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

Also check out Virginia Wesleyan College- they offer great academic $$. Many of the smaller schools to which your DD will have a higher than mean GPA and test scores will possibly give her way more merit $ than larger universities.
 
Several Tier 1 Research Universities have guaranteed scholarships based on combinations of SAT and GPA, up to $15,000. These include:
- Michigan State U. - very strong in Nuclear Physics
- Arizona State - solid in both Computer Science and in Aerospace Engineering
- Alabama, Auburn, Arizona, U. Kansas - solid in Aerospace Engineering

Even better, should she win a National Merit Scholar (NMS) or National Merit Semifinalist (NMSF) designation, she may get as much as a full ride from some top-notch schools. The NMF award is really tough to gain if you're in CA, NJ, MA or CT, where the threshold score is extremely high, but if you're not on the coasts, the bar's lower and it's definitely achievable.

If you can get an NMS or NMSF designation, there are at least eight selective research universities that will offer significant merit aid to you and that are ranked among the top 20 or so in certain disciplines which may be of interest to your daughter:

- University of Minnesota - Up to $40,000, competitive - Outstanding in Chemistry/Chemical Engineering; also Economics and Aerospace Engineering

- Boston University - $80,000. Very strong in Biomedical Engineering; also International Relations

- U. Southern California - Half-tuition, limited. Very strong in many STEM disciplines; also good for launching a Business career in Silicon Valley.

- Texas A&M - $42,000 for residents, approximately $100,000 for non-residents due to out-of-state tuition waver. Outstanding in Aerospace Engineering and most STEM disciplines

- Northeastern U. - Competitive merit-based award. Strong in Biomedical Engineering, also Computer Science.

- Univ. of Central Florida - Cost of attendance, guaranteed admission to LEAD Scholars Academy and Burnett Honors College, guaranteed housing and laptop computer. Strong in Computer Science.

- University of Cincinnati - Full in-state tuition, guaranteed admission to honors program and $1,500 on-time allocation towards purchase of computer, research or study abroad. 60 available, first-come, first-served. One of the best in the nation for Architecture; also strong in Aerospace Engineering.

- University of Texas - Dallas - Full tuition/fees, $50,000 in stipends to cover other costs and study abroad, guaranteed admission to honors program ($101,000 for residents, $187,000 for non-residents). Very strong in Computer Science.

