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<p>cpt, this has been mentioned in other threads too.</p>
<p>I have the USN&WR “big book” (the Ultimate Guide) and I don’t see that anywhere.</p>
<p>The sections in the beginning of the book are:</p>
<p>18 Tips and Tricks
Five Steps to Financial Aid
Colleges with Popular Programs
Top 100 Best Values
Private Colleges by Price</p>
<p>Where is the list of how much merit money and financial aid?
Thanks!</p>
<p>Pushing your score to a 31 – or at least a 30 – will open up some more options for you, but not likely the ones you mentioned. </p>
<p>The good news is that with a $30K budget, there will be a lot of options.</p>
<p>Your state is part of the Midwest Higher Education Compact, MHEC, which gives you potential tuition discounts at a number of public institutions. For example, tuition at U. of Wisconsin, Green Bay is under $10K, and even with room & board & other expenses would be within your $30K budget – and it is an excellent school. </p>
<p>But I get the idea that you’d like to go someplace warmer, since you listed California and Florida. California is a very challenging for out-of-state students financially (and even for in-state students) and your ACT score isn’t likely to dramatically change that at institutions you’ve identified.</p>
<p>University of South Carolina has an outstanding undergraduate business program, and you might be eligible for one of their merit scholarships – while the scholarships aren’t very large, they’re accompanied by some significant reductions in out-of-state tuition which would bring this into range for you very reasonably. </p>
<p>There are lots of southern and lower midwestern universities that would be financially feasible for you, and some western-states schools as well. </p>
<p>You’ve got some good time early this summer to research possible schools and screen them for financial viability, as well as studying to improve your ACT score this fall. But don’t forget – many public universities have earlier deadlines than you might be expecting, especially for scholarship consideration for out-of-state students.</p>
<p>Golffather, I have an older edition of the Ultimate Guide and have not updated it as I don’t have a kid going through the college app scene right now. There is a section that is titled: Where the money is: Schools that award the most need based aid. The schools are listed in sections of national unis, LACs, masters, Bachelors, and the first columsn are regarding need based aid and the last two columns are average merit award and % students receiving merit awards. I’ll have to check out the newest edition which I have not, as the Borders nearest to me where I always hung out closed shop, as did my nearest B&N. I am really sorry if that was deleted, and I wonder if it was. I don’t know if their online paid subscription would give this info in this format. </p>
<p>Thanks for letting me know, as I was sending people to this resource. I’ve used this for years. Things do change.</p>
<p>University of South Carolina…current stats put you potentially at scholarship for half OOS reduction plus $500 year. At ACT of 30, might qualify for next scholarship which is full waiver of OOS tuition plus money. Note that at USC these are not automatic (get $$ for certain stats) and cut-offs change with quality of applying class.</p>
<p>Ok thank you guys a ton! I’m still waiting on my sat scores so hopefully that would improve. How much more would my chances for scholarships go up if I had a thirty!?</p>
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<p>Thanks cpt.</p>
<p>Yes, I think they probably changed things around as I don’t see that section now in the 2013 edition.</p>
<p>I have the 2011 edition. What a shame. Is there any list of colleges out there with % and avg amounts of merit aid? This has been a great go to list for me.</p>
<p>NIkkk…you asked for suggestions for an ACT score of 29. You were given a couple of good suggestions, but then came back with you want to go to a more academically challenging college.</p>
<p>In order to get the kind of aid you are talking about, you need to be at the TIPPY TOP of the academic pool of admitted students. If you are at the bottom or middle, you will not get the amount you say you need. Schools like University of Tampa just MIGHT offer you sufficient merit aid. There are plenty of VERY smart students attending that school. In fact, I will say…there are very smart students at virtually ALL colleges. </p>
<p>Re: a 30 vs a 29…from what I’ve seen, an ACT above 32 would gain you more than a 30.</p>
