

3

@MurphyBrown thanks for this. That makes total sense and is probably exactly what is going on with my D. I never thought of it that way. It just feels weird that I am so invested in the process. Feels really out of character for me - and slightly helicopter-ish :slight_smile: But I just don’t see how any 17 yr old is able to understand and make a good decision about this completely on their own.

Lehigh was on the list at one point too. I think I told her to pick between Lafayette and Lehigh. I’ll have to ask why one stayed and the other was nixed. Likely something arbitrary since we haven’t visited either :slight_smile:

Our experience with GC at the school has been pretty bad. Maybe we need to be a little more forceful. Both ranks are listed right on her transcript. Is that what the colleges see - or does GC have to input the info into somewhere else?

4

You might want to add an auto merit school to the mix as a super financial safety. http://automaticfulltuition.yolasite.com/

University of Arkansas at Monticello
Application Deadline: March 1st
Award: Full Ride (Tuition+Room+Board)
Requirements: 3.0 GPA and Top 10% Rank, 30 ACT
http://www.uamont.edu/pages/admissions/institutional-scholarships/

University of Louisiana-Monroe
Application Deadline: Dec 3rd
Award: Full Tuition + Fees + $5000 housing stipend
Requirements: 3.0 GPA, 30 ACT or 1320 SAT (CR+M)
http://www.ulm.edu/scholarships/freshmen.html
http://www.ulm.edu/scholarships/outofstate.html
Note: First come, first served as funds are available

5

Actually, the acceptance rate is lower at Lafayette, and Lehigh is not a higher ranked school. Lehigh is a university and Lafayette is a liberal arts college. US News ranks them separately.

6

Dickinson claims to meet 96% of need. Run their NPC.

7

Schools with automatic full-rides/full-tuition scholarships here: http://automaticfulltuition.yolasite.com

Not sure even in-state public is doable without scholarships, but she should get some scholarships, I think. Otherwise, would have to consider CC first if possible.

Also consider Maryville in suburban StL. Their minimum requirements for their full-ride scholarships aren’t high at all (though they are competitive): http://competitivefulltuition.yolasite.com
They also have a 3-2 engineering peogram with WashU (not sure how fin aid would work there, however).

8

Oh, and UMSL’s engineering program is actually a joint program with WashU all taught by WashU profs using WashU resources: http://www.umsl.edu/divisions/engineering/

They only offer 3 engineering majors, though. However, a scholarship to UMSL is likely.

9

In order to get the most merit scholarship money, the common belief has been that the applicant’s stats should fall around the 75% percentile of accepted students on the Common Data Set. Also, while many schools superscore the SAT, many do not superscore the ACT. Also keep in mind some of the schools on your list are quite expensive . While some promise to meet full financial need, their formula for calculating financial need is usually different than what the applicant believes is full need. It can also include loans in the FA package. Also make sure that you are looking at cost of attendance and not just tuition and room and board. The extras like books, fees and travel add up. And part of full ride scholarships is considered taxable income, so evaluate that as well. Good luck finding good options for your daughter. I would definitely strive for a 32 ACT which usually bumps up merit.

10

Dickinson would seem like a good match. There are many LACs in the Northeast area that are 100% need met, google is your friend. With a superscore of 31 she is certainly in range for a few of them. If she can get it to 32 she’s in range for most of them with the exception of Amherst College, Williams, etc, the most elite. Has she taken the SATs? Some kids do better on one test than the other.

11

I have run the NPC for nearly every meet need school and then some. I trust them, our finances are fairly simple, and it appears there are a lot we can afford. MIzzou without aid is our max. My problem right now is determining which she can actually get into. I think I am looking at data correctly to decide if they are matches or reaches but without Navaince or a GC I’m nervous I’m steering her wrong. I know the full need school are very selective.

I think without the 32+ she won’t get enough merit anywhere, so the need based grants at the privates are my focus. I’m finding the same as @MurphyBrown the competitive reach schools look the best.