Here's an extended list:
-Baylor University Full tuition, augmented by SAT/ACT score ($179,368 - $187,368)
-Boston University $80,000
-Brigham Young University - Provo Full tuition, limited availability
-Florida Atlantic University Cost of attendance, regardless of residency
-Florida State University Cost of attendance ($80,000+), guaranteed admission to University Honors Program
-Fordham University Full tuition with A/A- average and top 2-3% of admitted students, competitive
-Gustavus Adolphus College $30,000+, full tuition for 10 candidates
-Hope College $88,000
-Illinois Wesleyan University Up to three scholarships up to $160,000; $16,000 otherwise
-Iowa State University Full tuition for residents, varies for non-residents
-Linfield College Half to full tuition depending on need
-Loyola University Chicago Full tuition for one student, $8,000 if not selected
-Montana State University $6,000 - $18,000 for residents, $10,000 - $66,000 for non-residents plus guaranteed admission to MSU Honors College, guaranteed placement in honors housing and priority course registration; limit of 10 awards per year
-New College of Florida Cost of attendance for those qualifying for the Benacquisto Scholarship
-New Jersey Institute of Technology Full tuition and fees
-Northeastern University Competitive merit-based award
-Northern Arizona University Full tuition plus $2,000 stipend, automatic entry into Honors College
-Oklahoma State University Five year full tuition waiver ($67,800 for residents, $145,400 for non-residents)
-Texas A&M University $42,000 for residents, approximately $100,000 for non-residents due to out-of-state tuition waver
-Texas Tech University Cost of attendance
-University of Alabama Full tuition up to 5 years, four years of on-campus housing, $14,000 stipend, $2,000 allowance for research or study abroad, $1,000 technology enrichment allowance
-University of Arizona $72,000 (full tuition plus) + $1,500 for study abroad for residents, varies for non-residents + $1,500 for study abroad depending on GPA and test scores
-University of Arkansas $40,000
-University of Central Florida Cost of attendance, guaranteed admission to LEAD Scholars Academy and Burnett Honors College, guaranteed housing and laptop computer
-University of Cincinnati Full in-state tuition, guaranteed admission to honors program and $1,500 on-time allocation towards purchase of computer, research or study abroad. 60 available, first-come, first-served
-University of Dallas Full tuition, limited to 10 students
-University of Florida Cost of attendance
-University of Houston Full cost of tuition/fees, + $1,000 research and $2,000 study abroad stipends ($47,000)
-University of Idaho Basic cost of attendance ($66,976 for residents, $137,520 for non-residents)
-University of Kansas $40,000 for residents
-University of Kentucky Full in-state or out-of-state tuition and housing stipend
-University of Louisville Full in-state tuition + $32,000 allowance for room, board and books or $80,000 for out-of-state students
-University of Maine Full tuition and most fees
-University of Miami Cost of attendance (for Florida residents only)
-University of Minnesota Up to $40,000, competitive
-University of Minnesota - Morris Full tuition
-University of Mississippi Full tuition + room ($54,776 for residents, $118,592 for non-residents)
-University of Nebraska Full tuition + $8,000
-University of Nevada - Reno Up to $64,000 + guaranteed admission to honors program
-University of New Mexico $75,212 for residents, $137,792 for non-residents + iPad
-University of North Dakota Full tuition/fee waiver for ND and MN residents
-University of Oklahoma $63,000 for residents, $116,000 for non-residents
-University of Saint Thomas - MN $40,000
-University of South Carolina $40,000 for residents, up to $104,000 with tuition reduction for non-residents
-University of South Florida Full cost of attendance, guaranteed admittance to honors college and on-campus housing
-University of Southern California Half-tuition, limited
-University of Texas - Dallas Full tuition/fees, $50,000 in stipends to cover other costs and study abroad, guaranteed admission to honors program ($101,000 for residents, $187,000 for non-residents)
 
I really want to second the earlier suggestion of College Confidential as a place to go for your higher performing student's college research. You can learn a lot of useful things about how things work in Admissions or Financial Aid at all schools, but many of the specifics revolve around the top 100 schools and 4.4GPA kids worried about getting an A-, so be ready to ignore the humblebrags and just skim off the good info.

Here's a post from that site fro last year that really covers some good ground:
OK, here is the current link to the scholarships. start at page 6 and pay particular attention to early application deadlines, when the time comes.
https://talk.collegeconfidential.co...-scholarships-and-lower-cost-colleges-p6.html

In addition, make SURE she preps for and takes the PSAT test in Oct of her Jr year. That is critical! If her school does not offer it find another local school where she can take it. IF she scores high enough on that one score, above your state's cutoff score, maintains her high GPA, and does equally well on the SAT or ACT, she can land many National Merit Scholarships at various colleges.

Note that funding for scholarship programs comes and goes all the time, so lists like this are usually out of date almost immediately.

Also, if you qualify I'd suggest looking into the National Hispanic Scholars program which is similar to National Merit Scholars program.
https://talk.collegeconfidential.co...02381-nhrp-2019-college-scholarship-list.html

Finally I'd counsel students that are researching schools to go at it from the other end and start with "What do I want" vs "What's cheapest". Pretty much everyone must keep cost in the forefront as a factor*, but there are so many good to excellent schools out there that there's no excuse for not also taking some time to pick some schools based on your preferences (ROTC, geography, size, programs, etc) and then checking on their merit aid policies too. Get to know yourself so you can figure out what you want so you have a better chance of getting it.

* OK one more thing: parents *must* set a budget early on and if there are any limits at all they should have an honest and somewhat detailed talk with their kids before anyone falls in love with any schools. If you can only afford a school if the right scholarship is awarded, if you didn't expect to get in but feel compelled to try to make it work, or if your oldest kid spends consumes all your savings and leaves thing bare for the others, or any number of other scenarios can create awful opportunities to end up somewhere you don't want to be just because you didn't set and follow guidelines at the start. Avoid heartache and get in front of the cost limits discussion.
 
