What schools would offer a full ride?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>So I'm trying to apply to colleges that will give me the most money because my parents are retiring in a couple years and they can't afford to pay my college expenses. I have pretty good qualifications, but I want to go to the best college I can while still paying the least amount of money.</p>

<p>I am ranked 3 in my class with a 4.0 GPA, I have a 2370 SAT (800M, 800CR, 770W), 32 ACT, am a National Merit Scholar, and an AP scholar (if that counts for anything). I've played tennis for years and am a champ (USTA). I am also co-captain of the tennis team. I have about 100 hours of volunteer service. I am members in a few clubs, so overall pretty active.</p>

<p>Currently I'm planning on applying to:</p>

<p>University of Texas at Dallas
University of Texas at Austin (although they don't pay National Merit Scholars anymore)
University of New Mexico
University of Houston
Washington and Lee (they don't give out many scholarships but they still do)</p>

<p>I want to apply to UNC Chapel Hill because I've heard about the Robertson and Morehead Scholarship (although it's extremely unlikely to get it)</p>

<p>Deadlines are starting to approach and I was just wondering if there are any schools that I haven't heard about that would give me a lot of scholarship money, preferrably full tuition or a free ride.</p>

<p>I suppose that I should also add that I'm white and therefore wouldn't qualify for any black/hispanic/native american scholarships</p>

<p>I've been taking AP classes and scored the following:</p>

<p>4: US History, World History, Language Arts
5: Calculus AB</p>

<p>Currently taking AP: Calculus BC, Statistics, Literature, Biology, Economics, Government</p>

2

<p>I think you can definitely do better than University of New Mexico. Honestly, you could probably receive at-almost full ride scholarship to these schools with your stats. I’m not entirely sure, but I think you have a shot at an Ivy or a top-prestigious school. Maybe apply to 1-2 of those and see what they offer you too if you get accepted (P.S. only send in SAT score).</p>

3

<p>The University of Alabama will guarantee you a full ride. </p>

<p>[Out-of-State</a> Scholarships - Undergraduate Scholarships - The University of Alabama](<a href=“http://scholarships.ua.edu/types/out_of_state.html]Out-of-State”>http://scholarships.ua.edu/types/out_of_state.html)</p>

4

<p>Honestly with those stats you could aim much higher. Even if a university does not award merit scholarships, they can give you need-based aid, depending on your household income.</p>

<p>Some schools to look at should be Rice, Vanderbilt, WUSTL (these schools also happen to give merit scholarships, less difficult - but still very difficult! - to obtain than the Robertson/Morehead).</p>

5

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<p>Have you estimated your Expected Family Contribution (EFC)?</p>

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<p>Yes, I think so too. The Ivies offer little or no merit scholarship money; however, Harvard relaxes the EFC for middle income families in calculating need-based aid. Families with incomes up to $180K have an average expected parent contribution of 10 percent or less of their income; the EFC is zero for an income of $60K. Yale has a similar policy. Don’t overlook your own summer or on-campus earning potential.</p>

<p>[Harvard</a> College Admissions § Financial Aid: Harvard Financial Aid Initiative](<a href=“http://www.admissions.college.harvard.edu/financial_aid/hfai/index.html]Harvard”>http://www.admissions.college.harvard.edu/financial_aid/hfai/index.html)
[Aid</a> policy changes little for 2012 | Yale Daily News](<a href=“http://www.yaledailynews.com/news/2009/feb/12/aid-policy-changes-little-for-2012/?print]Aid”>http://www.yaledailynews.com/news/2009/feb/12/aid-policy-changes-little-for-2012/?print)</p>

<p>The most selective schools that offer substantial amounts of merit aid would include Grinnell College, Washington University in St. Louis, the University of Southern California, and Vanderbilt. These schools all grant merit aid to more than 20% of students with no demonstrated need. However, the average awards are less than $15K, and considering the competition I would not assume the OP has a good shot at a full ride (though it might be worth a try). S/he might have better luck at a slightly less selective but still wealthy private school.
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/696637-merit-aid-percentage-common-data-set-6.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/696637-merit-aid-percentage-common-data-set-6.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

6

<p>Here is another source for schools with good NMF scholarships. <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/national-merit-scholarships/649276-nmf-scholarships-updated-compilation.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/national-merit-scholarships/649276-nmf-scholarships-updated-compilation.html&lt;/a&gt; And schools with guaranteed merit aid. <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/848226-important-links-automatic-guaranteed-merit-scholarships.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/848226-important-links-automatic-guaranteed-merit-scholarships.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

7

<p>You’d have to fight for it, but I think you could get a full ride from Ohio State (or at least close to it!).</p>

8

<p>Make sure to apply to Washington and Lee by December 1st for (full ride) scholarship consideration!</p>

9

<p>You’d be completely out of your element at any of those schools besides W&L or UT-Austin (in fact, I’m not sure you’re being real because they’re such a mismatch for your stats and you have a brand-new screen name). But in case you are, definitely apply to Duke / UNC. And apply to one or more of Harvard, Yale, and Princeton - if you can get in they’ll make it affordable for you. Right now, you have an automatic four-year tuition scholarship to Alabama, Arizona, Utah State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Nebraska, Northeastern and Baylor; close to full at Texas A&M, and you’ll almost certainly get full at U. of Tulsa.</p>

10

<p>

nice list gadad. </p>

<p>Of those, the highest ranked are Northeastern (#69), and Alabama/Baylor, both #79. Each offers a very different campus experience compared to the other two.</p>

<p>It’s nice to know that Top 100 universities can be free or almost free to high testing students. I assume some will also pay for room and board, becoming a “full ride”. If I’m not mistaken Alabama is full ride to NMFs.</p>

11

<p>You would be competitive for the Parks Scholarship at NC State University. It is pretty comparable to the Morehead-Cain at UNC…lots of perks.</p>

12

<p>I’m confused. How can you already know you’re a National Merit Scholar? Finalists aren’t even notified until February. I’m not questioning what you say…it just seems weird that you would know this early. Do you perhaps mean National Merit Semifinalist? This year’s competition has reached only semifinalist phase so far. Or perhaps you qualified as national Merit Scholar last year but decided to put college off for a year…?</p>

13

<p>BTW–the Morehead Scholarship deadline is already past, alas. In a way, that’s a good thing, I guess, because I understand the competition’s a killer!</p>

14

<p>“If I’m not mistaken Alabama is full ride to NMFs…”</p>

<p>I have it on excellent authority that this is the case! :wink: (Thank you, @mom2collegekids.)</p>

<p>I have an off-topic question related to this: Everyone’s always talking about how important it is to find a college peer group at your level so you can have stimulating intellectual conversations and blahblahblah … hence the push for high-scoring kids to apply to the Ivies. But, if a college essentially <i>buys</i> NMFs and houses them in special honors dorms, etc., then isn’t the result the same? Won’t the smart kids be clustered together, so they can have stimulating intellectual conversations till their eyes bubble? If that’s the case, then, why not just go to a place where you’re guaranteed a full ride <i>and</i> guaranteed plenty of exposure to other NMFs?</p>