creekland Posted December 31, 2011 Share Posted December 31, 2011 Since I know many on here are looking for merit aid I thought I'd share what the University of Kentucky just sent my son (and probably others like him stat-wise). For those who have a minimum 31 ACT or 1360 (M+CR) SAT and a 3.5 unweighted GPA there is a competitive Otis A Singletary Scholarship where one gets tuition, room and board, a $1500 stipend for four years, a one-time $2000 bonus for Education Abroad and an Ipad 2. If you're an out of state student, the tuition covered is out of state tuition. If one is a NMF they have a similar scholarship. They don't say how many of these scholarships are available, but it sure seems like a nice opportunity for relatively "low" high stats. The deadline is Jan 13th this year. I had my guy look at UK since he more than qualifies, but they don't have either major he's interested in (Neuroscience or Microbiology) so he's not going to go for it. It'd have been worth a look if they had his majors though. ;) I'm glad to see more public schools are hopping on the "reward academic kids" bandwagon instead of giving their best scholarships solely to athletes. Way to go UK! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musicmom Posted December 31, 2011 Share Posted December 31, 2011 Wow! Thanks so much for posting this, Creekland. UK is potentially on dd's list, so this is great to know! :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted December 31, 2011 Author Share Posted December 31, 2011 I'm wondering if we should start a thread listing schools with free ride or full tuition merit aid options and what minimum qualifications are. I don't have time right now to get one started, but I do know U of Alabama and now U of Kentucky would make it on. Alabama's is guaranteed to all who make their stats. The flyer didn't say whether KY's goes to everyone or is just competitive. Pitt offers some that are competitive, but their minimums are much higher (33 ACT I believe) and with their latest homeschooling requirements, they are questionable IMO. In this economy and with the high cost of a college degree, I know many appreciate decent merit aid. Many schools offer "some" but not so many offer full rides like these with extra perks too. Kudos to those who have them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
choirfarm Posted December 31, 2011 Share Posted December 31, 2011 (edited) This is a VERY helpful list of these types of scholarships on college confidential: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/848226-important-links-automatic-guaranteed-merit-scholarships.html This thread is actually more concise and by a lady who has a good head on her shoulders: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/291483-update-what-i-learned-about-free-ride-scholarships.html Edited December 31, 2011 by choirfarm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barbara H Posted January 1, 2012 Share Posted January 1, 2012 (edited) Creekland - Just in case it helps... UK offers a cognitive science major, not sure if that appeals to him. UK has a med school and phd program in microbiology so there are courses and always the option to take graduate courses as well. So, the resources are there and they may allow a self designed major as well. Just mentioning this in case he's needing more options for big award schools. As you would expect with such a big award the University of Kentucky Singletary scholarships are very competitive. These scholarships go to kids who are really exceptional - very high test scores, great leadership, etc. Good to note that deadline in January is coming fast. Anyone interested can check with the scholarship office to see if this is still the case, in previous years the National Merit awards have been to all National Merit finalists who indicate Kentucky as the first choice by the the spring deadline. Also, it seems worth mentioned that UK is homeschool friendly and there have been homeschoolers who have won these big scholarships. I agree these types of scholarships are worth considering for students who are competitive. It is a great thing to get a free education! Edited January 1, 2012 by Barbara H Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted January 1, 2012 Author Share Posted January 1, 2012 Thanks for the info, Barbara. I might have him prowl around on their website a little more to see if it interests him, but I think at this point he's ready to consider his applications DONE and see where he goes. ;) Choirfarm, I had seen those lists before but I was kind of thinking of just putting down full rides (or possibly full tuition). Those threads list a lot more than that and are rather lengthy (plus older). An advantage here is we can also list homeschool friendly (UK & UA) or not (Pitt) too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.