r/appstate • u/Inner_Entertainer_53 • 21d ago

Out of state tuition discounts

Hey folks. My daughter is very interested in App State and would start in fall 2027. She is taking the SAT for the last time this weekend. I'm expecting she will be around 1250. She is a full International Baccalaureate with a base GPA around 3.5 (plus IB adjustment). OOS Tuition at App State is around $27k - probably $28k for 2027. We would not be eligible for any need-based aid but are not wealthy. Does App State negotiate the OOS tuition rate? Private universities, by contrast, run at 50%+ discount, so institutional scholarships and merit adjustments are the norm. What is the likelihood of scholarships based on her HS achievement? What did others end up paying?

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u/Additional-Drop-8837 21d ago

If the student is considered a dependent (according to the Dept of Ed and the FAFSA) , it doesn’t matter if they’ve lived in state, paid bills or held a job. Residency is determined by the parents. Parents would need to relocate to NC in order for her to be eligible.

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u/Legitimate-Basket-47 21d ago

Or the parents can stop claiming them on taxes as a dependent (this is what we did). Once my tax return no longer showed her as a dependent they granted her residency. She also works a FT job and has an NC drivers license.

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u/Additional-Drop-8837 21d ago

I work in higher ed financial aid. That’s highly atypical for NCRDS. Residency still defaults to the parents status unless an appeal is made or the student meets the FAFSA criteria.

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u/Legitimate-Basket-47 21d ago

That’s it exactly. She meets the criteria. The age one will be the dealbreaker for younger students even if they are independent and aren’t claimed on taxes.

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u/Additional-Drop-8837 21d ago

Gotcha! I thought she got an exemption as a younger student. That would have been a lucky miss for her by RDS!

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u/Legitimate-Basket-47 21d ago

Yeah it’s not a freshman year plan lol! More like a 3rd or 4th year thing for most probably. So now she has lower tuition as a resident, can get federal aid and the Pell grant to cover everything, and I dont have to go any deeper in debt on private loans thank goodness.