If you're in the hunt for merit scholarships, be sure to stay on top of explicit deadlines a school on your list might have.

In some cases, like Boston University and the University of Richmond, it's a hard deadline that you have to meet in order for you to be considered at all.  In others, like Indiana University and many other public institutions, it's a "priority" deadline that maximizes your chances of merit aid before the money runs out.  Either way, merit aid continues to be an excellent way for good students to defray the cost of an education.  

We've compiled a sampling of schools in our coverage universe with explicit deadlines, along with some stats to help you gauge the size and breadth of the institution's merit offerings.  We've also included links to each school's scholarship page for easy access to the details.

Most of these schools automatically consider you for merit scholarships without the need for an additional application.  

College Kickstart subscribers: full listings of 2019-20 explicit merit scholarship deadlines and schools with generous merit aid are already incorporated into the product.

Click on Continue Reading below for the list.

Most schools have completed their updates for the Class of 2024 admission cycle (2019-20), and several of the changes we've observed are worth noting. 

In particular, 16 schools have modified early admission options available to applicants this fall.  Notable changes include the replacement of Early Action for Early Decision I/II at Boston College, the introduction of a new Early Decision I option at Howard University and the University of Virginia, and a new Early Action option at Union College.

If you're considering early admission, be sure to check out our list as it may impact how you decide to apply this fall.   Note to our subscribers: the data has already been incorporated into the product, simply re-run College Kickstart to see how it impacts your plan.

Click on Continue Reading below for the details.

Interested in preparing for one of the most promising and in-demand career paths of our time? Look no further than Data Science!

An up-and-coming field, the term “Data Scientist” was coined as recently as 2008 and ranked the #1 Best Job in America by Glassdoor in 2016, 2017, and 2018. Studying "big data" will teach you how to ask important, real-world questions, collect data, organize information, translate results into solutions, and communicate your findings in ways that will effect positive change.

Using information compiled from U.S. News, Tech Republic, Discover Data Science, and the Data Science Degree Programs Guide, here's a list of schools with strong Data Science programs for undergrads. Some schools have a bit of information after the name indicating that the school only offers a minor, certificate program, concentration, or degree track in Data Science. Additionally, Data Science programs are called different things by different schools, including “Statistics and Data Science,” “Data Analytics,” and “Business Analytics.”

We’ve organized the schools from least to greatest admission rate, and we’ve also provided links to each school’s Data Science program to help you explore.

Click on Continue Reading for the list.

Trying to understand how important demonstrated interest is for a college/university you're considering?  Then check out our list of institutions where demonstrated interest is deemed important or very important.  

To compile the list, we've identified every school in our coverage universe where the Common Data Set entry for "level of applicant's interest" is reported as important or very important.  Note that the Common Data set defines four options—very important, important, considered and not considered—and that inconsistencies are likely to exist in the way colleges define these terms.  For example, many of you wonder why Tulane isn't listed, and that's because they've indicated that level of applicant interest is only "considered."

Nevertheless, the list remains a great way to get a better sense for where visiting a campus, taking advantage of an optional interview or completing an optional essay prompt may more strongly weigh on your candidacy for admission. 

Click on Continue Reading for the list. 

If you're in the hunt for merit scholarships, be sure to stay on top of explicit deadlines a school on your list might have.

In some cases, like Boston University and the University of Richmond, it's a hard deadline that you have to meet in order for you to be considered at all.  In others, like Indiana University and many other public institutions, it's a "priority" deadline that maximizes your chances of merit aid before the money runs out.  Either way, merit aid continues to be an excellent way for good students to defray the cost of an education.  

We've compiled a list of selected schools in our coverage universe with explicit deadlines, along with some stats to help you gauge the size and breadth of the institution's merit offerings.  We've also included links to each school's scholarship page for easy access to the details.

Most of these schools automatically consider you for merit scholarships without the need for an additional application.  

Click on Continue Reading below for the list.

If you're in the hunt for merit scholarships, be sure to stay on top of explicit deadlines a school on your list might have.

In some cases, like Boston University and the University of Richmond, it's a hard deadline that you have to meet in order for you to be considered at all.  In others, like Indiana University and many other public institutions, it's a "priority" deadline that maximizes your chances of merit aid before the money runs out.  Either way, merit aid continues to be an excellent way for good students to defray the cost of an education.  

We've compiled a list of selected schools in our coverage universe with explicit deadlines, along with some stats to help you gauge the size and breadth of the institution's merit offerings.  We've also included links to each school's scholarship page for easy access to the details.

Most of these schools automatically consider you for merit scholarships without the need for an additional application.  

Click on Continue Reading below for the list.

In search of schools with generous merit scholarship programs?

Look no further.  

Here we've compiled a list of competitive 4-year institutions that offer merit aid to 20% or more of undergraduates.  Merit awards are typically not based on financial need but rather on academic performance and other qualities deemed desirable by the institution.  As such, they can make college more affordable for academically gifted students—especially those that are unlikely to qualify for need-based financial aid. 

Most of these schools automatically consider you for merit scholarships when you submit your application.