<p>(He tried pleading his case to a financial advisor at UD, who had no sympathy.)</p>
<p>–x
Really? I was going to do the same. I recieved no merit money, and it’s my top choice. Was going to call or see what my guidence counselor would say.</p>
<p>Is this a good idea?</p>
<p>ZuZuTweet or anyone else who may know this information: What GPA, SAT scores and/or class rank is needed to get a scholarship at the University of Delaware? We are from NJ and were planning on taking our son for a campus tour over spring break but do not want to waste our time if there is no hope for him getting a merit scholarship. He has a 3.8 GPA, is in the top 15% of his class, but his SAT scores are lacking. (He only took them once without studying and got a 1560 - he’s currently enrolled in a SAT Prep Course, so hopefully they will improve) We do not want to go into debt over college.</p>
<p>jdog2012, he might also consider taking the ACT. Some kids, especially boys, seem to do better on the ACT.</p>
<p>jdog,</p>
<p>Scores would have to go up significantly to get merit money.</p>
<p>Thank you for your replies. Do you happen to know if it would help if he is applying for a less popular degree. He would be interested in Soil Science and I wouldn’t think that would be a highly competitive curriculum.</p>
<p>Hello jdog1202,</p>
<p>My stats are as follows 3.57 weighted GPA, 1890 SAT score, 790 Bio SAT2 and 620 Chem SAT2, and top 15% of my class.</p>
<p>I also had LOTS of extracurriculars all of which I was extremely dedicated to. I played tennis and several instruments (flute mainly) as well.</p>
<p>All in all I was a very well-rounded student and your son sounds like he is great shape GPA-wise (make sure he has honors and AP’s!), but yes, I agree with socaldad42, he should score higher on his SAT’s.</p>
<p>I also interviewed and remained in contact with the school since I visited last July. I’d ask many questions and show SEVERE interest in the school. After all, it is my number one!!! :)</p>
<p>ZuzuTweet: I’m so sorry for about your situation. As a parent of a current UD student, I’m curious where the $40,000 figure comes from. Was this the estimated OOS cost for 2012/2013 (before financial aid) that came with your acceptance letter? If yes, is there further detail that you can provide? FYI, UD typically waits to announce the final cost increases for the upcoming school year in July.</p>
<p>helidad: this $40,000 figure was in our financial aid package – so yes – Delaware has raised their prices again. This was a factor in our decision. Delaware has done a terrible job keeping tuition costs down compared to surrounding states. Also, they aren’t receiving as much grant money in some departments compared to other states. I would expect tuition to go up significantly every year.</p>
<p>UDel is a huge disappointment for our family. Both of my kids fell in love and it was their first choice. We’re OOS. The acceptance letters came in the big bright envelope with congratulations on the outside and my daughter called me with excitment before she even opened it. Unfortunately, it ended there. The financial aid package was a joke! My daughter got more than my son because she plays several instruments and she got a performing arts scholarship. We have received several packages from different colleges and I can’t believe how bad UDel is. I called the financial aid office and was informed that you cannot appeal and it was their final & best offer. There are other kids from our town who got the same results. We have not heard of one decent offer from them. My advice - if you are nickel & diming yourself before you even start as a freshman, it will only get worse. No school is worth it.</p>
<p>Let me preface these remarks by stating my D was a student at UD from 2006-2010 but I still have been watching how things have been going there since then. My D received no merit aid during her 4 years at UD (even though she was in the top 20% of her UD class each year). Since she started there in 2006 tuition/fees have been rising about 5-7% yearly. I believe the $40,000 alluded to is an estimated total yearly cost including other things like room/board, books, incidentals etc. (My D got a similar type of estimate every year). </p>
<p>UD faces a number of unique dilemmas not faced by any other State University. The school has 16,000 undergrads in one of the smallest states in the union. 2/3 rds of the students are from OOS, so it really functions more like a private university as compared to a State University. The State of Delaware only provides sufficient money to meet about 17% of the operational costs of the school. The amount of money available for merit aid, like at all schools, is limited. UD, again like most State Universities, tends to provide a larger amount of aid per student (at least percentage wise per student) to in-state students. This leaves a residual finite amount of aid available for OOS students in a situation where the overwhelming majority of students are from OOS. So UD has had to make a decision. Either provide larger amounts to fewer OOS students or attempt to spread the available money around to a larger number of OOS students. My perception has been that UD has chosen the latter approach to try and lessen the burden on more families overall. There appears to be many more awards in the range of 3K-5K yearly as compared to when my D started in 2006. Is this a fair way to do it?; I guess it is in the eye of the beholder. I think this is an attempt by UD to address, at least to some degree, the ongoing yearly tuition hikes. </p>
<p>The question of whether the ongoing annual tuition hikes are fair/reasonable/justified is also a matter of unresolvable debate. At least the President of the University has recently indicated that the school is aware of the burden the ongoing hikes present for families and indicated that future hikes will be more moderate (but he did not give specifics-we shall have to wait and see about this). </p>
<p>What I can say, on a little more positive note, is if you were to ask me if I feel what I had to pay for my D’s education at UD was worth it (and I am not a rich man); it would be an unequivocal yes. My D received an excellent education at UD and following graduation was able to land a great job, which I feel in large part was related to her attending a nationally recognized university the caliber of UD. Just my perspective.</p>
