<p>The point I am trying to make is, if you get a full tuition merit scholarship.</p>
<p>To cover what is left:
If your parents cannot affford it : federal grants and loans will get you most of the way there.
If you cannot get federal grants/loans, it is because your parents can afford it.</p>
<p>So either way you should be ok.</p>
<p>The only reason you cannot afford it, is if your parents can afford it, but they do not want to pay.</p>
<p>My final point is anybody who gets a full tuition scholarship is already way ahead in the game.</p>
<p>And all the other reasons/excuses boil down to parents unwilling to pay for their children because of alienation or other priorities (such as divorce, step-parents, poor spending habits, not willing to spend down assets, etc…). Basically not prioritizing kids college.</p>
<p>Rgosula, if ACCORDING to financial aid formulas, parents can afford a college, then the only money guaranteed is the $5500 in Direct Loans, that first year. Anything else is up to the school. If a student gets merit money, that’s fine. But anything else is going to require the parents to come to the plate, and many parents cannot or will not do it despite what the financial aid formulas may say. It doesn’t help someone who is in that situation to say that their parents should pay, because that option is just not on table. “Afford” is a word that can be defined in many ways. Sometimes there are priorities in life that trump college. </p>
<p>It would seem that the best thing to do would be to try, right now, to apply and lock in a guaranteed National Merit Finalist Scholarship. @mom2collegekids gave you a great lead with Bama and she and other experienced NMF folks can point you in the direction of other school that you should look to where NMF get substantial money. </p>
<p>For instance, I believe UT Dallas is still accepting applications and their site says:
“…Based on the estimated cost of tuition and fees, room and board, and books and supplies for full-time undergraduate students living on campus during the 2013-2014 academic year, the National Merit Finalist Scholarship reduces the cost of attendance at UT Dallas from $22,246 to $2,440 each academic year.”</p>
<p>I would strongly urge you to review the list of National Merit Finalist full ride and full tuition offers (on that thread on a sticky) and see which others are from schools still accepting applications. Then, submit your FASFA to them asap and apply right away. That way, you should have a few very affordable options as you wait for other offers and packages to come. Use the NMF status to your advantage. The schools may not be ones you considered or even want right now, but when decision time comes, you will likely to be glad to have choices. </p>
<p>Rgosula…what federal grants do you think this student would be eligible for? The only federal grants are the Pell (requiring a FAFSA EFC under $5000), and SEOG which is for low income students (many SEOG participating schools only consider Pell eligible kids for SEOG).</p>
<p>This student DOES still have the Alabama option. </p>
<p>OP…did you do the honors college application for OSU?</p>
<p>Another idea is to supplement the merit aid offered by the schools with third party scholarships. With your stats and a little hard work, I’m sure you could add another $5,000 - $10,000 per year in scholarships. </p>
<p>Indeed, most parents feel the EFCs are too high unless it is zero. Although affordable is a subjective term, EFC is often not affordable to many, if not most, families. Most middle classes cannot set aside 25% of their pre-tax income for children education. Not to mention, the actual out of pocket cost is usually far more than EFC unless you have merit aid or at a need met school.</p>
<p>I am going with @mom2collegekids - Bama is the BEST BET and a great deal. I met a family this weekend who was SO impressed with their honors college and program. The daughter was of similar calibur as OP. Given the situation here, why would you look a gift horse in the mouth? </p>
<p>Did you apply for the Eminence scholarship at Ohio State? Full ride? Getting those incredibly lucrative scholarships at schools like Pitt, Miami, Maryland, OSU, Purdue, etc. etc. etc. is not a given, as you now are seeing. You have a better than average shot, but it’s not a given by any means. </p>
<p>Oh and btw, yes, I could afford my EFC if I didn’t save for retirement. Not gonna happen.</p>
<p>OP Homer9 I hope you are as smart as your post indicates - because you are NMF you have a great option with UA and some other schools that will reward you as a NMF, even at this late time in your senior year.</p>
<p>Take off the rose colored glasses. Some of your assumptions about schools and their use of various scholarships were not correct.</p>
<p>If you have a decent spring break and can visit some schools that you have now applied to (and will be most affordable to you that also have great programs) so you can feel a little better about the options and make a good decision.</p>
<p>You do not have to look far to see other students that were disappointed in not getting accepted at a particular school or the $$ is offered at a school they do not think is ‘good enough’ to attend.</p>
<p>A really good student at a college is going to get noticed because they will make the most of the opportunities available.</p>
<p>Some parents have done a lot of research into colleges along with their S/D and have understood the landscape.</p>
<p>Good luck with making the best of where you are now and what options you have available.</p>
Um, no. The vast majority of outside scholarships are only good for one year. After that you have to look to the school for grants. There are some available, usually by dept, but they usually cap out at $5K. And they are highly competitive within the dept.</p>
<p>Erin’s Dad is right. Outside scholarships are usually only for ONE year (frosh year) and are usually for small amounts. And the bigger ones have a “need component.” </p>
<p>No one (no matter what their stats are) can expect to get any multi-year outside scholarships without a need component. there just are just toooooo few entities that are funding those. </p>
<p>No gap year! Gap years will not get someone a NMF award from Bama (nor for most schools). </p>
<p>That said, Bama’s NMF award is still available. the scholarship deadline does not apply to NMF students. Their deadline is April 30 or May 1st (I forget which one.)</p>
<p>Do I misunderstand how outside scholarships work: Don’t colleges subtract the amount of an outside scholarship from the amount of grants being offered to help with tuition? Or, do most schools “stack” scholarships on top of tuition grants offered? (Please excuse any dumb questions; I’m a newbie.) </p>