Info Request: Which schools give the best non-ROTCacademic/ merit (not need based) scholarships?

Herman_Snerd

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So let's tackle it - I can hear the grumbling, like thunder before seeing lightning... hey, that's not ROTC related. But in a sense good people - allow me to explain that I think it is. Because just maybe this thread will help not just my family, but those who end up needing a plan b,c, or D who read this thread in the year(s) ahead who are pursuing but don't receive a ROTC or academy or minuteman or other military scholarship next year due to one of those unexpected Medical DQs, a freckle on their little toe that too closely resembles rhode island, or just fall short on the selection OML by 1, etc. The ROTC applicant cohort has some exceptionally strong young people - talented, and I bet a number of them got full ride offers for academics but turned them down bc of their passion to serve. so I wish to ask for responses on the board, and not just ask people to PM me so others can benefit as well.

One of my DDs, a rising junior, does not have a passion to serve. But, she is as they say in Good Will Hunting "wicked smaht" - not just proud parent hype - she's got both talent and a crazy work ethic. As a sophomore, she scored in the top 1% of all Sat takers last year. They don't report rank in her class but she's top 1% in a very large class. . I think a number of you or your children were in your school just like my daughter - top 1% in grades, top SAT scores nationally, 5s on AP exams. May I ask if you're aware of schools that offer full rides based on academic (not need) performance? Are there schools that recruit exceptional academic performance like a star athlete?

I'll share that outside of ROTC, I'm aware of nice scholarship offers from "The" Ohio State (that one was just for you @MidCakePa :) in buckeye scholarship and other, Embry Riddle Aeronautical U, and Florida Institute of Technology for example. All, May I ask if you know of other schools who have a track record of offering academic/ merit scholarships/ maybe full rides to top academic students?

I'm hoping your experiences may help us find schools that recruit for a top academic mind as much as others recruit for top combine scores in football.

Not sure if matters but she wants to go pre-med.

Thanks!
 
Univ. of Alabama, Ole Miss, University of Arizona, Univ. Alabama Huntsville, Clemson all have great auto merit based scholarships. Full tuition even for out of state students if your stats are high enough at a couple of them. It's a strategy that we are looking at as well. My DS is very interested in ROTC, and is even at a SA summer seminar this. But, we also remind him that there are things that will impact an ROTC/ SA decision(injuries being one, and certainly the difficulty in getting an appointment is another). So- we have a 'bucket' approach...one bucket of schools he will apply to that he would use an ROTC scholarship for if he goes that direction, one bucket of merit based scholarship schools that would be potentially very affordable, and one (small) bucket of his in-state college that has a good program and that we have said we would pay for.

In terms of tippy top schools, the number of merit based scholarships is very limited. They tend to be need based. So if you are merit seeking, they tend not to be the very top universities. (at least, that is what my research has shown...others may have a different experience.) Edited to add: they are fine schools, just not Ivy League level. :) I've also been made aware of schools like Lehigh that don't have auto-merit, but are known for very strong academic based scholarships.
 
For out of state students, the best I’ve seen are Alabama, Alabama-Huntsville, and Mississippi State.
 
Check the private colleges, such as the Jesuit schools. Most have good merit aid and a full ride your child can apply for. These schools include St. Louis U, Loyola Marymount, U of Portland, etc.
I would look over the internet, maybe Google asking where full rides are available in your search phrasing. A lot of these awards seem to be called Presidential Scholarship or something similar. You might just have to Google "scholarships+insert the different college name here" for each school your kid is interested in.
Also, post your question at the "College Confidential" discussion board. There is good info there and a lot of "wicked smaht" students who probably received a full ride somewhere.
https://talk.collegeconfidential.com/
I don't know you're wealth status, but MIT, Rice, Harvard, Yale, and Princeton are generous with aid, even to middle-class kids. You can Google and find the schools' charts of expected aid and family income.
Good luck! Good question.
 
Univ. of Alabama, Ole Miss, University of Arizona, Univ. Alabama Huntsville, Clemson all have great auto merit based scholarships. Full tuition even for out of state students if your stats are high enough at a couple of them. It's a strategy that we are looking at as well. My DS is very interested in ROTC, and is even at a SA summer seminar this. But, we also remind him that there are things that will impact an ROTC/ SA decision(injuries being one, and certainly the difficulty in getting an appointment is another). So- we have a 'bucket' approach...one bucket of schools he will apply to that he would use an ROTC scholarship for if he goes that direction, one bucket of merit based scholarship schools that would be potentially very affordable, and one (small) bucket of his in-state college that has a good program and that we have said we would pay for.

In terms of tippy top schools, the number of merit based scholarships is very limited. They tend to be need based. So if you are merit seeking, they tend not to be the very top universities. (at least, that is what my research has shown...others may have a different experience.) Edited to add: they are fine schools, just not Ivy League level. :) I've also been made aware of schools like Lehigh that don't have auto-merit, but are known for very strong academic based scholarships.
We used this same strategy with our kids. A few others to add to your list that offer generous, non-competitive scholarships are Louisiana Tech, University of Toledo and Temple University. Then check out this link: https://blog.collegevine.com/50-colleges-with-full-ride-scholarships/ Oh, and by-the-way, I think this can be related to AROTC. If a student gets a full-tuition academic scholarship, and gets an AROTC scholarship, they could choose to use the AROTC scholarship for room and board, even though it would be taxable. If, after a year, they decide AROTC is not for them, they will still have a full academic scholarship to a school that they love and then only have to come up with room and board costs, which are much less than tuition for most colleges. Or lets, just say that they drop out of ROTC after 3 years, then if they are given the option of paying back the scholarship, it would be substantially less if they only used it for the $10k for room and board each year, while they used their academic scholarship to cover the higher tuition.
 
