I am a senior in Florida. I have a 3.8 GPA, 800 SAT math, 680 English, 34 ACT (with perfect on math and science section). I am also Cuban and both my parents are teachers. My biggest fear is that I will not be able to attend a college that I want because it will cost too much. The only way I can go out of state is if 90% of the cost is payed for. I want to go into STEM, specifically aerospace engineering, but all the top schools for that are public and out of state. What can I expect as far as academic scholarships? The schools I am applying to are Colorado Boulder, Purdue, Georgia Tech, and also the University of Florida, but that’s in my home town and I can actually make money by going there. I know that this sounds ungrateful, but I have lived here all my life and desperately want to get out.
I also have applied through QuestBridge for Stanford and MIT, but they are an all or nothing
You have terrific stats…but these are OOS public universities. None of them have any guaranteed merit aid awards. In addition, their first mission is to provide funding to the students whose parents are taxpayers in their state.
Have you applied to University of Alabama? I believe you would,get a nice merit award there…but I’m not sure it would be affordable for you. Net cost would likely be $12,000 a year or so.
You are fortunate to have Florida as an affordable option.
Good luck with Questbridge…maybe that will work out for you.
If you go to an instate private school (Embry-Riddle or Florida Tech), you can use your BF and the resident grant ($3300 this year), plus get merit from the schools.
Florida is a great deal for Florida residents. Tuition is low, there is BF and there are a lot of local scholarships that can only be used instate. Very few Florida students go to UGA or Georgia Tech because there just is no money offered. My kids had friends going to Ole Miss, Miss State and the Alabama schools, but no one to Georgia schools.
Colorado gives very little in aid. It’s expensive even for instate kids. Go to school at UF and vacation in Colorado.
You might try WashU in St Louis (Aerospace is a minor added in to MechE there). They will meet full need and be a bit easier to get into than MIT, though still highly competitive. They have a separate scholarship app you can do as well.
Try the net price calculator at University of Southern California as well.
Your parents income may be a barrier in getting you through the Questbridge process. Unfortunately, you will probably not meet the income eligibility requirements.
What are the financial parameters that your parents have set as far as funding college?
If oyu goal is to work in aerospace engineering, then a degree in Mechanical Engineering (with sometimes a minor in aero) is as effective and more versatile than a degree in aero, and it opens more possibilities including some with merit.
Look into UPenn, WashU, RPI, Bucknell, UMinnesota, UMaryland?
You can’t pay for school yourself. You’re allowed a 5.5K loan for freshman year, which is often included in your financial aid package.
Even if you go to UF, your parents will still be responsible for your food and housing.
You could pay for your books and personal expenses.
Run the NPC on the universities listed on this page: is the amount you see under net cost acceptable to your parents?
In addition, remember to apply to a safety (your odds at UF are good, but unless you have an admission offer, don’t miss the Honors College/Scholarship deadlines at other universities).
Bright Futures, paired with my Florida PrePaid, would cover almost everything because we get the whole investment back with 5% interest if we don’t need it. That is the only money I could use to pay for private or out of state
Please remember - if you want to “get out”, that can happen much more easily in four years when you have no debt. If you invest heavily in the college - be active, make friends, hang out at the student center, whatever - you will have a great experience. It may be “in your backyard” but it isn’t a tiny school where only your high school friends are attending. Make the most out of the inexpensive experience, and then you can not only “get out” you can “stay out” by stay out, I mean not have to come and live in your childhood bedroom because you have so much debt you cannot afford to live anywhere on your own. I know it can be hard to see this far ahead when you are young, but think beyond 4 years.
You could go on exchange for a semester, have money from an on campus job you use to travel etc. Think big, but think in a financially savvy way!
@NJRoadie That’s what I hear a lot. I just have a lot more involvement with the University than anyone else I know. I have worked with a professor in Molecular Biology as a programmer for the past 2 and a half years. I have also dual enrolled and taken calculus 3, as well as differential equations in class with 300 students. I do hate the way it sounds but the environment here is growing old on me. I don’t know how many more years I can handle in the Florida heat.
You’d have to take out a loan or have work money in addition. It is a short time in your life. Four years seems long when you are young. You have your whole life to live elsewhere and it will be more fun and you will have more options if you do not have 27k in debt.
Apply to a few schools where you could get competitive merit or diversity scholarships.
Keep your Florida options as financial safeties. You could go to other schools there, not just UF.
For Ohio State the merit deadline is Nov 1, but I would apply now and send scores, transcript asap so they arrive well before deadline.
For Pitt I would also apply now. The scholarship committee starts meeting in October I think, so the sooner you apply, the better.
UAH is close to the Cummings research park and there are lots of internship opportunities in Huntsville. I would apply there as well and see how much they could offer you.
Run the NPC on all the schools suggested. If your net price is in the 10-15K range, then you’re ok (because 8,000 + 5.5K + potential work earnings add up to that, roughly), keep the university on your list.
Apply to Honors at UF, too, to avoid being in large classes.
tOSu, Pitt, UMinnesota would all offer a different environment; they have scholarships for stats as well as diversity scholarships. It’s worth a try.
You can also run the NPC on Tufts, Penn, Bucknell, etc… to see if they’d be within budget with need-based aid only.