Merit aid AND near mountains or scenic nature areas?

[rzberrymom]

Funny question, but does anyone know of schools with good merit aid that are located near mountains?? Or near scenic natural areas? 

We know a staggeringly good 15-year old photographer (a lot of national and international recognition already), great GPA, but needs merit aid. Being near mountains or scenic natural areas will let him keep working on his photography while he’s in college. Rank or prestige doesn’t matter—he just wants to be near beautiful stuff. 

I’ve been looking through all of my lists of schools with the best merit aid and can’t find anything near scenic stuff.

Anyone happen to have any ideas?

[kokotg]

I don't know exact amounts but a friend's daughter got a good bit of merit at UNC Asheville. 

[rzberrymom]

1 minute ago, kokotg said:

I don't know exact amounts but a friend's daughter got a good bit of merit at UNC Asheville. 

Oooh, I hadn’t thought of that one! Thanks!

[Frances]

Virtually any college, public or private, in the Willamette Valley in Oregon would be about one hour from the Cascade mountains and one hour from the beautiful OR coast. And the Willamette Valley was just named one of the top 50 places in the world for 2023 by Time magazine.

https://time.com/6261537/willamette-valley-oregon/

I know that Willamette and Linfield both give good merit aid with Lewis and Clark generally not giving as much, since I think the Portland metro area is usually more desired by students. Reed gives only financial aid. I would especially encourage him to consider Willamette, as they really use merit aid to get the students they want. And I think they just acquired an art college, so maybe that would be a good fit for his photography passion.

While U of O, Oregon State, and Western Oregon all have pretty good merit aid options, especially for top students, I’m not sure how it would pencil out for an out of state student.

[kokotg]

I just checked University of Montana, because we were just in Missoula last summer, so I know there are lovely mountain hikes right next to the campus...looks like their top automatic merit would get cost of attendance down to around $30,000 (including room and board). I'm guessing some other mountain west states might be similar.

[rzberrymom]

56 minutes ago, Frances said:

Virtually any college, public or private, in the Willamette Valley in Oregon would be about one hour from the Cascade mountains and one hour from the beautiful OR coast. And the Willamette Valley was just named one of the top 50 places in the world for 2023 by Time magazine.

https://time.com/6261537/willamette-valley-oregon/

I know that Willamette and Linfield both give good merit aid with Lewis and Clark generally not giving as much, since I think the Portland metro area is usually more desired by students. Reed gives only financial aid. I would especially encourage him to consider Willamette, as they really use merit aid to get the students they want. And I think they just acquired an art college, so maybe that would be a good fit for his photography passion.

While U of O, Oregon State, and Western Oregon all have pretty good merit aid options, especially for top students, I’m not sure how it would pencil out for an out of state student.

I had thought of Lewis and Clark because of its location in the state park, but I didn’t think of Willamette! Thanks!!

[rzberrymom]

51 minutes ago, kokotg said:

I just checked University of Montana, because we were just in Missoula last summer, so I know there are lovely mountain hikes right next to the campus...looks like their top automatic merit would get cost of attendance down to around $30,000 (including room and board). I'm guessing some other mountain west states might be similar.

I’ve been hunting around for info on the mountain state schools, and University of New Mexico is the only one I’ve seen so far that has good merit aid for OOS. I’ll check if Missoula is one of the WUE schools—hadn’t thought of that one!

[kokotg]

4 minutes ago, rzberrymom said:

I’ve been hunting around for info on the mountain state schools, and University of New Mexico is the only one I’ve seen so far that has good merit aid for OOS. I’ll check if Missoula is one of the WUE schools—hadn’t thought of that one!

It is! I was poking around on their scholarship page, but I didn't know if that was relevant. That would get it a good bit lower (the top award is full tuition for WUE, I think it said--all based on GPA) ETA: https://www.umt.edu/finaid/scholarships/new-freshman-scholarships/default.php

Edited March 24, 2023 by kokotg

[ScoutTN]

3 hours ago, kokotg said:

I don't know exact amounts but a friend's daughter got a good bit of merit at UNC Asheville. 

There are probably some others in western NC or east TN. Lots of small schools there, right in the mountains. 

[Roadrunner]

Yes, if it’s a CA kid, look at WUE schools in MT, Oregon…

[rzberrymom]

Thing is, he needs way more than just the WUE discount. I figured privates might be the better approach, unless it’s something like UNM.

[Roadrunner]

11 minutes ago, rzberrymom said:

Thing is, he needs way more than just the WUE discount. I figured privates might be the better approach, unless it’s something like UNM.

If he needs way more than WUE discount then maybe he needs schools that meet full need instead of merit scholarships? I could have this really wrong, but I think under certain income, full need schools offer the best deals. Merit is great, but privates with merit and little need are going to cost more than WUE schools, I think. 

