<p>I'm going to apply to this school and I wanted to hear what kind of money for merit scholarships they give out to students. Can those who go here or have been accepted tell me what you received from them? I'm going into engineering so I don't know if that will affect anything.</p>
<p>If you want to know about a school’s scholarships, then you need to tell us your stats. </p>
<p>I see that you have an ACT 30…schools don’t usually superscore for merit awards.</p>
<p>My nephew had an ACT 32 and got a $20k annual award from USD…the remaining cost was about 33k per year. </p>
<p>I don’t know what they’d give for a 30…maybe ten thousand?</p>
<p>Do they only give money for test scores? And here’s a link to my stats.</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/1513720-possible-college-choices.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/1513720-possible-college-choices.html</a></p>
<p>Schools like USD are trying to raise their academic profile. Their ranking is based on frosh students’ test scores (along with good GPAs). Other things like ECs, etc, are meaningless in terms of ranking.</p>
<p>Anyone else?</p>
<p>Have you run their net price calculator? It estimates merit scholarships based on GPA/SAT/ACT.</p>
<p>I have tried it but is that pretty accurate or can it change on other factors?</p>
<p>As a point of reference, for 2010 admission, my DS was offered a $5,000 scholarship for a 30 ACT. They do have bigger scholarships but they skew to much higher test scores.</p>
<p>Your chances of a lot of money are not good. This is not a school flush in funds. Specifically, only 14% even get full need met.</p>
<p>For merit money about 14% get scholarshps averaging $14K. About 27% got ACTs above 30. So you are barely in the top quarter, and not in the top 14% test score wise and that’s usually what determines merit money. You would need to be in the top 7-10% to have a shot at getting about $15K, by my estimates. If you have other attributes they are seeking it might up your odds a bit, but that’s really what the stats are telling me. Whether engineering gets any boost or not, I don’t know.</p>
<p>*For merit money about 14% get scholarshps averaging $14K. About 27% got ACTs above 30. *</p>
<p>If 27% have an ACT 30+, then you’re not in the top quartile. “Average” awards are meaningless because they won’t tell YOU what you’d might get (if you got one). Those with very high test scores might get $20k+ per year, while someone with a 31 might get $5k…so the average means nothing.</p>
<p>As for considering things other than test scores…not likely. They’re using high score award incentives to raise their profile.</p>
<p>Thanks for the replies. Someone at my school I heard got like 30K+ but they weren’t a top student so that’s somewhat strange. But the major they chose may have had something to do with that possibly and they probably had some other scholarships.</p>
<p>Was this a Calif student? If so, then her family income may be low enough to qualify for Cal Grants and Pell Grants.</p>
<p>Or sometimes people add up all their aid (grants, merit, loans, FA) and call them scholarships. Or she may have said that she got $30k in aid, but didn’t detail thas some/most was loans, work-study, etc).</p>
<p>It can depend on any number of other reasons a school might want a person. Yes, a major that the school is trying to promote, gender if that is an issue, it could have been a composite of awards. Also, even if the person was not a top student, s/he could have had high test scores, which is what the colleges generally want to “buy”. My one son was a 3.0 all the way in terms of gpa, no honors or anything for him with that average, but he had nearly perfect SATs and he got some very nice merit offers as a result.</p>
<p>Also, you never really know when it comes down to other people’s money or awards what is true and what is exaggerrated. I’ve heard so many “fish” stories and “how big the catch”, so that i take the whole salt shaker with me when I’m listening to them.</p>
<p>Go on ahead and give it a go, but the stats I gave you are what this school actually gave out. When you are not in the percentage cut off where the school gives merit aid–at USD it looks like, say 15% is the magic number, then the chances are small you are going to get anything unless you have some hook they really are seeking. No reason not to give it a try as long as you have some affordable schools that you know will take you on your list.</p>
<p>Thanks a lot, this gives me something to think about. I do have more afforable places and I would be happy to go those schools. Yeah my parents were thinking I’d get like 25K but they are very mistaken.</p>
<p>Grf, no reason not to give it a go. You might get something. It’s not a problem to put lottery ticket schools on your list, in terms of either admissions or getting the money. Just be aware that they are exactly that. As long as you have some other places, you can give it a go. My kids have gotten some surprise awards. My one son applied to a bunch of TestFair schools that are private and very expensive. He didn’t send in his test scores at all, and conventional wisdom was that he’d not get any merit as a result. And he did not, at all but one. But the one school did, and gave him enough so that it was just doable. Didn’t pick it in the end, but it was a viable choice on the table that he could have selected. The others, predicatably, gave him zip in merit money, but he did get accepted which in itself was a surprise because without test scores submitted, that is supposed to be a bit of a disadvantage. So we did learn a little something there. THey were all common app schools, and he got a fee waiver from half of them, so it was not that big of a deal to have applied. One out of 4 became a viable possibility.</p>
<p>Grif:
This is a Catholic College and you may be able to apply for their religious-based scholarships. </p>
<p>BTW: If you’re going for engineering, AP physics is almost a prerequisite.</p>
<p>I come from a Catholic school so I don’t know if that will help and this upcoming year I am taking AP physics, I’ve already taken one year of physics before that so I will have been exposed to both the B and C material.</p>
<p>My child applied for fall of ‘11 and received a nice merit scholarship. A guy in our neighborhood will be attending USD in the fall and was awarded a merit scholarship that made attendance “not too much more than state flagship” according to his mom. I think the merit money is there but how much is the question. You might want to investigate the schools’ website for named scholarships that you can apply for.</p>
<p>Might there be a Catholic scholarship or something through the local diocese?</p>