<p>These things vary from state to state and university to university, but I know several kids who got free rides to the flagship state university in my home state. Almost all had SAT scores over 2250 and were National Merit Finalists. All of them had at least a full year’s worth of credit from AP or IB courses taken in high school. </p>
<p>Although your son’s qualifications are excellent, there is a layer above him in terms of sheer academic statistics, and those kids may have been the ones who got the free rides.</p>