<p>Yes I visited university of tampa, but it didn’t have the right feel. The students didnt seem interested in learning and from what I have heard the really best thing about that school is the internships available that they facilitate. I know a 29 isn’t a great score, but aren’t there any options of schools that focus more on high school gpa or extra curricular, or that care less about the act score. I feel like that stupid score determines my life!</p>
<p>Schools usually care the most about test scores because they report those and it helps the school’s rankings. The fact that you did ECs in high school doesn’t do anything for the school. Too many kids have high GPAs, because of grade inflation. Test scores are often more accurate as to how strong a student really is.</p>
<p>An ACT 29 isn’t a “stupid score”. It’s a good score. With some practice, you probably could bump it up a big. And bump up a SAT score.</p>
<p>NIkkk…have you looked at Fairtest to find the colleges that are SAT/ACT optional? These schools do not require the SAT or ACT. Some have other requirements (a senior paper, or additional essay) but others simply do not use or require the SAT or ACT when applying.</p>
<p>^ I believe admission is decided without tests but I’m not sure about scholarships.</p>
<p>Fair test schools may work. However if merit scholarships are needed, often those schools do require test scores for those awards.</p>
<p>Yeah I’ve checked into the schools that don’t require it and yea you guys are right they require them for merit money usually.</p>
<p>Nikki, please don’t believe that a 29 ACT is not a good score! That’s 93rd percentile nationally.</p>
<p>I think there are some great schools you can afford with your current ACT score, and if you can raise it up a bit so much the better.</p>
<p>Here are some schools to look into:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>College of Charleston: In the middle of one of the most beautiful and historic cities in the country. Closer to the beach than most CA colleges (10 miles/20 mins to Folly Beach). Good business school.</p>
<ul>
<li>UNC-Asheville: Meets your price without merit aid. Public LAC. In one of the prettiest cities in the country. Has a business major (somewhat uncommon for LACs). Middle 50% ACT scores are 24-29, so perhaps less worry that you are too smart for the school.</li>
<li>Sonoma State and San Diego State: Both close to your price target, in CA, and beautiful campuses. Sonoma is a Public LAC (no business major, but they have economics with management emphasis) and SDSU is a research university.<br></li>
<li>University of Alabama, University of Mississippi: These are not in the areas you listed, but they are in warm climates, and two of the best state flagships you can attend for $30K or less. Alabama has a well regarded business school. Both have nice campuses.</li>
<li>University of South Carolina: Already mentioned in this thread, and I agree this is another good option with a good business school.</li>
<li>Florida International: Warm, sunny, and close to the beach. Research university, costs about $10K less per year than UF. Pretty campus.</li>
</ul></li>
</ul>
<p>Those are just some ideas - many more possibilities out there.</p>
<p>I get the same information about grants etc from about.com if you click onto education, search your college, click on the one one that says SAT ACT profiles etc, then you scroll down somewhere there it gives the information specific for that school about % getting grants vs loans and average amount figures. You do have to do this one by one and I have no clue as to how updated this information is. I still find it useful though</p>
<p>- University of Alabama, University of Mississippi: These are not in the areas you listed, but they are in warm climates, and two of the best state flagships you can attend for $30K or less. Alabama has a well regarded business school. Both have nice campuses.</p>
<p>Recently, those at Bama with an ACT 29 are awarded an unlisted scholarship of half tuition (about $11k per year). However, if you can get a 30, you’d get 2/3 tuition (about $15k per year). And if you can get an ACT 32 (or 1400 M+CR SAT) then you’d get free tuition.</p>
<p>Ok wow thank you guys so much! I love warmer climates so those are good options, hopefully I can raise my score significantly and possible make it into like univ of miami o some of the california schools. Thanks!</p>
<p>Also, Nikki, check out Catholic schools in the areas you like. The Loyolas in LA and NO both give out nice merit money, for example. A number of kids from our school got some money from University of Tampa, a private school in FL.</p>
<p>Ok yeah thanks I will! I wasn’t too interested in univ of tampa after I visited but yeah those are some good options! One more week till I get my SAT score back… Fingers crossed!!</p>