Hello, I would really appreciate everyone’s input on this. So due to unforseen circumstances I had to take my SAT later than I planned as a homeschooled mid year graduate. I missed the deadline for the spring 2020 application for UM. However, FIU offered me a completely full-ride, and I could start in the spring. My dream is UM though.
My questions are could I commit to FIU’s scholarship, do the spring semester there so I don’t fall behind, and still apply to start in the fall for UM? Or would it not be possible since I wouldn’t be fresh into college anymore even though one semester is still a freshman? Also, can anyone chime in on UM’s scholarships? My EFC is 0. Do they offer full scholarships? I see presidential is up to 30k, but they have their tuition listed as 52k? Would I be in debt no matter what with UM?
You need to look at what UM defines as a transfer student… Some schools define a transfer student as any highschool graduate who completes ONE hour of college credit after completing high school. Others might define it as 12 hours (full time) of college credits after high school. Some are ok with taking classes at a college with permission between high school graduation in spring before starting college in the fall.
As for what UM is likely to offer you in the way of financial aid and scholarships will depend upon whether you are a Michigan resident or not. I believe UM makes the commitment to its in staters to meet full need as the school defines it. Not to out of staters. Also, getting substantial merit money from UM is not easy and rare. I know a few top students who did get some grants, but I’ve not heard of any full tuition or full ride scholarships.
Are you a Florida state resident? Are you getting Bright Futures, something OOSers do not get for Florida schools. You are better off looking for substantial awards from Florida, not other states unless you have a sterling application, with top test scores, grades and something outstanding that a college would want. Full rides, full tuition awards are very difficult to get. It sounds like you have a very good deal from FIU. If you want to try your lot with other schools, compile the list of such schools, look up their transfer definitions so you are not a transfer student if you take a semester at FIU (I think you will be, and start the application process now. If you get an early or rolling admissions answer from some of the state schools before you start your spring semester, you can delay or cancel FIU and wait until fall to go to the preferred school. I suggest you start getting your applications out ASAP so that you get your answers very quickly too. Financial aid, unfortunately, usually is not dispensed until mid or late spring. You can apply early to UM as well, but they will be unlikely to give out an award in time–before the spring term starts, usually in January, for FIU.
I suggest running NPCs for UM and other schools that you might prefer to FIU and see how you fare financially with them.
I should have clarified. I meant UM as in University of Miami. This is from their site of what they consider a transfer student. “You are considered a transfer applicant if you have received a high school diploma or the equivalent and have enrolled at a post-secondary institution as a degree-seeking student”
I do have the maximum Pell Grant and Bright Futures as well. From what I have seen, UM never offers full scholarships? Because if their presidential is up to $30k and their tuition is truly $52k, I will always be paying no matter what?
Your chances of getting a huge merit award will likely decrease if you are a transfer student. Find out if they even award significant aid to students who are transfers AND are enrolling in the spring.
Please explain to me what is wrong with a completely free ride? I doubt you will get that from U of Miami…but I’m not an adcom there.
What is wrong with that full ride to FIU?
Apply ED to UMiami. They’ll let you know by year end if you are accepted and what your financial aid is going to be. If you afford it, then that’s the end of that. You are released from ED if the financial aid package is inadequate
Well, I am not a transfer student right now as I have not committed to any post-secondary institutions yet. Their spring deadline is over. Only their fall application is open, so I was trying to see if I could accept the full-ride to FIU in order to not miss the spring semester and still apply as a freshman for next fall to the U of Miami.
However, their website says this, “You are considered a transfer applicant if you have received a high school diploma or the equivalent and have enrolled at a post-secondary institution as a degree-seeking student.”
It’s just that the U of Miami has always been my dream school.
Your dream school will be a big nightmare if you can’t pay the bills to attend.
You have a $0 EFC…and you have Bright Futures. And you have a full ride already to one school.
@cptofthehouse this student had a $0 EFC and Miami does not guarantee to meet full need for all accepted students. If he continues to apply to colleges, I would NOT suggest ED as he needs the ability to compare net costs.
With Bright Futures, Pell, and the Direct Loan, I would think one if the Florida public universities would be a better financial bet than University of Miami.
The OP already noted their max award, and it was less than half of the cost of attendance. Unless there is additional money at Miami that isn’t on their website, how will this be affordable!
Only way to find out is to apply and see the hard numbers. I agree with you. But to bury this idea once and for all, need to see it in writing.
