<p>I am wondering if any of you know if i can get an full ride to college out of state, (I live in AZ)</p>
<p>My dad is a single parent with an income of about 43,000 a year
My PSAT score was a 174
My SAT score was a 1870
I have a 3.5 GPA</p>
<p>Probably not. </p>
<p>the schools that give 100% financial aid without big loans usually require higher scores.</p>
<p>You’ll likely get your best aid from your own state schools.</p>
<p>Try raising your score…and take the ACT, too.</p>
<p>So what kind of scores are they looking for?
What can I do to make going to an out of state college possible?</p>
<p>Yes, it is possible. Look at the Momfromtexas thread. It will tell you how you can do this.</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/148852-what-ive-learned-about-full-ride-scholarships.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/148852-what-ive-learned-about-full-ride-scholarships.html</a></p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/848226-important-links-automatic-guaranteed-merit-scholarships-2.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/848226-important-links-automatic-guaranteed-merit-scholarships-2.html</a></p>
<p>HG,
A quick note on terminology, differentiating in and out of state only applies to Public colleges & universities; Private colleges consider all students the same no matter what state they come from.</p>
<p>It may be difficult for you to get a full ride as we know it (fairly rare merit scholarships covering tuition and all expenses) without raising your scores significantly. But I think what you may be asking is whether you can get a financial aid package that will cover all of your billable expenses and that’s a different matter. If you have a low EFC and also target relatively inexpensive schools where you’re likely to be in the top 10-20% of their incoming class, assuming they offer decent merit aid, it’s more likely they will give you a financial aid package that will cover your expenses. </p>
<p>As an AZ resident, you’re eligible for the WUE programs which could give you reduced tuition at OOS schools. That may be a good place to start looking. Boise State, for example, gives merit aid and a reduction to instate tuition levels (which is under $5K a year) to some WUE participants.</p>
<p>[WICHE</a> - Student Exchange Programs](<a href=“http://wue.wiche.edu/WUE_constituent2.jsp]WICHE”>http://wue.wiche.edu/WUE_constituent2.jsp)</p>
<p>If you can get accepted to one of the schools with a no/low loan policy, that could also essentially give you a “full ride”, assuming your parent EFC was not large. Check the qualifications carefully and remember that there will likely be an expected student contribution though, so it’s best to start working and saving now.
[Project</a> on Student Debt: Financial Aid Pledges](<a href=“http://projectonstudentdebt.org/pc_institution.php]Project”>http://projectonstudentdebt.org/pc_institution.php)</p>
<p>Finally, please make sure you apply to a financial safety! ASU would be a good place to apply since they would likely cover your full need:
[President</a> Barack Obama Scholars | Arizona State University](<a href=“http://promise.asu.edu/obamascholars]President”>Special financial assistance programs | Arizona State University)</p>
<p>The concern I have about the MomfromTexas thread is that with scores that aren’t top, the schools that would give big merit would tend to be commuter or suitcase schools. That can be frustrating for a student who is coming from out of state to have everyone leave campus every evening/weekend. </p>
<p>My friend’s daughter accepted such a scholarship from a lower ranked school (4th tier) just because of the big scholarship offer. The school would have been fine if her family lived in the area, but she was over 1000 miles from home. Within a month after arriving, she applied to transfer because it was a commuter college. She lost all opportunity for lesser scholarships at better known - resident colleges.</p>
<p>If the student’s intent is to go to a so-called more well-known school that has a decent number of residential students, then he needs to get his scores up to over the 2000 mark.</p>
<p>I agree but there are many 3rd and 4th tier schools that aren’t necessarily commuter schools. If you’re talking about USNWR rankings, remember that even a 4th tier school is ranked in the top 10% or so of all colleges nationwide! Even at a “commuter school” not everyone is going to leave on the weekend and most colleges offer their residential students a decent amount of programming (I’m thinking of the NY/NJ/LI schools that have huge local student populations and are generally considered commuter schools). It’s unfortunate that some students don’t stick long enough to really get involved with their school and I suspect that could be the case with the young lady you’re referring to. It takes a lot longer than a month for most students to find their niche! Fit is always important but unfortunately we don’t know much about what the OP is looking for, other than money and another state!</p>
