Please share if your high school senior received a large college merit scholarship

[linnylu]

I am interested in knowing the colleges these merit scholarships are for, the requirements needed to earn the scholarship, and the total cost of the school before any scholarship money.

My reason for asking is twofold- I have a high school senior and I am taking a class to become a high school guidance counselor. This is a topic we have for next week's class.

 

[QVCshopper]

Well, I'm not sure what you consider large. But, I went to a private college in MD and got a $3K/year scholarship, as well as large grants that were at least $5k+/year. My parents were quite broke/my mom was sick when I went to college, so thus the grant. I put myself through college and graduated a semester early owing just $16,500. Which really isn't bad considering I put out all of the money as an 18-21 year old, and didn't really have much in the first place. This was in the late 90s, so I'm sure things would be much higher now.

My merit scholarship was for anyone who got over 1200 on their SAT--guess what I got? Yup, 1200 exactly. I was also in my high school's top 15% and took AP courses that let me graduate early, saving another $10k.

I also got two scholarships that I applied from via my high school guidance office. I think that was another $1,500.

 

[lisabarr]

My son is a chess player, very high ranking. While he is not a senior, 4th grade, our friends in the chess community typically get full rides to top schools. 2 chess players from our community last year got scholarships. One got MIT and the other got Harvard. Another one got into some top liberal arts college whose name I can't remember, also a full ride.

I fully expect my son to get a scholarship as well, if he keeps playing (he better)

 

[Psychodisney]

My son rec'd Merit Scholarships to 3 of the 4 school's he applied to. Of course, the school he chose is the one that he didn't get an award! His largest award was $6,000 a year, tuition $36, 000(private). Based on GPA, ACT, etc(he got a 27, GPA 4.3/4, class rank 14/306). Two other out of state public univerities offered him anywhere from 4-5K based on ACT and choice of major.

 

[Chelley00]

The big scholarship at Indiana University is (and I'm going from memory so I may not be 100% on) a GPA of 3.8 and an ACT score of 30.

 

[NYEmomma]

This was 12 or so years ago when DH was applying to college, but he got a full-ride merit scholarship for the nearby state university here in Ohio. It was for tuition, room & board. He had a 32 ACT score, 4.1-something GPA, 14/~500 in his class, member of NHS and was one of the outstanding musicians in the music program at the school. Don't remember what his SAT was. At the time, colleges focused more on ACT scores anyways. He also received a music scholarship for the same college & a scholarship from the college Honor's program, both of which he turned down in lieu of the full-ride.

It was a state school, so tuition was within the reasonable amount, though I can't comment to the exact dollar amount.

 

[Darcy03231]

DD#2 is going to a local private university. Tuition and mandatory fees are about $25k per year. She received a merit scholarship of about half of that. She also applied for all other scholarships she was eligible for and picked up quite a bit more money that way.

 

[juliebean]

I used to work in financial aid doing scholarships for a university and I wanted to suggest that you also ask whether the scholarships are renewable for 4 years. Too many colleges offer a lot of aid to incoming students, and then it is not renewable (or not automatically - which usually means it's not) for the following years.

Just something to consider...

 

[Marionnette]

$18K per year

 

[queenbetsey]

dd is a senior this year. she applied to embry riddle aeronautical college. she got accepted. we had that moment like the comercial they are running on tv. daughter "I just got accepted to one of the best schools in the country" we heard I just got accepted to the most expensive school in the country. we are thrilled but wow with flight school the first year alone is over 50k a year. she got two scholarships from them for 9k a year and fasfa will be 3k leaving a balance of 3 times more than i make in a year. we are applying for every scholarship we can find. great student but still hard to get enough. she may be signing up for the air force and then going to school to study aeronautics.

 

[disykat]

My 4.0 senior did recieve 17K merit a year at a private school, and 9K a year at a state school where he'd have to pay out of state tuition. He didn't get any merit aide at our flagship state school, which is the most expensive in the state, but it will still be the cheapest option.