Of course , he could get deferred and then have to go through the agony of trying to get his spring admittance and award shifted to the fall, if he really wants to see this to the bitter end.
I agree he has a great bird in hand and doubt if the ones in the bushes are going to come close, but this is a pathway he can take
there is your answer - if you ATTEND another school, like FIU in the spring of 2020, then you will be a transfer student. If you just accept the offer, you are not a transfer.
You can accept at FIU and as someone suggested above, apply ED to UMiami in the fall and see what the offer is. If you don’t like the offer, go to FIU. If you like the offer, tell FIU you will not attend in the spring. Another option is to see if you get a good offer at Miami, do not graduated midyear, and then continue to take classes (DE, or AP online) as a high school student and then use those credits when you enter Miami as a freshman.
Have you graduated from your homeschool HS program already…or not?
If it’s your dream school then, of course, go for the scholarships. What’s the worst thing that will happen they’ll decline? If they decline just go to FIU if you think the time there is worth it.
Not yet, I am scheduled to graduate in December.
@thumper1 No, I have not graduated from my homeschool program. I am scheduled to in December.
U Miami does not meet full financial need. President’s scholarship goes to $30K now, but is highly competitive, as are the other scholarships…Jenkins and Stamps are full COA, and there are also several full tuition awards, again all highly competitive. https://admissions.miami.edu/undergraduate/financial-aid/scholarships/freshman/index.html
I just did the NPC for a student who would have an EFC of $0 and received a net price of about $20K, which already includes Bright Futures and Pell (listed in the detail)…that still leaves a big nugget for a $0 EFC family. Also note that Miami expects the student to contribute summer earnings, work-study during the school year, and take out at least some portion of the $5,500 direct student loan available to freshman. All schools, except for the ones that meet full need without loans, will expect these types of student self-help. Have you run the Fafsa4caster to get an EFC estimate? If not, here it is https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/fafsa/estimate What are your parents willing to contribute towards your college costs?
If you post your stats, people will be able to suggest affordable alternatives. I assume since you mention Bright Futures, you are a FL resident…have you run NPCs at Florida public schools? Generally, NPCs are accurate, and many posters will counsel students to not apply to schools that are likely to be unaffordable. If one needs a substantial merit award to attend, the student’s stats should be at the top of the GPA and test score ranges. Consider any school where large merit is needed to attend a reach.
@Mwfan1921 I already have a full ride from my only second option since I do not want to leave the city, but I also would prefer not to go to it and go to UM instead. My net price is also a lot less since I do not need on-campus meals nor housing nor barely transportation since I live really close by. I’ve heard they do meet financial needs which is why I am trying to see if anyone has any first-hand experience.
Run the Net Price Calculator on the University Of Miami website.
The full cost of attendance at University of Miami is in the $70,000 a year range when you include tuition, fees, room, board, books and personal expenses.
Where do you plan to live? Even if you are commuting from your family home, there will be costs.
Just tuition is only part of funding college.
What do they give for extreme need?
The average net price for families with income from $0-30,000 was $23,694/yr in 2017-18 according to the government’s College Navigator website.
https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?q=miami&s=all&pg=2&id=135726#netprc
I got an offer of a full-ride to FIU, but my true dream school is UM. I saw that their presidential scholarship goes up to $30k, but their tuition is apparently $52k. I was wondering if they offer full-rides and the chances are worth delaying my acceptance of a full-ride to FIU to go to my dream school. My EFC is 0, so I will not be able to go unless it is at least almost a full-ride; and I do not want loans.
- I am homeschooled with 33 credits of dual enrollment and 3.8 GPA
- SAT 1520 no ACT
- 150 CS hours
- Two strong letters of recommendations from my university dual enrollment professors
- I do have the maximum Pell Grant as well as Bright Futures
Happy Labor Day! I am wondering if someone from this thread can help me. I am trying to go debt-free. So, from what I see on the net price calculator (not sure how accurate that is) if I get the 25k Presidential and pair it with the Pell Grant and Bright Futures, I would be getting a total of $39k still $13k short of the $52k tuition. I am not sure if there are any other grants that are not listed on their website. Has anyone applied there with an EFC of 0 or close to 0? What do they give for extreme need?
Feel free to PM me if you’d like to keep it private.
Where did you hear that University of Miami meets full need for all accepted students?