Advising HALI

Students
College Possible Washington
Disclaimer
HALI stands for “high-achieving low-income.” I want to recognize
that this definition is measured by dominant culture, which fails to
recognize the many different ways that success and achievement can
manifest. That being said, students who do well on measures like the
SAT, ACT, GPA and class ranking will have different affordable college
options, so it is still important to get acquainted with the unique options
this population has.
 What are the HALI markers?

a student • a 3.5 GPA or above

would meet • a 27 or greater on the ACT
most of the • a 1260 or greater on the SAT
following • being in the top 15% of their class
in ranking
criteria:
If your student can be designated as
HALI, they are competitive for more
selective colleges. Selective colleges how does
tend to have larger endowments and
have more money to meet students’
this change a
financial need. This means, they could student’s
potentially have a better financial fit at a
selective private school than at their college
local institution.
options?
Scholarship Options
• QuestBridge: a full-ride matching
scholarship. Finalists will rank colleges they
are interested in. It is Early Decision, binding.
If a student is not matched, they can use their
QB app to apply to any QB school for free.
Due September 29.

• Jack Kent Cooke: $40,000 a year. Due

October 30.

• Gates Scholarship: A “last dollar”

scholarship to cover any gap. Open to students
of color. Deadline is September 15.
 Building a Balanced
List—HALI Edition
• Aim for a list with 7-10 schools
• Have both public and private options
• Have both in-state and out-of-state options
• Look for schools that have a greater than 60%
retention rate
• Look for schools with a high percentage of need
met
• “Likely”, “Match” and “Reach” will be determined
by how the students’ scores line up with the
institution at hand
• Note: Highly selective schools (Harvard,
Stanford, Yale, UChicago) will always be a
“Reach”, even if your student has perfect scores

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

Myth: Private schools are too expensive.

Fact: Private schools often have a high price tag, but depending on the
school, may offer significant amounts of scholarship money that make
the actual cost very affordable for low-income students.
Myth: Small liberal arts schools are bad for STEM majors.

Fact: It may actually be easier for a student to get research experience

at a small liberal arts school. They won’t have the same options as a big,
research university, but they won’t be competing against grad students
and it’s easier to build relationships with professors.
Myth: The CSS Profile is a pain in the a$$ and not worth it.

Fact: The CSS Profile is a financial aid document much like FAFSA,
but in more detail. It IS a pain in the a$$ for students to fill out, but it’s
very worth it. Requiring the CSS Profile is a sign that the college has a
lot of scholarship money to disburse and it needs to verify that it is
going to students who need it.
how to use
the Big
Future
search
engine on
the College
Board
website
Case Study (you try
building a list!)

Carlos is a College Possible student in

Washington. He scored a 33 on his ACT
and has a 3.9 GPA. Carlos would like to go
to a small- or medium- sized school where
he can pursue a degree in chemistry. Carlos
hates warm weather and would love to go
somewhere far away. He likes quirky,
passionate people and is not so interested in
sports or Greek life. What schools would
you recommend he check out?
A potential list:
Likely (2ish schools):
• University of Washington-Seattle
• Beloit College

Match (3-6 schools):

• Carleton College
• Grinnell College
• Reed College
• Franklin & Marshall College
• Tufts University (match-reach)

Reach (2ish schools):

• Johns Hopkins University
• University of Chicago

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

Breakdown—how I chose Grinnell
 Be sure to talk about fit!

Many selective schools are PWIs—how does your

student feel about this culture?

Final Tips Price tag does not equal actual cost

Have students look at fly-in programs when considering

selective schools that are far away

Reach out to the CollegePoint team at PDX or NAT for

more help/resources
Thank you!