<p>My son currently is a junior in HS and is of mixed heritage. He is predominately African American but has some Filipino, Thai and Caucasian blood as well. He currently attends a 90% or greater Caucasian public high school. The overall SAT score for his school is currently ~1670. His score is as follows: CR 770, Math 730, Writing 750 10 E (2250). He was recognized as a GATE student in the third grade and received a 1980 on the official SAT when he was in 8th grade. His GPA is strong, extracurriculars are average. Like most parents with high achievers I always had Ivy league aspirations for him. Now for my dilemma, we are planning a college tour trip in a few weeks and I asked him where and what types of colleges he wants to visit. His answer was that he wants to leverage his SAT scores/grades to try to get a full ride and he would consider small class size to be optimal. I did some research and he qualifies for Presidential Scholarships at HBCU and lower tier institutions, meaning full tuition, room/board,meal plan, and in some cases $1000/year for books and a laptop. Our Income is in the $180k/ year range so financial aid is not a reliable option for us, but we are far from rich in the area where we reside. He is considering dental school but he is only 17 therefore he may change direction. Two or three of the HBCu's have accelerated dental programs that he qualifies for and seem like a great fit in terms of merit aid and class size. Question: what would you do if you we're in his shoes? Apply and possibly matriculate in Ivy League school or other top 25 institution with a parent/student loan contribution $20 to 30K/year or matriculate at an HBCU in an accelerated dental program and have zero debt until he matriculates in dental school. Please note: he and his younger sister both have a 529B account that can cover 2 years at a top 25 school at this time. My son stated he does not want to spend it for undergrad as he would rather save it for professional school or use it for his sister. I really could use some advice it is his life, but it is a family decision overall. Thank you in advance CC'ers!</p>
<p>I don’t know much about the HBCU so you may want to check some of the websites at those campuses
My family is hispanic-Mexican-American. At 180K I can tell you that he will not qualify for any kind of need-based aid but Merit aid might be an option. You still should fill out the FAFSA (in Jan 2014) to see what he qualifies for in merit aid and, to see what he can get in loans. We went through our girls’ 529 accounts quickly because they didn’t qualify for any aid. HBCU’s may have more funding.</p>
<p>Aunt Bea…the FAFSA will NOT tell you what the son will qualify for in terms of merit aid. The FAFSA is used to determine federally funded NEED based aid.</p>
<p>By completing a FAFSA, the student son will be eligible for a $5500 Direct loan. </p>
<p>I would suggest you look at the thread started by BobWallace here about merit scholarships. Your son would very likely qualify for at least several on that list. You might also want to look at your instate universities…some do offer merit aid to high flying students. There are any number of not top 50 schools where your son would qualify for merit aid.</p>
<p>You should have a number of options to explore in addition to the ones you are already looking into.</p>
<p>It sounds to me like you have a son with a very good head on his shoulders. He’s being very considerate and responsible, and I think you should honor his wishes. Maybe encourage him to explore a few more competitive schools where he might get some good merit aid - perhaps a middle of the road type of choice that won’t require so much debt on your part. If you really want to go into debt, I think you’ll have plenty of opportunity getting him through whatever advanced studies he decides to pursue. I went through the same thing, but D chose a no debt option, and now I am very happy and thankful about that.</p>
<p>Many colleges have separate pools of aid to attract the top African-American students.</p>
<p>Thumper, I’m aware that FAFSA is to determine federal aid, but the schools also use the FAFSA to determine university aid toward the student be it merit or need based. That’s what the universities did in my children’s cases.</p>
<p>I think watchful eye’s son is covered.</p>
<p>I’ve heard of some colleges requiring a fafsa for merit aid. Part of the reason is, they don’t want to waste too much merit aid on someone who could be full pay. Also, many colleges classify some of their need based aid as merit aid, because it is more flattering to the student and parents. Sometimes the fine print of the large merit scholarships say that need is considered.</p>
<p>You can do both. About half of the top 25 schools as listed in the US News & World Report as the top national universities do offer merit money. Some of them very nice merit awards. Qualifying for one of them can be an issue, but why not give it a go? Johns Hopkins, Duke, UChicago, Rochester, Emory, UNC CH, Rice, Vanderbilt, UVA, Wake, Wash U St Louis all come to mind. There are merit awards out there among the top schools. </p>
<p>He can also apply to some of the HBCUs, state programs and any number of things. He’s young yet and might change his mind so keep the options open. When he has acceptances in hand, he can decide what is worth what price.</p>
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Charlie, my DD1 attended a school which required filling out FAFSA for her merit aid. In that case it wasn’t to prevent “wasting” merit aid on someone who would be full pay (we were) but to see if any Federal or State Financial Aid might apply.</p>
<p>I responded on your OTHER sort of duplicate thread in the parents forum.</p>
<p>There are MANY schools that will provide your son with an outstanding education that are not top 25, not Ivies, and not HBCU. If you broaden your search, you will likely find great options where he could thrive, and get great merit aid.</p>
<p>check Colgate</p>