Where can I attend with enough merit aid or cheap enough?

Hi everyone,

I’m trying to it together a list of colleges that I can afford. I am from Minnesota, but looking outside the Midwest for the most part. What are some academically challenging schools I could attend. Preferably less than 35,000-40,000 a year including merit aid. Thanks so much!
Bio:
-Citizenship: US
-State of residence: MN
-Race: White
-Gender: Female

School:
-Type (Public/private & size): Public/about 2500 students
-Graduates (How many go to Ivy’s/top 20):Unknown
-AP’s Offered: 10

Academic Profile:
-Unweighted GPA: 3.64
-Weighted GPA:3.93
-AP’s:4 taken, 4 will be taken next year
-ACT:31
-Rank:Top 25%
-Course Rigor:Mostly AP, advanced, or CIS (college in school)

EC (In order of importance/commitment):
-DECA (VP) (9,10,11,12)
-Varsity Dance Team(8,9,10,11,12)
-Speech Team(11,12) Captain (12)
-Stagemanager of musicals and plays(10,11,12)
-Studio Dance(9,10,11,12)
-Leo’s (volunteering club)(9,10,11,12)
Work:
-Coldstone Creamery (shift lead)(10,11,12)
Tutoring a student with ADHD and Anxiety

Major: neuroscience or business
Minor: Spanish or history

I have no preference on large/small, public/private etc…

You might be able to bring the cost of Willamette down that far if you also take out your federal loans.

Ohio State could be an option (if you are a senior, I think there is a Nov 1 deadline for merit scholarship consideration). Still in the Midwest though.

It is also Midwest, but UWisconsin is a great school you have reciprocity with if you can get accepted.

  • University of Mississippi (you would qualify for the automatic academic excellence 16k scholarship so that the tuition is 8k)
  • University of Alabama (you would qualify for the automatic UA scholar 19k scholarship so that the tuition is 10k)
  • Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge (you would qualify for the automatic academic scholar 16k scholarship so that tuition is 13k)
  • University of South Florida (OOS tuition is 17k)
  • San Diego State University (OOS tuition is 19k)
  • University of North Carolina, Charlotte (OOS tuition is 20k)
  • Montclair State University (OOS tuition is 21k)
  • Rowan University (OOS tuition is 21k)
  • Florida State University (OOS tuition is 22k)
  • University of Central Florida (OOS tuition is 22k)
  • University of New Mexico (OOS tuition is 22k)
  • Texas Tech University (OOS tuition is 23k)
  • West Virginia University (OOS tuition is 24k)
  • University of Arkansas (OOS tuition is 24k)
  • University at Albany, SUNY (OOS tuition is 24k)
  • Binghamton University, SUNY (OOS tuition is 26k)
  • University at Buffalo, SUNY (OOS tuition is 26k)
  • Stony Brook University, SUNY (OOS tuition is 26k)
  • University of Louisville (OOS tuition is 26k)
  • University of Utah (OOS tuition is 26k)
  • Temple University (OOS tuition is 27k)
  • Arizona State University, Tempe (OOS tuition is 27k)
  • North Carolina State University, Raleigh (OOS tuition is 27k)
  • University of Kentucky (OOS tuition is 28k)
  • University of Florida (OOS tuition is 29k)
  • Virginia Tech (OOS tuition is 29k)
  • Rutgers University, Newark (OOS tuition is 29K)
  • Auburn University (OOS tuition is 30k)
  • Rutgers University, New Brunswick (OOS tuition is 30k)
  • Texas A&M, College Station (OOS tuition is 30k)
  • University of Georgia (OOS tuition is 30k)

Some of Gatsby’s recommendations come with automatic scholarships and/or out of state tuition waivers for applicants with your credentials, such as Florida State, WVU, Texas Tech.

Your in-state public flagship is a good choice and should be well under budget for you. If you have reciprocity with Wisconsin and if you can get in it is a very good school. Most schools in Canada will be within your budget also. As others have pointed out there should be multiple choices where you can get accepted that will be under $35K per year.

You might want to check out Truman Stste, too.

One correction for San Diego State: OOS tuition is dependent upon the # of units you take each semester. You have a base cost of $7460 + $396 per unit so it can vary. $19K may be on the low side and again the #’s quoted are for tuition only. Add in housing which is expensive in the San Diego area and no merit aid, you are looking at the top of OP’s limit of $40K/year.