Edited March 24, 2023 by Roadrunner

[Frances]

1 hour ago, rzberrymom said:

I had thought of Lewis and Clark because of its location in the state park, but I didn’t think of Willamette! Thanks!!

I don’t think it is in a state park. It is right in Portland. Granted it’s in a more of a residential neighborhood, as is Reed, so not really urban around it. Both campuses are green and beautiful. Anyway, I think it attracts a similar student as Willamette, but Willamette is known for generally giving much more merit aid.

[rzberrymom]

 

18 minutes ago, Frances said:

I don’t think it is in a state park. It is right in Portland. Granted it’s in a more of a residential neighborhood, as is Reed, so not really urban around it. Both campuses are green and beautiful. Anyway, I think it attracts a similar student as Willamette, but Willamette is known for generally giving much more merit aid.

We used to live in Portland—it’s right at Tryon Creek State Park. There’s a sign pointing you to the law school on the hiking trails. That always gave me a giggle. We used to see Great Horned Owls quite a bit—I think it would be a dream location for him, if he could get enough aid.

Edited March 24, 2023 by rzberrymom

[rzberrymom]

41 minutes ago, Roadrunner said:

If he needs way more than WUE discount then maybe he needs schools that meet full need instead of merit scholarships? I could have this really wrong, but I think under certain income, full need schools offer the best deals. Merit is great, but privates with merit and little need are going to cost more than WUE schools, I think. 

Ok, got it. They likely would qualify for financial aid. I don’t know why but I just assumed a WUE school wouldn’t meet that financial need, on top of the WUE discount. But, am I making the wrong assumption there?

So yes, he would need merit plus financial aid.

[Frances]

9 minutes ago, rzberrymom said:

 

We used to live in Portland—it’s right at Tryon Creek State Park. There’s a sign pointing you to the law school on the hiking trails. That always gave me a giggle. We used to see Great Horned Owls quite a bit—I think it would be a dream location for him, if he could get enough aid.

My bad. I thought you meant it was in Lewis and Clark State Park.

[kokotg]

Just now, rzberrymom said:

Ok, got it. They likely would qualify for financial aid. I don’t know why but I just assumed a WUE school wouldn’t meet that financial need, on top of the WUE discount. But, am I making the wrong assumption there?

So yes, he would need merit plus financial aid.

It really just depends on how low their income is what the best bet is for financial aid. It looks like with the top automatic merit at Missoula for WUE students, out of pocket would be just room and board, which they estimate at around $12,000. Then he could take the federal loans on top of that and possibly a pell grant if he's eligible; at that point he'd be looking at maybe $4-5000/yr or less. Just as an example (I might have gotten a little fixated on Missoula and decided I wish I could go to college there 😉 ). But if his family is in that income range, private colleges that meet need would be just as good (or better if it's a school that doesn't include loans in FA packages, but those are few and far between and generally VERY difficult to get into--though sounds like the photography could be a hook). So they probably need to run some net price calculators to see where they stand. And if he's eligible for a lot of need based aid and has a shot at super selective schools, Williams or Amherst come to mind as mountainy ones. 

[rzberrymom]

2 minutes ago, kokotg said:

It really just depends on how low their income is what the best bet is for financial aid. It looks like with the top automatic merit at Missoula for WUE students, out of pocket would be just room and board, which they estimate at around $12,000. Then he could take the federal loans on top of that and possibly a pell grant if he's eligible; at that point he'd be looking at maybe $4-5000/yr or less. Just as an example (I might have gotten a little fixated on Missoula and decided I wish I could go to college there 😉 ). But if his family is in that income range, private colleges that meet need would be just as good (or better if it's a school that doesn't include loans in FA packages, but those are few and far between and generally VERY difficult to get into--though sounds like the photography could be a hook). So they probably need to run some net price calculators to see where they stand. And if he's eligible for a lot of need based aid and has a shot at super selective schools, Williams or Amherst come to mind as mountainy ones. 

You guys are the best—this is so helpful!!

I think things like Williams and Amherst would be too much academically. His grades are strong, I think we can help him get his SAT score up, but he’s probably not going to thrive at an elite school.

The photography is at such a stunning level that I think it would definitely be a hook. 

I’ll suggest they run some EFCs and see what it looks like.

[kokotg]

Incidentally, this has made me message my SIL, who lives in CA and has an 11th grader, to try to convince her to send him to Missoula.

[rzberrymom]

9 minutes ago, kokotg said:

Incidentally, this has made me message my SIL, who lives in CA and has an 11th grader, to try to convince her to send him to Missoula.

I love it!

