I am an African-American High School Senior (Class of 2018) really taking an interest in U of F (Go Gators!). Problem is I live all the way across the country in a city of dust called Maricopa, Arizona (south of Phoenix). I want to major in Food Science or Horticulture Science (or possibly both), and U of F is my main school. I am also looking at Ohio State, UC-Davis, and a long-shot Cornell University as well. But what are my chances of getting scholarships to attend? Here are my stats:
-4.21 Unweighted (calculated myself, for some reason my school ranks but doesn’t rank by weight?)
-3.83 weighted GPA
-28 ACT (29 reading, 29 English, 28 math, 26 science, 9 on writing), retaken waiting on report
-1340 on PSAT
-All but two of my classes my junior year and this upcoming senior year will be dual enrollment, taking classes on campus at a community college near me
-My estimated self-help (from U of F) is 8,500
-Institutional Grant is 6,349
-Remaining cost is 28,000
Thank you all so much. Also, if you think there is a better school for Food Science and/or Horticultural Science with more
OOS scholarship opportunities I’ll be more than happy to listen in.
I’m guessing you need to raise your ACT score to be competitive for these scholarships. The application fee is only $30, so you may want to apply and see what happens.
In addition, you’re looking at majors that are within the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS). CALS is one of the few Colleges at UF that offer freshman scholarships.
@whenderson272 Keep in mind it’s very very difficult to get an OOS scholarship that will cover full costs. Even for in-state students, getting a full ride is almost impossible.
The full ride scholarships for in-state students are reserved for people who are National Merit Finalists, and that, combined with the Florida Bright Futures program for in-state students doesn’t give UF a need to give out that many scholarships. I have a friend who had great stats (4.8 UF GPA, 1530 SAT, ~20 AP and IB classes, etc.) and he still didn’t get anything major from UF. I don’t know if it’s different for OOS students, but the website says it’s a pretty limited program as well.
Not trying to be mean, but I don’t think your stats are competitive enough to qualify for the big scholarships. Your stats are slightly below average for getting into UF in the first place.
Their average ACT score this year (for admission only) was 30, and average GPA was 4.45 (I’m guessing it’ll be 4.5 next year when standards rise). The range was 4.3 as 25th percentile and 4.6 as 75th, so having a 4.2 would place you at around the 10th-15th percentile (just an estimation). UF admissions tends to be more focused on GPA/Coursework, but I do believe standardized test scores play a bigger role in scholarship selection since it’s more competitive.
Unless you have a very compelling story to tell and some other highlighting features such as amazing extracurricular activities, getting the 16k-20k/yr scholarship is pretty much a long shot.
Just to give you an idea of the type of stats UF is looking for- DS was offered the Gator Nation Scholarship last year. (Decided to not go to UF). He had a 2250/1510 SAT with a 4.7 wGPA. Good luck to you!
I would recommend you try to take it one more time in the fall. A 30 will start opening up more scholarships opportunities, at many other schools. For example, last year a 30 was enough to get an out of state tuition waiver at FSU (in-state tuition is about $6.3K a year, very affordable).
Also, several schools will superscore your ACT score (UF does not). Raising a low subscore higher, could make a world of difference in your final “superscore”.
But lets talk about that 29 for a bit! Lets use **USF/b as an example. At USF (in Tampa), a 29 gets you their highest level of OOS scholarship (USF Green & Gold Presidential Award=$48K or $12K a year), and since OOS tuition is about $17K a year, it brings our overall tuition cost to $5 or $6K a year.
Raising your ACT score from a 28 to a 29, was worth $3,000 more a year in scholarship money from USF. Woot!
None are better! but lets look at a few others (that offer Food/Horticultural programs) and consider the impact of your ACT score.
Lets look at Mississippi State University:
Out of state tuition is about $21K a year.
A 29 on your ACT (and your GPA) would get you the $12,500 a year award. If you can increase your ACT score up to 30 to 32, the award goes up to $13,500 - $14,000. Another point on your ACT could get you $4K more (over 4 years) in scholarship money…
Auburn, OOS tuition is a bit high at $29K to $30K a year. However, it’s a good example of how improving your ACT a point or two can earn you much more in scholarship $.
At **LSU/b, a 28 ACT score would earn you $7,600 a year in scholarships, while a 30 would earn you $15.5K a year.
At UT-Knoxville, OOS tuition is high at $31K a year. A 28 or 29 on the ACT would be awarded $10K a year in scholarship, while a 30 to 33 would be awarded $15K a year.
How about the University of Missouri-Columbia? OOS tuition is $26K a year. However, after your first year, it’s not that hard to switch your status to being an in-state resident.
@Gator88NE Interesting…so you then I’m for sure going to take it again in a couple months. Also I may go ahead and have a look at Mizzou and LSU, as well as MSU. Thank you so much for the enlightenment!
Hi - I have a 32 on my act, and a 3.3 unweighted gpa. I am OOS and applied to FSU and JMU - any chance you think I would qualify for a scholarship if accepted?
@mags425 You likely will not qualify for an OOS merit scholarships at UF. However, you may qualify for the OOS Tuition waiver at FSU, which brings tuition down to the in-state rate of about $6K to $6.5K a year. In addition, FSU has been giving out freshman scholarships.
@Gator88NE I would be thrilled if I WAS GIVEM OUT OF STATE tuition wavier. I will look at their site for details. Must have missed that. Anything is better than paying full OOS. I know my act is good. My gpa might be the part if not accepted.
@Gator88NE Why would I check FSU, if I applied to UF? Or is OOS tuition waivers for all FL schools? Bit confused. Also is it for lower income sources also? as I may not then qualify.
so then fingers crossed I get something from UF.