Have you considered a women’s college?

  • They are some of the best colleges in the country.
  • Often they offer merit aid and excellent need-based aid.
  • Women who graduate from women’s colleges are disproportionately successful in politics, business, academia and other fields.
  • Several women’s schools are part of consortia that include co-ed schools–so your social live can include men and your classes can include men, if you choose. Many of them allow you to have male visitors overnight in your dorm.

Smith and Mt. Holyoke offer Merit and excellent need-based aid. They are part of the 5-college consortium with other top schools, each very different in personality. Free public buses take you to the colleges. Schools also offer their own shuttle buses.

Barnard offers only need-based aid, and is a part of Columbia U (one of Columbia’s 4 undergraduate colleges)

Agnes Scott offers cross registration at Emory

Mills offers cross registration at Berkeley

Simmons is part of a consortium in downtown Boston

Scripps is part of a consortium of some of the best LACs in the country.

There are other women’s schools that you might want to explore: Wellesley offers cross reg at MIT. I’m not sure about its merit aid but it says on their website that if they accept you (basically) they will ensure that you will be able to attend.

Another co-ed school known for great merit aid is Muhlenberg.

Juniata also gives merit

You may want to look at Hobart and William Smith. They offer some nice merit scholarships.

Wooster offers merit

etc.

To find out whether a school offers merit you can do a couple of things.

Google and which will bring up a chart of stuff about the school. Merit is included there.

You can go to the financial aid section of a school’s website to check out what they say about merit.

best of luck.

As a Minnesota resident, UW cost of attendance is about $29,000. A 3.6 and 31 puts you right in the middle for admission, good shot, but not guaranteed. There is a surcharge for College of Business students.

Have you looked at the Minnesota and Wisconsin public universities?

Is your budget limit $35-40k for just tuition, or total cost including room, board, books, etc.?

Total Cost

I really don’t want to stay in the Midwest

If you’re willing to look at Catholic colleges, you might look at U Scranton, St. Joe’s (Philadelphia), Loyola MD (all are Jesuit schools with good business programs and you’d be likely to get sufficient merit). Don’t know how they are for neuroscience. Fordham and Villanova are fine schools but you’d be unlikely to get enough merit to reach your target.

I suggest looking at Rollins College in FL. They give some really big scholarships that align with your GPA and test scores. It is expensive, but the merit scholarships will probably get it into your range.

Do you have a preference for east or west coast? North/south? Number of students? Urban, suburban or rural? Greek life/sports focused? Are you set on attending a “name” school or are regionals okay for consideration? Will you want to minor in Dance or participate on a dance team? I guess my point is that you should think carefully about what you are looking for first, then apply the cost/potential merit consideration as you narrow down choices. You will definitely have some great options.

Also, be sure to consider incidental costs of going to school far from home, e.g., the cost of travel and summer storage - they add up quickly - !!

What midwest characteristics are you trying to get away from? What characteristics of other regions are you looking for?

As a female you may be given a lot of merit at Clarkson. Good business school. They have a neuroscience minor.

  You have a terrific instate 4 yr at Uminn, do you think you might not get into CSE or Carlson? Are you solid in your financial support when this is in your backyard?  Your stats are not high enough for merit at competitive schools, so if merit is a requirement, it will be at a lesser school. Do not throw the baby out with the bathwater, and really, sit down with your parents and make sure you are on the same page. I would hope to be wrong is assuming you are a senior but that is what it looks like. I also assume have your Uminn application completed by now. You would hear back pretty soon. This looks like the 5th thread rehashing the same stuff BTW. The answers won't change. 

I agree that the drive to get out of the Midwest is pushing you toward lower quality schools than your state flagship (and I lived in MN for many years, but no longer live in the Midwest).

Have you toured UMN and UWI? Maybe you might change your mind? The other posters are right in saying that unless you really push your budget with the SUNYs, Rutgers, UGA and UF you will not be going to nearly as good of a school. Or maybe even if you push your budget. UMN and especially UWI are both some of the top publics in the country.

Also thanks @Gumbymom for the correction on San Diego State.