<p>I often see parents/students refer to getting a "near full ride" What exactly does that constitute? Full tuition and fees? Full tuition and fees plus a portion of room and board (how much?)? A certain dollar amount ($2,000?, $4,000?, $8,000?)? A percentage of the COA (75%? 80? 90?)?</p>
<p>For example, if my parents pay $7500 on a COA of $25,000 is that a "near full ride"? Would it be different if it was $7,500 out of $35,000? Out of $50,000?</p>
<p>Just curious...</p>
<p>I think the definition varies. It all depends on what people think it is!</p>
<p>Technically, a full ride is tuition, room, board, and fees. Sometimes it will even include extras over & above. A lot of people say they have a full ride when it's just tuition that's covered. Some people call full-need grants "full rides."</p>
<p>a near- full ride to me is full tuition</p>
<p>^
(posted before Anon)</p>
<p>Exactly! So, I was wondering what parents/students here think it is...</p>
<p>on full tuition=near full ride</p>
<p>If R&B is around $11k a year, how can that be called a near full-ride ? I've been called "entitled" because my parents have paid $7k-8k a year but seen college referred to as "free" when tuition was covered. I don't consider my college free...</p>
<p>I think kelsmom is right, and that a full ride + tuition + fees + room & bd, and possibly some extras like a laptop or book expenses. A "near" full ride is a more subjective term.</p>
<p>I agree with LIMom. "Near" is subjective (how close is near to your town?). Personally, to me near full ride would have to be above full tuition.</p>
<p>Yes, "near" is subjective, but I what to know what it subjectively means to different people!</p>
<p>75% or more of COA would be near to me!</p>
<p>Totally subjective.</p>
<p>To me, it would be more than full tuition. Because if my kid (I wish!) got full tuition, I would describe it exactly that way. If my kid got full tuition plus R&B and required fees, I'd call that a full ride. Add books, computer...., I'd call that more than a full ride.</p>
<p>So, to me anything between full tuition and full COA would be "near" full ride.</p>
<p>But that's just my personal definition.</p>
<p>I agree with Jmmom, though I normally see a full ride as tuition, fees, R&B, and also money for books or maybe a laptop. To me a near full-ride would be more than tuition -- perhaps tuition, fees, and a housing stipend, or something like that.</p>
<p>I agree with the full ride definitions mentioned above, and that near-full depends. Some colleges have different interpretations. I recieved a scholarship that is considered a full-ride by the college, but I'll still be paying about 5k a year (which isn't much, but that's for R&B and such). Their definition of full-ride means all the constant costs. (For example, full ride for a commuter rather than a dorm student.)</p>
<p>As mentioned, "near" is completely subjective. But just as an example, the total annual COA at Harvard (from their web page) is about $50,000. This is made up of tuition ($32,000) + fees/room/board ($15,000) + estimated personal expenses ($3,000). Getting a full tuition scholarship still leaves about $18,000 - not my definition of "near", but maybe someone else's. To me "near" might be more tuition + a significant part of fees/room/board. In short, something close to the COA, not $10,000 away. But that's only me.</p>
<p>To me, it is irrelevant what you call it, the important thing is what you have left to pay for what. What % of COA, what college, can family afford it? Maybe total
$18 ,000 is a good deal for Harvard, and $8000 is not such a good deal for state school, but what if your family cannot afford $18,000 or maybe they want to save for graduate school. So, if anybody say near-full-ride, it opens up a question, how much is it, how much is COA and can you afford it.</p>
<p>A full ride would be COA at a school. Near a full ride is subjective, because "near" is a subjective word. For me, anything above and beyond full tuition would be near enough to a full ride.</p>
<p>I think of a full ride as COA, tuition + room and board+ fees and other inescapable costs such as books and a computer.</p>
<p>I think of a near full ride as within about $5K of COA, with no loans but perhaps a work-study job to make up some of the $5K, plus summer earnings.</p>
<p>To me, a near-full-ride is enough merit $$ that the remaining tuition/room/board/etc. is less than the cost of the state flagship.</p>
<p>We call the tuition/room/board/books/fees/stipend merit award "the whole enchilada" at our house.</p>
<p>I think it's 90% of COA.</p>
<p>To me, </p>
<p>~a full ride is COA as stated by the college (tuition, R & B, fees, books, personal expenses)</p>
<p>~a near full ride is tuition plus room and board (the student is still expected to pay for books and personal expenses).</p>
<p>I was thrilled when my s was awarded a full ride Johnson Scholarship at Washington and Lee Univ---(merit based) it includes tuition, room, board and fees. (approx 48K per year) (personal expenses and books are not included) sooo grateful!</p>
<p>I would agree that a "near" full ride would be 80-90% of ALL costs, tuition, R&B, books, fees, etc. For schools that give a full tuition, but then you still have to more than 10-20% for all the other things, I wouldn't call that a full ride....just a good deal....</p>