Anonymous wrote:You can afford college and expect a full ride?

There’s a big gap between not qualifying for need-based aid and being able to afford a 90K a year private university.

Read up on what Jeff Selingo calls "buyers vs. sellers." The schools who want to lure better-than-(their) average students do so with increased merit awards. Often this doesn't require a dramatic downgrade in the applicant's choices.

The schools who are spoiled for choice in terms of applicant quality don't need to do anything to sweeten the pot. For Harvard, the price is the price, take it or leave it.

I've heard of full rides at Arizona (U of A)

It's possible to get a full ride for merit, but not at a 90k/year private school. I went to school for free in the early 2000s at a giant state flagship because they had a program designed to lure in National Merit Scholars. This was tuition, room, board, plus ~$3k/semester in spending money. I'm not 100% sure, but I believe the University of Alabama is offering the same or a similar deal now. That's the kind of school where you can get a full, need-blind merit scholarship, not Yale.

UMD has some Banneker-Key full merit scholars,

The only way I've seen a "full ride from merit" is when it is a small number of highly competitive scholarships. You would likely be invited to compete for that award after admission. These exist at some schools that otherwise don't give any "merit" aid but also at schools that give automatic merit awards with admissions.

You can afford college and expect a full ride?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 4.0 uw 36 ACT 5s on all AP exams this year got accepted to an Ivy, top SLAC, 2 T10s and 3 T20s...

not a SINGLE one offered any merit aid (no matter what their website said). We don't qualify for any need-based FA.

He did write emails to a few schools after acceptance, basically said nicely: your are SOL.

Full-freight $90k/year.

I find you have to go lower, lower---he was offered $25k year for 5 years from a T60 school. And he got into all top in-state schools.

My kid is similar -- was only granted some merit aid at GMU. If you want to chase merit, you will likely have to aim for lower-tier schools than your kid will want to attend.

GMU is already discounted because it is in state. Your student could apply for honors and if accepted could be in the running for their university scholars full tuition, competitive scholarship.

Anonymous wrote:My 4.0 uw 36 ACT 5s on all AP exams this year got accepted to an Ivy, top SLAC, 2 T10s and 3 T20s...

not a SINGLE one offered any merit aid (no matter what their website said). We don't qualify for any need-based FA.

He did write emails to a few schools after acceptance, basically said nicely: your are SOL.

Full-freight $90k/year.

I find you have to go lower, lower---he was offered $25k year for 5 years from a T60 school. And he got into all top in-state schools.

My kid is similar -- was only granted some merit aid at GMU. If you want to chase merit, you will likely have to aim for lower-tier schools than your kid will want to attend.

Also look at Stamps schools

Merit scholarships not need based are usually just tuition. So even a 100 percent scholarship is just tuition.

Another thing my one daughter got a very generous merit scholarship but it is not inflation adjusted. It is a set amount so when tuition rises it does not rise.

Finally catch lower rated schools with cash give best. St John’s University around 15 years ago briefly wanted to skyrocket up the US News ratings. They targeted A students only with high SATs and ACT scores and mailed them an offer of above a certain GPA and SAT/ACT score, free tuition all four years. A brief program but they shot way way up in ratings

But no Georgetown is giving away merit giveaways. My niece her husband who is a genius took St John’s up in offer graduated debt free then went to IVY league grad school straight from college

OP it’s best to get the delusion out of your mind that anyone is getting a full ride anywhere. It’s rare unless you are targeting places that advertise this. Think Alabama and maybe ASU? Some schools offer full tuition scholarships, and even then most require submitting an essay or other competition. Just do your homework and see what’s out there based on your student’s profile and needs.

My 4.0 uw 36 ACT 5s on all AP exams this year got accepted to an Ivy, top SLAC, 2 T10s and 3 T20s...

not a SINGLE one offered any merit aid (no matter what their website said). We don't qualify for any need-based FA.

He did write emails to a few schools after acceptance, basically said nicely: your are SOL.

Full-freight $90k/year.

I find you have to go lower, lower---he was offered $25k year for 5 years from a T60 school. And he got into all top in-state schools.

Also, this is not a D3 school and has nothing to do with that other post.

My DC is looking at a 90K a year private school. We do not qualify for need-based aid. The school has an NPC calculator on their website and the last page asks for GPA and test scores. The NPC suggested 20K in merit. GPA was already at 4.0 UW, but I played around with SAT and even putting it at 1600 showed 20K for merit. When I look at the CDS, it shows the "Average dollar amount of institutional non-need-based scholarship and grant aid awarded to students" at approx. $25K. Is full ride just for athletes (who may be in the non-need group) or for low-income students? I'm just getting my feet wet and trying to understand. Thanks!