Will a 3.0 ACT and 4.1 weighted GPA qualify for good scholarships at warm-climate FAFSA schools?

a 3.0 act seems really low??? i think the act is scored from 1-36 not 1-4... are u maybe thinking of gpa?

Omg you're totally right! I mixed up his GPA and ACT. His ACT is actually 27 (not 3.0). Sorry for the confusion!

With a 27 ACT and 3.8 unweighted GPA, your son has solid options for merit scholarships, especially at mid-tier public universities and private colleges that prioritize recruiting Midwestern students. For business/finance in warmer climates, consider:\n\n- University of Arizona: Their Achievement Scholarships can range from $8,000-$15,000/year for his stats\n- University of South Florida: Business program is respected and they have generous out-of-state merit awards\n- University of Mississippi: Often overlooked but offers impressive Ole Miss Academic Excellence Scholarships for students with his profile\n- Texas State University: Good business school with renewable scholarships for out-of-state students with 26+ ACT\n\nBe sure to complete both the FAFSA and research if any schools require the CSS Profile for institutional aid. Also check application deadlines carefully - many scholarship priority deadlines are earlier than regular admission (often December/January).

Thank you so much for these specific recommendations! I hadn't considered Ole Miss or Texas State. Do you know if these schools typically require separate scholarship applications or are students automatically considered with admission?

When my son was applying last year, we found that University of Alabama gave CRAZY generous scholarships for out-of-state students with ACT scores around 27-28 and good GPAs!!! I think they covered like half his tuition automatically just based on his scores. They have a good business school too. Definately check them out!!!!

That's great to hear! Alabama definitely meets the 'warmer' requirement. Did your son have to do anything special to qualify for those scholarships or was it automatic with his application?

Just wanted to add that your son should really be looking at schools' Net Price Calculators on their websites. These tools factor in both merit aid potential and need-based aid from FAFSA. \n\nOne strategy that worked for my daughter (business major with similar stats): Apply to schools where his numbers put him in the top 25% of admitted students. Schools often offer their best merit packages to students above their typical profile to improve their stats.\n\nAlso, don't overlook regional public universities. Places like Northern Arizona University, University of North Florida, and Missouri State have good business programs, warmer weather than Wisconsin, and tend to offer better scholarship packages than flagship schools.

The Net Price Calculator tip is really helpful - I'll start working through those for the schools on our list. I appreciate the suggestion about regional public universities too. We've been so focused on the big-name schools that we probably overlooked some good options.

bro just saying business majors r EVERYWHERE so u can get basically the same education at lower ranked schools... might be better to save $$$ and go somewhere that gives big scholarships than pay for a fancy name. my cousins business degree from central florida got him the same job as my friends from emory lol

this is real talk right here. i got a poli sci degree from prestigious school with mad debt and my friend who went to state school has better job than me and no loans lmao

I just went through this whole process with my daughter. Make sure you submit the FAFSA as EARLY as possible in October when it opens for the 2025-2026 year. Schools award aid on first-come, first-served basis, and some scholarship money runs out fast.\n\nAlso, when we were struggling to reach anyone at the Federal Student Aid office to ask questions about our FAFSA submission (we had a complex tax situation), we used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got us connected to an actual human being within minutes instead of waiting for hours on hold. They have a video demo of how it works here: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ\n\nFor scholarship hunting specifically, have your son look at the business school websites directly - many have department-specific scholarships that aren't advertised on the main financial aid pages.

Thanks for the FAFSA timing advice! We'll definitely be ready to submit in October. And thanks for the Claimyr tip - I've tried calling FSA before and gave up after 45 minutes on hold. I'll bookmark that service in case we run into issues with our application.

Honestly, your son's stats sound almost identical to my daughter's from last year. She had a 28 ACT and 3.9 unweighted GPA and applied to business programs in warm states. She got into University of Central Florida with a Presidential scholarship that covers most of tuition. She also got good packages from Arizona State and U of Houston. All three have strong business programs. What helped MOST was applying early - she had all apps in by November 1.

That's encouraging to hear! UCF, ASU and Houston are all on our list. Did your daughter end up choosing one of those schools? If so, how has her experience been so far?

WATCH OUT!!! We thought my son got a great scholarship but then after the first year they raised tuition but kept the scholarship the same dollar amount, so it covered less and less each year. Ask specifically if scholarships are PERCENTAGE based or FIXED dollar amounts!!!!!

This is excellent advice. Many families don't realize that a

random thought but has ur son looked at those special scholarhsip competitions some schools do? my friend got a full ride to miami of ohio from some weekend where they brought in students to compete in business case studies

No, I hadn't heard about anything like that! That sounds like it could be perfect for him since he's done some business case competitions in high school. Do you know how your friend found out about these opportunities?

One final piece of advice: Don't overlook the schools' individual scholarship deadlines. Many universities have separate merit scholarship applications with deadlines much earlier than regular admission. For example, some priority scholarship deadlines for Fall 2025 are as early as December 1, 2024.\n\nAlso, when calculating the total financial picture, remember to include the FAFSA-determined SAI (Student Aid Index) which replaced the old EFC. Your son's merit scholarships will stack on top of any need-based aid determined by your FAFSA results. A school with slightly lower merit scholarships but better need-based packages might actually be more affordable in the end.

Thanks for mentioning the scholarship application deadlines - we'll make a tracking spreadsheet to make sure we don't miss any important dates. And I'm glad you mentioned the SAI/need-based aid component. We're definitely hoping to qualify for some need-based aid too, so we'll look at the total financial package rather than just the merit scholarships.

Hey! As someone who just went through this process with my nephew, I wanted to add that you should definitely look into University of Memphis and Florida International University (FIU). Both have solid business programs and are really generous with out-of-state merit aid for students with your son's stats. Memphis in particular has been trying to attract more Midwestern students and offers some great scholarship packages. FIU is in Miami so it definitely meets the warm weather requirement! Also, don't forget to check if any of these schools have alumni networks in Wisconsin - some give preference to students from areas where they want to build connections. Good luck with the process!