[crazyforlatin]

I know one but it’s not going to be suitable for many people. It’s in the forest, gives excellent merit, near vineyards, has a surprisingly number of majors for a tiny college, 1.5 hours from SF, has a strong connection to Loma Linda Medical School if interested in medicine (likelihood of getting in is high as the counselors meet with students several times during the course of their studies). BUT it’s Seventh Day Adventist. So no meat, need to take religion classes (like the Jesuits). It’s possible to get full merit based on very high gpa and SAT 1500. Even half merit makes the school really affordable as the room and board is very low compared to most other schools. It may actually be subsidized by the church. Also, plenty of jobs on campus should the students want one. Pacific Union College. Eta: tuition is around $35k 
 

As others have mentioned, Pacific Northwest Consortium schools give very high merit, especially Puget Sound and Willamette. Whitman has a pre-read for merit. 
 

 

 

Edited March 24, 2023 by crazyforlatin

[Roadrunner]

Actually I don’t know if WUE gives need based aid. Do UCs give need based aid to out of state students? This is actually a great question. 

[crazyforlatin]

1 hour ago, Roadrunner said:

Actually I don’t know if WUE gives need based aid. Do UCs give need based aid to out of state students? This is actually a great question. 

I think UCs give merit and not aid for OOS.

[Sebastian (a lady)]

There are many schools near the Appalachians and Smokey Mountains that might be options. What is the student's state of residence? 

Perhaps look along I-81 from Virginia down into North Carolina. 

[rzberrymom]

4 hours ago, Sebastian (a lady) said:

There are many schools near the Appalachians and Smokey Mountains that might be options. What is the student's state of residence? 

Perhaps look along I-81 from Virginia down into North Carolina. 

CA kid, but there are relatives in Virginia so I did find a couple of schools there through a CC post.

[rzberrymom]

So, for a spiky kid, if there’s financial need but the family is not Pell Grant eligible, are the options mainly either elites or the state schools that give HUGE grants to OOS? Or will second or third tier schools offer both merit and financial aid? 

[kokotg]

19 minutes ago, rzberrymom said:

So, for a spiky kid, if there’s financial need but the family is not Pell Grant eligible, are the options mainly either elites or the state schools that give HUGE grants to OOS? Or will second or third tier schools offer both merit and financial aid? 

My kids have been offered combos of merit and need based aid at a number of schools...sometimes it put them close to what they were offered at needs met schools (or better in one case where my oldest was offered a full ride (from a scholarship that had a need-based component). None of them were anywhere particularly beautiful, though! 

[Eos]

For spiky artsy, Bard College near the Hudson River in NY has a fantastic arts/liberal arts program and gives merit aid.  Not giant mountains, but it's near-ish the Berkshires and the Hudson River Valley area is lovely.  Bennington College is another one in VT that gives merit and is very arts-oriented.  Both of these schools have slightly different academic formats than the usual and neither is highly selective.  Bennington is incredibly beautiful.

Son received both financial and merit offers from both but ended up elsewhere.

Edited March 24, 2023 by Eos

[Eos]

A friend's daughter majored in photography at Bard and is currently in grad school for it.  The professors at Bard are very connected to the arts scene in NYC, and she has been the recipient of some remarkable opportunities because of her professors' connections.

[Sebastian (a lady)]

1 hour ago, rzberrymom said:

So, for a spiky kid, if there’s financial need but the family is not Pell Grant eligible, are the options mainly either elites or the state schools that give HUGE grants to OOS? Or will second or third tier schools offer both merit and financial aid? 

It depends on how low the student needs to go for costs. Private colleges that are "buyers" (aka, need to use aid to fill their incoming class) may offer lower net costs than state schools, especially if the student has some good academic profiles.

Look at University of Puget Sound and Western Washington University, if the student is trying to stay west coast. I also have a crush on the Oregon State University Cascades campus in Bend. Not as many majors as the Main campus, but gorgeous.

[Roadrunner]

My impression is merit rarely ever covers full tuition. Are they looking for full tuition? Or full tuition and living expenses? 
So if a family doesn’t qualify for need to that level, merit will cover what often need based awards cover. Again, I am basing this what I am seeing around so far. I am sure there are full tuition merits out there but probably super hard to get. 
It seems to me that merit is most beneficial to families who can’t afford full tuition but don’t qualify for much aid. 

[Farrar]

Warren Wilson outside Asheville, NC gives stellar aid, in part because it's a work college, so students also work while they're there. It's a teeny, alternative school. 

Seconding some of these others already mentioned, especially Puget Sound. 

[EKS]

16 hours ago, Roadrunner said:

Yes, if it’s a CA kid, look at WUE schools in MT, Oregon…

And Utah.