OK one more thing: parents *must* set a budget early on and if there are any limits at all they should have an honest and somewhat detailed talk with their kids before anyone falls in love with any schools. If you can only afford a school if the right scholarship is awarded, if you didn't expect to get in but feel compelled to try to make it work, or if your oldest kid spends consumes all your savings and leaves thing bare for the others, or any number of other scenarios can create awful opportunities to end up somewhere you don't want to be just because you didn't set and follow guidelines at the start. Avoid heartache and get in front of the cost limits discussion.

As a financial planner, I wish I could hit the "like" button a thousand times for the above statement.
 
Several Tier 1 Research Universities have guaranteed scholarships based on combinations of SAT and GPA, up to $15,000. These include:
- Michigan State U. - very strong in Nuclear Physics
- Arizona State - solid in both Computer Science and in Aerospace Engineering
- Alabama, Auburn, Arizona, U. Kansas - solid in Aerospace Engineering

Even better, should she win a National Merit Scholar (NMS) or National Merit Semifinalist (NMSF) designation, she may get as much as a full ride from some top-notch schools. The NMF award is really tough to gain if you're in CA, NJ, MA or CT, where the threshold score is extremely high, but if you're not on the coasts, the bar's lower and it's definitely achievable.

If you can get an NMS or NMSF designation, there are at least eight selective research universities that will offer significant merit aid to you and that are ranked among the top 20 or so in certain disciplines which may be of interest to your daughter:

- University of Minnesota - Up to $40,000, competitive - Outstanding in Chemistry/Chemical Engineering; also Economics and Aerospace Engineering

- Boston University - $80,000. Very strong in Biomedical Engineering; also International Relations

- U. Southern California - Half-tuition, limited. Very strong in many STEM disciplines; also good for launching a Business career in Silicon Valley.

- Texas A&M - $42,000 for residents, approximately $100,000 for non-residents due to out-of-state tuition waver. Outstanding in Aerospace Engineering and most STEM disciplines

- Northeastern U. - Competitive merit-based award. Strong in Biomedical Engineering, also Computer Science.

- Univ. of Central Florida - Cost of attendance, guaranteed admission to LEAD Scholars Academy and Burnett Honors College, guaranteed housing and laptop computer. Strong in Computer Science.

- University of Cincinnati - Full in-state tuition, guaranteed admission to honors program and $1,500 on-time allocation towards purchase of computer, research or study abroad. 60 available, first-come, first-served. One of the best in the nation for Architecture; also strong in Aerospace Engineering.

- University of Texas - Dallas - Full tuition/fees, $50,000 in stipends to cover other costs and study abroad, guaranteed admission to honors program ($101,000 for residents, $187,000 for non-residents). Very strong in Computer Science.

