u/AdDue7242

My son is interested in the University of Alabama, and we are out of state.

Current stats after Junior Year: 3.25 Unweighted GPA, 31 Cumulative ACT with a 35 in math and 32 in science. He took 5 honors courses and 1 AP course, but his school only reports the unweighted GPA on the transcript.

Out-of-state requirements show min 3.5 GPA, and the school will not put weighted on the transcript even if it somehow gets him to the min.

I messaged the school for clarification, but I assume I will get a stock answer, so here I am on Reddit! I would love to hear if anyone has had recent experience with a similar scenario and how it turned out.

Thanks in advance from a highly stressed-out mom!

Hey everyone,

I'm a parent trying to help my kid build a realistic college list. While not mandatory, I am interested in researching schools that my child may have a legitimate shot at a full ride or very high merit aid. He is not sold on any school or program at the moment, so we are keeping our options open.

Here is the profile:

• Residency: Illinois
• GPA: 3.3 (Unweighted) I know this is low, but 1 semester Junior year was rough for him (his best friend attempted to "" himself before the first day of school. We then got him a cat for emotional support, and the cat died within a week from FIP) TMI I know, but, damn, it was a lot.
• ACT: 31 Composite (34 STEM section)
• ECs/Volunteering: Decent/average. Some club involvement and volunteering, but nothing "extreme" or crazy compared to what you usually see on here.
• Financials: Parents' combined income is just under $250k (after 401k/HSA).

Given the lower GPA relative to the high ACT (especially that 34 STEM score), are there any schools we should be targeting that are known for being incredibly generous with aid?

Also, if there are any specific websites, databases, or search strategies you’d recommend for tracking down full-ride merit scholarships, please let me know. Thanks in advance!