Blue Valley School District Financial Aid Night Scholarship Strategies Blue Valley School District Financial Aid Night Finding Scholarships Tara Lebar Blue Valley West Counselor President, Great Plains Association for College Admission Counseling

 Each year millions of dollars of scholarships go unawarded! Fact: 90% of scholarships are awarded in “merit aid” to the college you attend. Outside scholarships are usually smaller and niche programs that many students don’t qualify for.  All good students are eligible for scholarships to go to college Fact: Many excellent students do not receive scholarships to attend college. The vast majority of scholarship dollars are awarded to a small subset of each senior class.  Scholarships are available for talented students at every college/university Fact: Most highly selective schools only offer need based financial aid. While many public schools do not offer merit money to “non- resident” applicants

1. University Scholarships 2. Local/Community/Employer Scholarships 3. Internet Search Scholarships

90% of scholarship money will come from the college you attend  Many Automatic with college application  Inquire about scholarship options when visiting and researching colleges  Watch Priority/Early Scholarship Deadlines  Private schools and schools with large endowments may have better scholarship packages  Largely based on GPA & ACT/SAT scores

If you’re not in the top 25% of the school’s incoming class you’ll pay them to attend….

ACT Scores % Kansas % National % BV District % National % Weighted/Unweighted GPA 4.3/4.0- Top 10% 4.0/3.7- Top 25% 3.5/3.4- Top 50% 3.1/3.0- Top 75% ACT/SAT scores are the biggest factor in determining merit awards

These scholarship are limited to students in our school community or local community.  Naviance Family Connection  BV Education Foundation & PTO Scholarships  Local OP & KC area businesses  Check with your employer, church or other community organizations.  Research ethnic or military connections Frequently these scholarships are smaller awards and not renewable over 4 years.

 Fastweb.com  Meritaid.com  Scholarship Experts.com  Cappex.com  Big Future (College Board)  Zinch.com This is a large pool of scholarships with a national applicant pool. Create an account and receive updates! You can spend lots of time looking for scholarships with little result…so be careful!

1. University Scholarships 2. Local/Community/Employer Scholarships 3. Internet Search Scholarships Time Spent Searching Most Least

 Do not usually have merit aid programs (all applicants have amazing academics)  Many have “No Loan” programs or commit to filling in the difference after the family’s EFC amount.

 According to federal statistics, here is the list of the most expensive public universities in the country for nonresidents: *9 of these schools (highlighted) also made Princeton Review’s list of the 75 “best value” public institutions These schools do not usually offer merit scholarships to non-resident applicants.

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 Don’t panic over Sticker Shock! All students pay the same rate & average tuition discount at private colleges/universities is around 53%  Small class sizes and close collaboration with faculty  Private schools have become more competitive with in-state public school pricing.

University of Kansas Kansas State University Emporia State University Pittsburg State University Wichita State University Fort Hays State University Washburn University University of Missouri- Kansas City Johnson County Community College Yearly Tuition* $8,396 $7,830 $4,368 $4,710 $5,622 $3,360 $5,688 $8,103 $2,520 *based on tuition rates

 Consider in-state & private options  Take advantage of College Now & other college course options  Take general education courses in the summer at local colleges/universities to transfer  Discuss department and other financial aid options each year during college. Resident Assistant, work on campus, departmental scholarships, honors programs…  Choose the less expensive housing/meal plan  Thinking about grad school? Save money on your undergraduate program!