@PurpleTitan Maryville is my alma mater. :D. I loved it. She’s not interested as it’s too close to home. Same with Umsl. It’s a shame, I wish we lived even just an hour further from the city. Then she might feel differently. However she is a kid that needs to be pushed a little out of her comfort zone. So I’m ok with her going further away to expand her horizons some.

Thanks everyone for the input so far. This place is a pretty amazing forum.

12

I see that you have BC and Notre Dame on her list. I think ND is going to be a pretty big reach (same with Vandy). Have you looked at Villanova? They don’t meet full need but I’d check to see if she would be competitive for a merit scholarship there.

13

Lehigh has been mentioned and that would be a great choice. I would add Union College, University of Rochester and Holy Cross.

I would agree on ND she is very deep in the bottom 25% with a 30 or even 31.

14

@MurphyBrown My D is embarrassed by my spreadsheet :smiley:

For me the safeties and reaches were super easy to find. It’s the matches and targets that we are really struggling with. 30 is very good - just not very very good. And my shy D has spent the last 4 years trying to blend in and go unnoticed. So it is going to be really hard to get her to put together an app that makes her stand out among the crowd.

15

There are a lot of complaints on cc about FinAid packages from Boston College. I could not find their CDS but College Navigator should have info.

I am somewhat confused about the emphasis on full need and/or merit availability. Merit generally reduces need aid and your D is probably not competitive enough for the few full ride scholarships at LACs. So merit in and of itself is not the goal, although it is likely your D will receive some.

However many LACs are generous in meeting need even if not always 100% for every student. And remember that loans count as meeting need so look at average loan in College Navigator or CDS, recent graduate indebtedness, etc.

My 29 ACT, 3.77 GPA D got generous merit & need aid at several colleges. Unless I missed it, you haven’t said much about what your D is looking for, to help filter her list. Many colleges in the Midwest are a little easier to get into & generous with aid because too many kids just don’t want that locale.

And remember the SAT. My D’s SAT scores were more impressive plus the colleges will superscore which helped my D.

Some random colleges to check out include Kalamazoo, Knox, Denison, and Earlham.

Does your D want something different for a safety? She should qualify for a scholarship at U New Mexico giving her (very low) in state tuition. She would need to apply early, like now, no commitment required till May, no essay, only $20 fee.

16

Agree, if ND and BC are on the list as reaches, consider Dayton and Xavier for merit awards.

17

Seconding Dickinson, Muhlenberg, Franklin and Marshall, Bryn Mawr, Denison.
Suggesting Drake, St Olaf, Gettysburg, Lawrence, Beloit, Gustavus Adolphus, St Lawrence, Hobart and William Smith. They meet need for almost all applicants except those at the bottom of their pool.

18

Thanks for the suggestions all.

Knox, Dayton, Xavier, (SLU too) and Drake were all considered but the NPC just showed to big of a gap.

She wants a school less than around 12,000 students but less than 2,000 seems too small (especially if it is a rural area). We are willing to consider larger but finding any that are as good and as affordable as our state schools is tough. I will check out New Mexico - that suggestion is new to me.

19

<<<
She is completely undecided about major/career but tends to prefer the math and science classes.
<<<

As for her safeties…

It doesn’t matter what your FAFSA EFC is saying, what are the NPC’s on the safety schools saying? Most schools give lousy aid, and often state schools give the worst aid. Some may give large merit scholarships for stats.

20

@stlarenas

Chiming in with @carolinamom2boys , if the budget is going to be tight, be extra careful about considering costs above and beyond tuition, room and board.

Have a realistic picture of a year’s worth of personal expenses, initial dorm supplies, books, transportation costs, and possibly needing to buy a full health insurance plan (could be as much as $2200 plus or minus annually).

One thing to inquire about for meets full needs schools----maybe ask parents at the school’s forum if it’s a contender—is what happens to the aid over the four years? If the aid stays roughly the same all four years, but the cost rises all four years, can your family swing an extra few thousand, if necessary?

The CC mantra is “love thy safety”. The version at our house? “Are you willing to attend all of the schools you applied to?” D16 was NOT in love with UK, which made her an offer we could not let her refuse! She is there, happily, now.

A lot can change in a year, so try not to stress.