You have 4 kids that each have $120k in college savings? That’s $500k. That would seem to require a LOT of grandparent help.
If you have/had $500k in college savings, and your EFC is that low, then it sounds like your assets weren’t included in the calculation…which can happen if you qualiifed to have assets not considered.
"Is she a possible NMSF?
What is your home state?"
PSAT NMSF score of 205 in New Jersey. Maybe a “commended” but probably not a semi- or better.
If she can get into an Ivy then I’m less concerned since their need-based is so strong, but that is a crap shoot even for the best students.
She is interested in the northeast and mid-atlantic plus a couple midwest: UVA, Duke, Georgetown, Tufts, BC, UPenn, Northwestern, Notre Dame. I suspect all of these are very hard for merit-based.
Some of them don’t have merit-based aid.
UPenn doesn’t give merit aid…at all. Northwestern doesn’t either. Neither does Georgetown. BC and Tufts…mostly need based aid as well. Same with ND. UVA has some very highly competitive merit awards. Ditto Duke.
And all of these schools use the CSS Profile in addition to the FAFSA in terms of awarding of need based aid.
Does she have any schools on her list that are actually affordable?
》》Does she have any schools on her list that are actually affordable? 《《
I believe that is what the OP is trying to find. :-h No need to be snarky, he/she is being informative about the situation and gracious. Correct errors in school aid assumptions, but this I believe this poster has a clear head and isn’t off-the-charts unrealistic with school expectations, just not as in tune yet as the CC regulars. :>
Some posters may be forgetting that OPs child is currently a junior. Probably because we frequently see parents asking these same questions, around this same time of year… about their senior children.
Luckily for OP there is time to re-calibrate the list of schools 
For state schools:
Ohio State (look at National Buckeye Scholarships and I think the other one my students received was the trustee which they let stack with the National Buckeye)
University of Missouri (The Mark Twain Scholarship)
Clemson (My student with similar stats received $20K per year this year)
You have already mentioned Miami of Ohio, but that is another that has been generous to my students.
Look at some of the “Colleges That Change Lives” colleges at www.ctcl.org. Some of them give merit and may be affordable. I liked Dennison when I visited, but I don’t know what percent of need they meet.
I don’t know if it is too late, but Northwestern has summer program focused on journalism. I think they offer financial aid to attend, but I am not 100% certain. This might be worthwhile for you to look into.
I second Colleges ThaT Change Lives. Most offer generous merit aid. Her stats would make these schools safeties as well as a candidate for full tuition or near full tuition scholarships . Given that you listed Duke, Northwestern and Notre Dame, you and she are amenable to regions outside the northeast and mid Atlantic states. Good. Look for high merit aid schools outside the target region.
Figure out why Penn, Northwestern, Duke, Notre Dame, Georgetown, Tufts. Find schools with similar traits - these schools won’t be exact duplicates but this is one way to expand the college universe.
fwiw, my child ended up in a state no one ever anticipated. Even now, people are surprised but she chose the school, not the geographic region.
The OP posted a list. Most of the schools on that list don’t even give merit aid…or if they do, it’s extremely competitive and not guaranteed. I simply asked…does the OP have any affordable schools?
This student has excellent stats and would be a good candidate at many schools…including the ones on her list. With a $10,000 family contribution per FAFSA (is that what it is for the sibling currently IN college…or is that with two in college?), if accepted, need based aid would be a possibility. If the family can really afford to pay $30,000 a year…a school that offers a need based award would likely be affordable if the student gets accepted.
But my point…every student…every one…should have a couple of sure things on their college application list. This would mean the school is one where the student would most likely get accepted, where the student would be happy to attend, and where the cost won’t be a factor either because there is guaranteed merit aid, or the cost is affordable without it.
It’s very easy to pick those highly competitive reach schools. It’s not so easy to pick those sure things.
My suggestion is building the list from the sure thing up…instead of the sure thing down.
And I still say…read the threads in the link I posted above. There are a LOT of guaranteed scholarships for this student if her stats remain the same…Temple, U of Alabama are just two examples.
Don’t count on much aid from UW-Madison. For an EFC of $12k or less you can get $6k in need based aid.
The EFC sounds wrong. If you have 3.5 kids x 4 years of college at just $15k per year saved in 529 accounts x 5.6% parent asset rate, this equals about $12,000 EFC effect.
Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee. Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas. Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas.
I think you will do best targeting schools that offer merit/preferential packaging and don’t require the CSS Profile. Ohio Wesleyan and Denison are two possibilities, but there are many private liberal arts colleges which offer a high quality education and would probably give your daughter good aid, possibly a combination of merit and need-based. Run the net price calculators on a number of these schools. Public universities offering large merit (e.g., full tuition) for certain stats, such as Alabama and Temple, are also good possibilities, if she prefers a larger school. It is probably best to avoid schools that require the Profile, especially if you have significant assets besides the 529 plans, and out-of-state schools that don’t offer significant merit (such as Penn State).
If you can provide more details, you will get more specific, better targeted advice for your situation. If you have relatively low income, such that FAFSA automatically does not consider your assets in calculating EFC, but high assets, then you will probably want to stick with FAFSA-only schools, as CSS/Profile schools will take those assets into consideration. If the 529 plans are grandparent-owned, they will not have an impact on FAFSA EFC until they are used to pay for college expenses, but when that happens, watch out, because the 529 distributions will count as student income, which makes a much bigger difference than being counted as a parent asset.
Your income would need to be below $50,000 a year for your assets to NOT be counted on the FAFSA. Is that the case?
Thanks everyone. It was helpful.
Case Western is generous with merit aid for students with your D’s stats. The application is free and you can apply EA. Of the automatic merit for stats schools, my D choose Temple for her safety.
Good luck & aloha.
Thanks.