<p>I have my daughter’s financial overview letter in front of me and want to clarify some of the costs.</p>
<p>$40,018 is the estimate of DIRECT costs for 2012 - 2013 and covers tuition, mandatory fees, and room & board for the fall & spring terms. Books and personal expenses are not included.</p>
<p>The estimated additional costs are $2,300 for books and personal expenses.</p>
<p>The actual direct costs will be calculated in early July. The estimate is based on the average multi-year increases at 4-year colleges. So the actual 2012- 2013 direct fees could be a little lower or a little higher.</p>
<p>Right now, UDEL’s 4-year cost is in the middle of my daughter’s three accepted choices. We’re weighing the pros & cons of each school to determine which option will offer the greatest value by June of 2016.</p>
<p>To the OP: I strongly suggest that you take your estimated loan amounts over the four years and model the monthly payment. I feel it’s vital to understand how much you will need to pay monthly before you consider things like rent, food, utilities and other costs. It may be a rude awakening that a UD education is not a good investment. Or it might be a validation that the tuition will pay for itself.</p>
<p>I’ve never been so depressed in my life… I just don’t know what to do anymore…</p>
<p>Jdog1212: my d had an 1840 sat (m, cr, w) and 3.7 gpa. She got 4500 merit scholarship. She took the SAT 3 times and improved 200 points with no studying. If she had studied I’m sure it would have improved much more.</p>
<p>zuzu…I think it’s time to realize that UDEL might not be the best financial choice for you. Do you have any other acceptances that you might start to consider, and if you do, maybe if you look at them futher, you may start to feel excited about your other choices. There is not just one college for everyone…there are many schools that you can do well at and really like. My son also got into some schools that he would really like to attend, but financially are not sensible for him…unfortunately the reality of life is we all cannot afford to do what we want, so we make choices and make the best of it…don’t dwell on what you cannot have or do…and try to find an alternative that makes you happy too. UDEL is a nice school true, but there are many nice schools.</p>
<p>As difficult as it is… for most of us, selecting a college involves making a sound financial decision in addition to selecting a college that is a good fit. UDel was near the top of the list for my D (we are OOS), but has basically dropped off of the list due to cost - she received NO merit or need based aid. She (and we) cannot justify going that far into debt. She has other choices where she has received both merit and need based aid which bring the cost to a much more affordable level (about 60% of the cost of UDel). In the end, we are sure that she will be just as happy elsewhere…</p>
<p>Another one here who has a child ruling out UDel due to cost, and mine did actually get some merit - but not nearly enough. She has admits both instate (PSU) and OOS (JMU and CofC) that are far more affordable and where she will have a similar level of educational opportunity (leaving aside a number of privates where merit offers made them more than competitive with the other schools). UDel is a nice place, but far too expensive, even leaving off the cost of winter tuition which adds anoth 5K minimum. Consider all of your options carefully.</p>
<p>Kvillemom: thank you so much for your reply. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that he does better on his May SAT :)</p>
<p>Thank you all for your wonderful replies 
</p>
<p>After a good ol’ four hour cry fest the other night. I have come to the well-informed decision that I simply cannot afford UDel. So I contacted Rutgers, the best in-state school for me, and there are still open spaces in the School for Environmental and Biological Sciences in New Brunswick. Yes it is late, (deadline Dec 1…whoops XD) and if I get accepted I will get no initial aid for my first semester, but the price for Rutgers with everything (tuition, fees, room and board) is the same price Del would be WITH my merit aid AND 2 gov’t loans. In the long run, I’m looking at $40 to $50,000 for Rutgers (w/o any aid), and I hope they give me some renewable scholarships somewhere along the line. </p>
<p>If I don’t get into Rutgers because it is too late, then I will be perfectly content with going to community for a semester then transferring. I also qualify for NJ Stars which would pay for 2 yrs at community then I could transfer to a state school for a fraction of the price (I probably wont do that, but it’s still an option).</p>
<p>I figure I still HAVE to go to Graduate school (which I can do at Rutgers as well), so why would I drown myself in undergraduate loans? I’d still have more than the average student, but I think the average will be different when I graduate, and obviously, $40-50k loans (maybe less) are WAAAAYYYY better than $100k. </p>
<p>And I must give credit to all of you who posted for helping inform me and make this tough (but far better) decision. Honestly, if it was not for all of you, I would have gone to UDel and be in over my head in debt before I even graduated, let alone continued for my Ph.D</p>
<p>Thank you all!!! :)</p>
<p>Best of luck to you. You are hardworking, level headed, and passionate. All great traits that will take you far…</p>
<p>I would like to second the comments from socaldad42. I think you are making the most responsible decision for your situation. And hey-Rutgers is a great university-on par with UD in academics. In fact if you had already been planning to go there for your Graduate Degree going to RU as an undergrad might actually increase your chances of being accepted to Grad School there. You need to give yourself a lot of credit for making this decision. Unfortunately there will be a number of students who will be starting at UD in the Fall who will be making the wrong decision and will regret it later. Best wishes to you. I suspect you will do just fine.</p>