update on my finaid situation

<p>lsu got rid of their all their guaranteed scholarships over the summer...naturally, i can't afford them now (here to verify: Scholarship</a> Forms)</p>

<p>nothing seems to have changed about the university of alabama...they're like an island of stability...maybe their tuition rates will go up a little? they havent finalized those rates yet</p>

<p>assuming UAB looks at your weighted GPA, i can afford it (their Blazer Elite scholarship requires a 3.8 GPA and i only have a 3.7+ UW GPA...see Out-of-State</a> Residents)</p>

<p>south dakota state seems to increased their costs for 2011 by about $700...they were $13900/year and they're $14,600 (Cost</a> Estimate)</p>

<p>university of south dakota seems to have increased their rates very slightly as well</p>

<p>it looks like the UC's (undergrad) will not get any more expensive, though it looks like it's gonna be another rough budget year...</p>

<p>so my short list is:
University of California - Santa Barbara (commuter)
University of Alabama
University of Alabama - Birmingham
South Dakota State University
University of South Dakota</p>

<p>maybe i should clarify…those are not the only ones i’ll be applying to</p>

<p>i didnt link to my previous posts
SAT: 660 CR, 670 M, 640 W
GPA: 4.1 W, 3.7+ UW</p>

<p>Bama will increase its presidential to match any increases. The ua scholar increases as well so you’d only pay an additional one third of a tuition increase. </p>

<p>But since you’re getting ua scholar and engineering, all tuition and increases covered. Plus 2500 per year. Did you watch the game yesterday.</p>

<p>Mom2 mentions engineering did you look at New Mexico Tech or Michigan Tech? Cost-wise those would be in your range I think and have merit/scholarships that are posted and based on GPA/test scores.</p>

<p>Sorry my earlier posts were a bit odd…I was typing on my phone while H drove us home from football weekend…LOL</p>

<p>Anyway…you don’t have to worry about any tuition increases at Bama since your tuition scholarships increase with any tuition increases. :)</p>

<p>Bama is probably the highest ranked school that will give you the most money.</p>

<p>NM Tech in Socorro has an excellent engineering program. Small school, small campus, small, friendly town. Know a number of people who have gone there and gotten exceptional educations. NM Tech sends more people on to engineering PhDs proportionally than almost any other college in the US.</p>

<p>Costs are relatively modest:
[Tuition</a> and Fees](<a href=“http://www.nmt.edu/tuition-and-fees]Tuition”>http://www.nmt.edu/tuition-and-fees)</p>

<p>OOS COA:$26,200</p>

<p>Scholarships: [Scholarships</a> for Entering Freshman](<a href=“http://www.nmt.edu/scholarships/scholarships-for-entering-freshman]Scholarships”>http://www.nmt.edu/scholarships/scholarships-for-entering-freshman)</p>

<p>You’d be eligible for the Silver Scholarship-- $5000/year</p>

<p>Or, you would qualify for in-state tuition rates plus $700/year stipend</p>

<p>[Scholarships</a> & Tuition Reduction Programs for Non-Residents](<a href=“http://www.nmt.edu/scholarships/183-scholarships-a-tuition-reduction-programs-for-non-residents]Scholarships”>http://www.nmt.edu/scholarships/183-scholarships-a-tuition-reduction-programs-for-non-residents)</p>

<p>In-state COA: $16,530</p>

<p>Note–you can choose one or the other, but not both.</p>

<p>And NM Tech is one of the few school I know of that will allow a 18 year old to change your state residency while attending school. (For full legal details, please request the booklet Establishing Residency for In-State Tuition Purposes from the Admission Office at 1-800-428-TECH or <a href=“mailto:admission@admin.nmt.edu”>admission@admin.nmt.edu</a>.)</p>

<p>@WOWM
thank you…yes NMT is high up on my “overall” list…but like many others im not sure if i can pay for it
and also NMT’s WUE program is quite competitive i heard…dont see much on the website about it though
though their travel costs seem wayyyyy inflated, at least for someone from the west…i guess the kids there go out of town a lot?</p>

<p>@m2ck
thanks! i did watch the alabama - penn state game if that’s what you were asking…</p>

<p>Siglio 21</p>

<p>FYI - you may want to take another look at LSU. Your link is outdated. Although they have changed some of their award criteria from past years, they do still offer a number of automatic merit scholarships. A quick look at the financial aid/scholarship page shows that you would qualify for the following:</p>

<p>LSU Academic Scholars Award</p>

<p>Criteria: ACT score of 30 to 32 or a critical reading and math SAT score of 1330 to 1430 AND a 3.0 cumulative computed, six semester high school GPA.</p>

<p>Award: $10,000 per year plus the opportunity to earn up to an additional $1550 by participating in the Chancellor’s Student Aide Program.</p>

<p>Chancellor’s Student Aide Program provides an opportunity for students to work in one of our many departments. Students participating in this program can work up to 20 hours per week to earn up to $1550 per year. The student is paid an hourly wage and paychecks are sent bi-weekly.</p>

<p>Regards
NJ Paladin</p>

<p>WUE is something else entirely. </p>

<p>NMT accepts only 10 WUE students per year–so admission for that is pretty competitive. </p>

<p>NMT’s competitive scholarship (which awards in-state tuition plus $700 towards other expenses) would be better deal than WUE admission since WUE admittees pay 150% of in-state tuition.</p>

<p>BTW, the cost of living is Socorro is very low. After your freshman year, you could probably find significantly less expensive housing than the dorms. (All of D’s friends moved out of the dorms after freshman year.)</p>

<p>Socorro itself is rather a ways from anywhere and the travel expenses calculation include the cost of having a car on campus. (However since a number of VLA scientists who work in Socorro actually live in ABQ, there is a daily shuttle between the two places. I also think Greyhound has regular service between the two towns.)</p>

<p>@NJ Paladin
can you link to it? i cant find it anywhere…</p>

<p>Siglio</p>

<p>Not sure if this link will work. Go to LSU home page, click on apply online undergrad, scholarships, scholarship programs, entering freshman non resident. </p>

<p>[Entering</a> Freshman Nonresident Scholarship Programs](<a href=“http://www.lsu.edu/departments/scholarships/ScholarshipPrograms/SchlPrgms_EnteringFreshmanNonresident/item14533.html]Entering”>http://www.lsu.edu/departments/scholarships/ScholarshipPrograms/SchlPrgms_EnteringFreshmanNonresident/item14533.html)</p>

<p>oh ok…gotta change my bookmarks</p>

<p>LSU does have decent engineering so ill look into it</p>

<p>@WOWM
wait…that would mean the other one would be even more competitive?</p>

<p>NMT isn’t exactly well-known outside of NM so I’m not sure how much competition currently there would be for either the WUE or the OOS competitive scholarship.</p>

<p>The kids I know who went there have already graduated and moved on (one is just finishing up his PhD at CERN) so I can’t ask them.</p>

<p>I do know that in the past Tech has not filled its WUE quota. </p>

<p>But I also think that, given your scores, you’d be a strong candidate the OOS competitive scholarship. NMT( and all NM universities) really want to improve their academic profiles. OOS students with really strong stats nearly always get the in-state tuition rates.</p>