[rzberrymom]

52 minutes ago, Eos said:

For spiky artsy, Bard College near the Hudson River in NY has a fantastic arts/liberal arts program and gives merit aid.  Not giant mountains, but it's near-ish the Berkshires and the Hudson River Valley area is lovely.  Bennington College is another one in VT that gives merit and is very arts-oriented.  Both of these schools have slightly different academic formats than the usual and neither is highly selective.  Bennington is incredibly beautiful.

Son received both financial and merit offers from both but ended up elsewhere.

Perfect! Thanks!

[EKS]

Keep in mind that the farther afield the kid goes, the more it costs to travel back and forth.  That may diminish the value of the aid.

In California, UC Santa Cruz and UC Merced might be worth a look.  Unfortunately Santa Cruz is a high cost of living area.

 

[rzberrymom]

26 minutes ago, Sebastian (a lady) said:

It depends on how low the student needs to go for costs. Private colleges that are "buyers" (aka, need to use aid to fill their incoming class) may offer lower net costs than state schools, especially if the student has some good academic profiles.

Look at University of Puget Sound and Western Washington University, if the student is trying to stay west coast. I also have a crush on the Oregon State University Cascades campus in Bend. Not as many majors as the Main campus, but gorgeous.

I have a friend who teaches at UPS and yet completely forgot about it! This kiddo fell in love with WWU, so they’re on it with that one. I had forgotten the new OSU campus in Bend too!

[rzberrymom]

17 minutes ago, Farrar said:

Warren Wilson outside Asheville, NC gives stellar aid, in part because it's a work college, so students also work while they're there. It's a teeny, alternative school. 

Seconding some of these others already mentioned, especially Puget Sound. 

That’s a great one—thanks!

[Roadrunner]

I hear Merced has Yosemite shuttles. 

[rzberrymom]

2 minutes ago, EKS said:

Keep in mind that the farther afield the kid goes, the more it costs to travel back and forth.  That may diminish the value of the aid.

In California, UC Santa Cruz and UC Merced might be worth a look.  Unfortunately Santa Cruz is a high cost of living area.

 

A parent went to UCSC and so the kid doesn’t want that one. I’ll never understand why some kids are like that. ☹️

[rzberrymom]

1 minute ago, Roadrunner said:

I hear Merced has Yosemite shuttles. 

Yes, I pushed that one. Air quality (and just plain quality of life there) are an issue, but I’ll keep nudging.

[EKS]

2 minutes ago, rzberrymom said:

A parent went to UCSC and so the kid doesn’t want that one.

Ooo, I went to UCSC too!

[Roadrunner]

OMG. Humboldt!!!! It’s now a cal poly I believe. You can’t beat nature there!

[prairiewindmomma]

...

Edited March 24, 2023 by prairiewindmomma

[rzberrymom]

Thank you prairiewindmomma!

[rzberrymom]

12 minutes ago, Roadrunner said:

OMG. Humboldt!!!! It’s now a cal poly I believe. You can’t beat nature there!

That was one of our first thoughts too, but mom is worried about crime and homelessness that I guess has taken off there. ☹️ I’ll keep nudging on that one too.

[silver]

I know nothing about Black Hills State University other than the fact that they're near the Black Hills in SD (pretty area), and that SD tends to not have high tuition for out of state. Their "Scholarships of Distinction" program gives automatic aid based on GPA/test scores (even for test optional admits, based on GPA alone).

[catz]

We got a decent merit package at the University of Denver.  Though we got more merit elsewhere (and still waiting for more info).  Mountain views from campus.  We absolutely loved it actually.   Digging around in Colorado for options might be an idea.

Edited March 24, 2023 by catz

[rzberrymom]

8 minutes ago, catz said:

We got a decent merit package at the University of Denver.  Though we got more merit elsewhere (and still waiting for more info).  Mountain views from campus.  We absolutely loved it actually.   Digging around in Colorado for options might be an idea.

Yes, I think Colorado must have something good! Fort Lewis in Durango stands out—just have to figure out the WUE discount plus financial aid thing!

[crazyforlatin]

1 hour ago, rzberrymom said:

Yes, I pushed that one. Air quality (and just plain quality of life there) are an issue, but I’ll keep nudging.

Why is air quality bad in Merced? And is the quality of life bad because it’s a town without much to do and not many places to eat? D is considering UCM as it’s relatively close to us.

[rzberrymom]

20 minutes ago, crazyforlatin said:

Why is air quality bad in Merced? And is the quality of life bad because it’s a town without much to do and not many places to eat? D is considering UCM as it’s relatively close to us.

https://www.lung.org/research/sota/city-rankings/states/california/merced

Probably similar to other parts of the Central Valley. This kid just has some sensitivities.