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Our twins both got academic scholarships, one to Stetson University and one to University of New Orleans. Both have ROTC Programs, offer ROTC Scholarships, and are very well respected schools for our sons' intended majors. One applied and received a 4yr National AROTC Scholarship to Stetson, was appointed to West Point and told Stetson ROTC early March that he had accepted West Point's Appointment, but kept the academic full scholarship open till May 31st just in case anything happened with WP. Other son, applied but did not get appointed to the USCGA, accepted UNO's academic scholarship is doing NROTC as a College Programmer and re-applying to the USCGA, and is applying to USNA as well, but is fine with UNO (ranked #2 nationally for his major) trying his hand at NROTC without commitment, and maybe even just graduating and trying USCG OCS.

Bottom line.....YES, they are a lot of full academic scholarships out there at many different schools, both our sons' were also and actually are still being offered Academic Scholarships to University of Florida, and Florida State University as well. Check around, pick schools your DD fits as to her major and job placement upon graduation, then speak with admissions. Most schools have endowments that give full Academic Scholarships including books, room and board, and expenses. Definitely out there, all you need to do is look, with your DD's record she should be able to choose her school and not have any college debt to speak of after graduating.
 
Check the private colleges, such as the Jesuit schools. Most have good merit aid and a full ride your child can apply for. These schools include St. Louis U, Loyola Marymount, U of Portland, etc.
I would look over the internet, maybe Google asking where full rides are available in your search phrasing. A lot of these awards seem to be called Presidential Scholarship or something similar. You might just have to Google "scholarships+insert the different college name here" for each school your kid is interested in.
Also, post your question at the "College Confidential" discussion board. There is good info there and a lot of "wicked smaht" students who probably received a full ride somewhere.
https://talk.collegeconfidential.com/
I don't know you're wealth status, but MIT, Rice, Harvard, Yale, and Princeton are generous with aid, even to middle-class kids. You can Google and find the schools' charts of expected aid and family income.
Good luck! Good question.

Totally agree on the Jesuit Universities. All three of my DSs graduated from John Carroll University with 2 of them having gone through their AROTC program "The Wolfpack", would recommend both the University and their AROTC program to anyone. Other Jesuit Universities of note, Holy Cross, Boston College, Georgetown & Fordham University.
https://blog.prepscholar.com/list-of-jesuit-colleges
 
Many of the large schools in the south offer large scholarships on academic merit. We live in Texas and my #2 DS was not admitted to Texas A&M or UT, he actually didn't apply because he knew he wouldn't make it, and the second and third tier schools were offering him $500-$1000 a year. He always wanted to go to LSU to be in the Tiger Band. They offered him $30,000 a year which covers out of state tuition and we have to cover room and board. Keep in mind that he has a 29 on his ACT and a 4.0 on a 6.0 scale. In Louisiana he is a top tier student, in Texas he is not.

It all comes down to money. The states with the larger college ready population of students are less willing to give scholarships while the poorer states with a smaller population of college ready students need kids. Texas A&M turns away 20,000 students a year. Why would they discount their product. LSU admits every qualified applicant. You can go to any of these SEC schools and see the type of merit based scholarships on their websites. Basically they have tables that show how much aid is available based on gpa and test scores.
 
A lot of it also comes down to "States" and public vs private. In Florida, they have what is called "Bright Futures Scholarships". There are three tiers for public schools, one that pays full in state tuition, one that pays about three quarters of in-state tuition, and the third for technical college students that again pays three quarters. Private Universities also will accept Bright Futures, but unless you get merit based academic scholarships from the school Bright Futures only covers about $7000 per year. It is based solely on academics, community service, and class rank. https://www.floridastudentfinancialaidsg.org/SAPBFMAIN/SAPBFMAIN. ALL public universities and colleges in Florida accept Bright Futures and if the student graduates in the top 10% (I think) of their class, they get one of their top three choices. If the student is eligible for the Pell Grant, Veterans Assistance, or other State Financial Aid room and board is covered by that, so it equates to a "full ride". Most of the larger schools also have Alumni Associations and Donors who also give scholarships. In Florida if you are a "B" or better student, you can attend University of Florida, University of South Florida, Florida State, or any other public University virtually cost free, or very minimal cost. Florida uses Bright Futures to prevent what the politicians refer to as "Brain Drain" where far too many of the states top minds go outside Florida for college. Bright Futures was designed to reduce this and is funded thru the Florida Lottery. But it can ONLY be used for Florida Colleges, not out of state schools. If the student applies via the "Common App", every scholarship opportunity is considered automatically as is need based financial aid like Pell Grants.
 
Union College (crosstown of the RPI unit) provides a “presidential scholarship” for top academic students; $20,000 a year depending on if you even need all that for room and board.
 
@chaphillmom, @AROTC Parent , @unkown1961, @GoCubbies @USMAROTCFamily @Impulsive @Capt MJ @Infantry_Dad @NROTCdad, @USMA 1994, @FastFood44

Thank you so much! this is awesome and this was exactly, precisely the details and guidance I was hoping to receive. You and the group of people on this board rock!

I benefited from a full-in-every-respect merit ride at WFU. I now give generously to the undergrad scholarship program to show my deep gratitude. My parents bought a meal plan; I worked campus jobs for spending money. No debt. A true gift.
 
Norwich has big merit scholarships but no full ride.
With an ROTC scholarship they give you a room and board scholarship which amounts to full ride.
 
Also, your child should be taking the PSAT this year. If she does well and becomes a finalist, that opens up some scholarship dollars. A classmate of my daughter went to Oklahoma on a full ride based on this (though I don't know if OU still does this). In anticipation of this, your daughter might want to prep for the PSAT.
 
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