Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hi OP,

A 1600 and 3.8 UW is going to give you a lot of options.

Do not look at the prices of schools. They are suggested prices. And nearly every school gives huge discounts to the students they want - and many want the 1600 combined with a GPA that supports the score. It makes the schools look good having students like yours.

You are in a good position.

You are going to have to Google. And better yet, your son takes charge of this and figures it out on his own.

For the tippy top schools - MIT, Stanford - they generally do not offer merit scholarships. They don't need to. But they offer exceptionally good financial aid. And that's not loans. It's "grants," which is essentially a discount off the listed price. So don't rule out the very expensive private schools.

Lower ranked private and public schools, in addition to "grants," will offer merit aid and scholarships, including free rides. Schools will be interested in that 1600.

Have your son come up with a list of schools for CS that he's interested in. Make sure it's him that does it.

Then go to each school's website and do the financial calculator. It's on all their websites, usually under the Admissions tab. That'll give you an idea of what it's really going to cost - before merit and scholarships.

I know it's confusing. It is for everyone.

But you have a lot more options than schools in Virginia

+1

Anonymous wrote:Hi OP,

A 1600 and 3.8 UW is going to give you a lot of options.

Do not look at the prices of schools. They are suggested prices. And nearly every school gives huge discounts to the students they want - and many want the 1600 combined with a GPA that supports the score. It makes the schools look good having students like yours.

You are in a good position.

You are going to have to Google. And better yet, your son takes charge of this and figures it out on his own.

For the tippy top schools - MIT, Stanford - they generally do not offer merit scholarships. They don't need to. But they offer exceptionally good financial aid. And that's not loans. It's "grants," which is essentially a discount off the listed price. So don't rule out the very expensive private schools.

Lower ranked private and public schools, in addition to "grants," will offer merit aid and scholarships, including free rides. Schools will be interested in that 1600.

Have your son come up with a list of schools for CS that he's interested in. Make sure it's him that does it.

Then go to each school's website and do the financial calculator. It's on all their websites, usually under the Admissions tab. That'll give you an idea of what it's really going to cost - before merit and scholarships.

I know it's confusing. It is for everyone.

But you have a lot more options than schools in Virginia

Anonymous wrote:Hi OP, as someone new to this too I wanted to explain what I have learned about the cost of private school. There is not a set price that everyone pays, the “sticker price” on the website is adjusted in the financial aid package which is based on merit (grades and scores) and family income.

Sometimes you can pay the same amount at a private school as you would at a local public state university depending on the aid package.

Often immigrants or price sensitive students aren’t aware of this.

Anonymous wrote:University of Alabama gives you a free ride for a perfect sat score.

Look at presidential elite scholar in the link below

https://afford.ua.edu/scholarships/out-of-state-freshman/