 

[Princessmom2]

Auburn University offers several scholarships from one-third of your tuition to the Presidential scholarship, which is full tuition (including out of state), a $1500 computer allowance, and a $4,000 stipend for study abroad. My older daughter received this with an ACT score of 34. If your child is a National Merit finalist and lists Auburn as their top choice, they receive all of that as well as room and board and can qualify for book/spending money also (but that part is need based). And they are renewable for Four years as long as you maintain a 3.0 overall GPA. Auburn is a public state university. And I can proudly say she has kept her scholarship thru her junior year (and we are hoping she keeps it for next year too!)

University of Florida offers you $1,000 a year if you are a National merit finalist-or did. . . .

 

[parrothead365]

Up to 9K from UCF. Of which I think they will use 1,500 a semester after his FL Bright Futures, our FL pre-paid, and the ROTC Scholarship are used.

 

[QVCshopper]

My 4.0 senior did recieve 17K merit a year at a private school, and 9K a year at a state school where he'd have to pay out of state tuition. He didn't get any merit aide at our flagship state school, which is the most expensive in the state, but it will still be the cheapest option.

Now, here's where I think the private college would be better, if it's a better school/higher ranked. Privates are backed with more funding; therefore there is more aid. Can he get a grant? My middle sister and I went to private schools, while my youngest sister went to an out of state school. I really don't think my parents came out ahead on that one since she didn't get any aid at all.

 

[pintamino]

she may be signing up for the air force and then going to school to study aeronautics.

I'm a college senior graduating in the fall. If I could do this whole thing over, I would do ROTC.

I recieved enough aid at the private schools I was accepted at to bring their tuition in-line with the state schools. University of Scranton, Drexel, DelVal, Mount Saint Mary, I'm sure I'm forgetting a couple... and Penn State - all about $13k tuition for the year (room and board aside). Chose PSU.

 

[cdrn1]

DD got a full ride to Southeast Missouri State, including a semester abroad w/all expenses paid and $1k stipend for books, etc. based solely on her prelim SAT score. It was a four year renewable based on GPA.

 

[Niagara2]

Congrats to your daughter on that wonderful merit scholarship.
What was her SAT's to get a 100% paid scholarship? My son is taking his first SAT May 7th.
Thanks

 

[FINFAN]

School #1
My DD was offered 10,000 per year based on a portfolio merit(tho her GPA was decent-3.7), private Art/Design school. The college was roughly 39-40 per year all said and done. She passed on it since they did not offer the quite the right program/major that she was after.
School #2
$8000 per year, private art/design running 42,000 per year..again passed.

 

[okeydokey]

Auburn University offers several scholarships from one-third of your tuition to the Presidential scholarship, which is full tuition (including out of state), a $1500 computer allowance, and a $4,000 stipend for study abroad. My older daughter received this with an ACT score of 34. If your child is a National Merit finalist and lists Auburn as their top choice, they receive all of that as well as room and board and can qualify for book/spending money also (but that part is need based). And they are renewable for Four years as long as you maintain a 3.0 overall GPA. Auburn is a public state university. And I can proudly say she has kept her scholarship thru her junior year (and we are hoping she keeps it for next year too!)

University of Florida offers you $1,000 a year if you are a National merit finalist-or did. . . .

Wow, good for your daughter. My son has his eye on Auburn in the future! My DH got his Masters there and I was an academic adviser there some years ago when there was not much scholarship money. Alabama offered all the big scholarships. I'm glad to hear that Auburn has more to offer now.

 

[madelyn]

Not my child, but my nephew graduated in 2010. I am looking at his graduation program now. He got a total of $244,380 in scholarships. $116,880 was a Pepperdine University Seaver Scholars Scholarship (the school he now attends), he got $5K (Music Award Scholarship-not sure where this is from), $2,500 National Merit Scholarship and TCU (Texas Christian University) Chancellor's Scholarship of $120,000. He was the valedictorian of his small (50-ish graduating class) private Christian school, active in the chess club, music and a National Merit Scholar. My sister commented that it seemed that all the National Merit Scholars they knew were able to get the $120K(full scholarship) to TCU.