Here's an extended list:
-Baylor University Full tuition, augmented by SAT/ACT score ($179,368 - $187,368)
-Boston University $80,000
-Brigham Young University - Provo Full tuition, limited availability
-Florida Atlantic University Cost of attendance, regardless of residency
-Florida State University Cost of attendance ($80,000+), guaranteed admission to University Honors Program
-Fordham University Full tuition with A/A- average and top 2-3% of admitted students, competitive
-Gustavus Adolphus College $30,000+, full tuition for 10 candidates
-Hope College $88,000
-Illinois Wesleyan University Up to three scholarships up to $160,000; $16,000 otherwise
-Iowa State University Full tuition for residents, varies for non-residents
-Linfield College Half to full tuition depending on need
-Loyola University Chicago Full tuition for one student, $8,000 if not selected
-Montana State University $6,000 - $18,000 for residents, $10,000 - $66,000 for non-residents plus guaranteed admission to MSU Honors College, guaranteed placement in honors housing and priority course registration; limit of 10 awards per year
-New College of Florida Cost of attendance for those qualifying for the Benacquisto Scholarship
-New Jersey Institute of Technology Full tuition and fees
-Northeastern University Competitive merit-based award
-Northern Arizona University Full tuition plus $2,000 stipend, automatic entry into Honors College
-Oklahoma State University Five year full tuition waiver ($67,800 for residents, $145,400 for non-residents)
-Texas A&M University $42,000 for residents, approximately $100,000 for non-residents due to out-of-state tuition waver
-Texas Tech University Cost of attendance
-University of Alabama Full tuition up to 5 years, four years of on-campus housing, $14,000 stipend, $2,000 allowance for research or study abroad, $1,000 technology enrichment allowance
-University of Arizona $72,000 (full tuition plus) + $1,500 for study abroad for residents, varies for non-residents + $1,500 for study abroad depending on GPA and test scores
-University of Arkansas $40,000
-University of Central Florida Cost of attendance, guaranteed admission to LEAD Scholars Academy and Burnett Honors College, guaranteed housing and laptop computer
-University of Cincinnati Full in-state tuition, guaranteed admission to honors program and $1,500 on-time allocation towards purchase of computer, research or study abroad. 60 available, first-come, first-served
-University of Dallas Full tuition, limited to 10 students
-University of Florida Cost of attendance
-University of Houston Full cost of tuition/fees, + $1,000 research and $2,000 study abroad stipends ($47,000)
-University of Idaho Basic cost of attendance ($66,976 for residents, $137,520 for non-residents)
-University of Kansas $40,000 for residents
-University of Kentucky Full in-state or out-of-state tuition and housing stipend
-University of Louisville Full in-state tuition + $32,000 allowance for room, board and books or $80,000 for out-of-state students
-University of Maine Full tuition and most fees
-University of Miami Cost of attendance (for Florida residents only)
-University of Minnesota Up to $40,000, competitive
-University of Minnesota - Morris Full tuition
-University of Mississippi Full tuition + room ($54,776 for residents, $118,592 for non-residents)
-University of Nebraska Full tuition + $8,000
-University of Nevada - Reno Up to $64,000 + guaranteed admission to honors program
-University of New Mexico $75,212 for residents, $137,792 for non-residents + iPad
-University of North Dakota Full tuition/fee waiver for ND and MN residents
-University of Oklahoma $63,000 for residents, $116,000 for non-residents
-University of Saint Thomas - MN $40,000
-University of South Carolina $40,000 for residents, up to $104,000 with tuition reduction for non-residents
-University of South Florida Full cost of attendance, guaranteed admittance to honors college and on-campus housing
-University of Southern California Half-tuition, limited
-University of Texas - Dallas Full tuition/fees, $50,000 in stipends to cover other costs and study abroad, guaranteed admission to honors program ($101,000 for residents, $187,000 for non-residents)
Where did you get that info - is there a link or is this your research? Also, are these only for National Merit winners or are they merit awards in general? Thanks.
 
First order of business is scoring high enough on PSAT to qualify for Merit Scholar Semi-Finalist. Those offering full-tuition will seek you out. At least that is how it was ten and seven years ago.

As an OOSer don’t expect anything from top tier publics: GA Tech, UMich, UVA, UNC Chapel Hill, Texas, U of IL, Cal, UCLA among others. They tend to their own flocks, usually by government mandate, and are massively competitive.

Top tier private’s: Ivies, Stanford, MIT, Swarthmore among others have no merit based because everyone who gets in has high scores and GPA. It’s all need based and can be cheap. Even Vandy ten year’s ago did a straight income based calculation for my son’s total cost of attendance.

The list above looks about right. My ds#1 applied to U Minn on a whim because there was no app fee. He was a merit scholar finalist and single digits in class rank out of 300+. Less than a week after submitting his app he got a call from the dean of the college of engineering offering full tuition.

Ds#2 with same stats was offered $5k per semester at UMich. When asked about merit we were told to pound sand. Both DSes were OOS.

Beware of tales from proud parents and their stories of merit or athletic scholarships at second tier privates. The sticker prices are ridiculous and just about everyone gets something.

Best of luck!
 
A few patterns noted among the above list of 47 schools that give generous aid to OOS and cb7893's examples of elite public schools that give zip or almost zip to OOS students:

- of the first list - the generous research universities - well over 90% are located outside of the Northeast and the West Coast.

- the second list - those public flagships that give nearly zero in aid to OOS applicants - comprises schools that either

a) aspire to be called Ivy Equivalent or "public ivies", or

b) are located in states with notoriously bad/incompetent/corrupt financial management of state resources (cf. Illinois esp.), or

c) both a) and b) - California leads the way.

Lesson of the above: Go not West or East but INLAND, young man or woman!

USC, Fordham, BU, Northeastern excepted, it's best to set your sights on schools that are at least a two hour flight from New York or LA.
 
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