@thumper1 , I think OP said that the D has recieved partial or half tution scholarships at all ten colleges she has applied to.
@Midwest7 So true!! the money awarded is relative!!! And I think honestly my step daughter truly believed that her father would do what she wanted in the end if she just resisted enough-- but we could not set that as a precedent with a bunch of kids
Thanks @Lindagaf
So…where did this kiddo apply? Sounds like she got accepted eveyewhere if she has partial,scholarships at all ten colleges.
It sounds like the issue is the costs are higher than the OP hoped they would be.
For the record, we assumed our students would take GSLs in what we are willing to pay for each of them out of pocket per year. Our required range is 12K or less out of pocket for us each year. Travel expenses included but not books
Thanks for the question @thumper1. That is mostly correct, @lindagaf. D has been accepted to all 10 schools and has received an award from all except we are still waiting to hear from University of Arkansas. D’s current merit awards range from a low of $12K from Kansas State University (which essentially was an OOS tuition waiver) to a high of $29K from University of Tulsa.
Apply to Winthrop University
Maryville in TN?
@Lindagaf, off the top of my head… she’s applied to University of Arkansas, Hendrix College, University of Tulsa, Kansas State, Ohio University, University of Evansville, and Southwestern University. I’m not certain of the others.
@clowncar What degree did she apply for at Ohio University? Certain colleges have their own scholarships. If she is considering a dual degree in Dance and Mathematics she may be able to apply for a talent scholarship and be eligible for a focus scholarship. It does require an audition. One area that can make OU a bit less expensive is in the area of meal plans. The one they quote is called the flex 14. There is a meal plan called the Standard 14 which is $1000 less expensive. My D is pursuing a dual degree at OU, a BA in Dance and a BS in Exercise Physiology. She decided to go the dual degree route because of the focus scholarship and the talent award. She works around 8 hours a week on campus. I would imagine your D has received her Signature awards by now. They are very good about accepting AP credits.
I know it’s difficult. I think you will ultimitely be able to make it work at U of Ark. It may require some loans and work both on campus and during the summers on your Ds part. You also save money with a child away. There are also federal education tax credits that come in to play. Good luck.
@lvvcsf , she applied for Applied Mathematics. She does want to dance in college, but doesn’t want to major in it. Not even sure if she wants to minor in it. D has received her Signature Scholar notification and award letter. Very helpful to know about the meal plan. We will definitely be able to save money when she is away - no dance! I had forgotten about the federal education tax credits, so that will definitely help. Thank you!
Do a search for CLEP on CC. Also on College Board website. If she ends up at a public, there is a good chance CLEP credits will be accepted. There was a thread here in the parents’ forum recently. She should also be aware that her AP test scores (3 or above, college dependent), even if credit isn’t given, can be used for placement. More room to do a double major, etc…
If she did well enough on her AP courses she may be able to graduate earlier than 4 years (thus saving money). With AP credits our daughter began college with 40 credit hours. After her first semester freshman year she is officially a junior. She won’t be able to graduate early due to the dual degree, however, if she were only seeking one degree she would probably be able to. If your D did well enough on the Calc AP test it could giver her a head start on the Applied Math degree or at least a leg up in the course. The Math seems fairly sequential, however, it may not require 4 years.
OU has 3 dance minors (Performance, History and Somatics) and a dance organization called The Movement.
@blueskies2day Additional awards to cover a gap based on family’s expenses which may not be captured by financial aid forms – is not merit or athletic scholarship. It is financial aid. Ivies are prohibited by their sports conference from awarding merit aid. It may be “under the table” in the sense that, a conversation between the family and the financial aid office about expenses led to an increase in funding, but that is need based aid. We are familiar with an Ivy league sports program, and from conversations, I cannot imagine that a coach would jeopardize their program by going against the no-merit (or athletic) awards. Ivy league schools can be more generous with need-based awards than many other privates, and so the award and flexibility may be greater – but it is still tagged to need, not merit or athletic performance.
@blueskies2day
Thanks for that info. I was not aware of that
@Midwest67 “Yes, $30K is a lot of money, but it still does not bring the net COA down to where we need it to be”
Every family needs to set their own, budget, but I think many would assume, that if a family does not qualify for need based aid, then they have income above a certain level, (though in many cases not enough to foot a $60k bill). And then with a generous $30k merit award, for a family that does not qualify for need based, the remaining tuition may be feasible. Colleges do assume/expect that there is some savings for college and that families are not paying the whole bill out of current year salary. With a $30k merit award and some money in the college savings fund, things become more doable
Have you considered University of Minnesota-Morris? Deadline passed for competitive scholarships, but automatic scholarships would put COA in your range.
With your budget and completed AP classes, I would work the AP credit angle hard. Eliminating the 4th year is very significant and may very well make your AP friendly schools work out. Open a couple windows on your computer and look at the AP credit that a given school grants and compare it to the course map for her major to see what can get applied to her degree. Add in a community college class over the summer or CLEP as needed and 3 years may be very doable.
Just make sure the AP courses can be applied to a degree program…if the degree requires them. My kid got AP credit for her 5 in an AP course… it the school still required she take the course to fulfill graduation requirements. Same with dual credit courses.
@Midwestmomofboys is absolutely correct in post #112
All need based aid provided by the Ivies is called scholarships in the financial aid award letter. They are prohibited from giving merit or academic scholarship.
Ok, you had grounds for a financial review. It is not unusual to request one especially if you have significant expenses as compared to income (unreimbursed med expenses, taking care of an elderly parent,/special needs child, etc). The college did not do anything special for you that they would not have done for anyone else in your position (even if they were not an athlete). carry on
Loans?
Ohio U also has a 4-yr guarantee that holds steady tuition, fees and R&B (although I think most juniors and seniors move off campus).