<p>I think the student needs to tell us what kind of out of state school he/she has in mind. If the intent is a school with a popular rah rah sports program or something like that, then his scores need to be higher.</p>
<p>HistoryGeek - you probably know this, but your best in state option, financially, is ASU. You would be eligible for the Obama Scholars FA program. After paying your FAFSA EFC you will have a work study award and some very small loan amounts (which could be virtually eliminated by choosing housing and mealplan under the program average allotment). You will need to apply early, file FAFSA early and stay on top of all ASU suggested time lines.</p>
<p>While you search for the out of state opportunity, don’t ignore your in state option. You have a strong honors college at ASU that would prepare you well for graduate work (your current scores and gpa would make that a reach at first but you can reapply after doing well at ASU).</p>
<p>Looking out of state you will need to find the “small pond” where you can be the “big fish”. This is possible - but the bigger question is, money aside, do you like the small pond? The schools most likely to make you this kind of offer will often fall into the “where is that” category, but even to increase your likelihood of getting such an offer you will need better test scores (by all means take the ACT).</p>
<p>Even with your best efforts to go out of state, you will most likely still save money at ASU - but you should try your best to keep all options open until much further along in the process.</p>
<p>mom2collegekids…have you read the momfromtexas threads? She had two very different kids…one with higher stats than the other. Finances were a HUGE consideration for her family. Both of her kiddos got extremely generous merit awards because Momfromtexas did a lot of research into schools that would offer kids with HER kids’ stats aid. Her thread is a classic on CC because it does NOT feature schools that others would think of…and that was her point…dig deeply and you will likely find a school for you that will also reward you financially.</p>
<p>Both of her kids are attending four year residential colleges with very generous aid. Neither is at a community college and neither is commuting from home. Neither of their schools guarantees to meet full need but both schools do have generous awards for students with her kids’ stats (and one of her kids was truly an average kiddo).</p>
<p>btw I took the ACT and got a composite score of 30 does that improve anything?</p>
<p>It can help…</p>
<p>What is your intended major?</p>
<p>I intend to major in History</p>
<p>
Haha! yeah, well… it seems obvious NOW!</p>
<p>I think investigating schools you might not have heard of (the momfromtexas method) is a great idea, and with an ACT of 30 that will increase the number of schools from which you can choose.</p>
<p>Also… If your 3.5 GPA is UNweighted and you have a rigorous schedule, you might put USC on your list as a REACH. (If the 3.5 is a weighted figure, USC is probably not a consideration and you can ignore the rest of this post.) The ACT of 30 puts you in the middle 50% of accepted students (2009 is the most recent available <a href=“http://www.usc.edu/admission/undergraduate/private/0910/FreshmanProfile2009.pdf[/url]”>http://www.usc.edu/admission/undergraduate/private/0910/FreshmanProfile2009.pdf</a> ), though your GPA would fall below the 3.8 average unweighted figure. USC would not offer you merit aid, but if accepted you might get a workable need-based financial aid package. *USC uses the CSS/Profile, so if you have home equity it would be considered, and you may be expected to contribute more than your FAFSA EFC. USC does not require a non-custodial CSS/Profile. Packages usually include $3,500 Stafford subs, $2,000 unsubs, ~$2,500 in work/study. </p>
<p>As I mention, USC would be a reach, but with the need-based financial aid possibility it might be worth it to give it a shot. An ACT prep course (check you local community college for inexpensive ones) over the summer and a re-take in Sept might be worthwhile to bump that up to a 31 or 32. Good luck!</p>
<p>Yes, USC would be a reach…but it is possible. </p>
<p>Ok…with a major in history…is your goal law school?</p>
<p>My goal is to be a history professor</p>
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<p>It’s funny how the most reasonable responses are the ones that you’d never think of in a million years.</p>