<p>both of my parents are not in the picture, and I filed as independent. USC accepted my claim as independent, and since I don't work and have no parents, my EFC will be zero. I am also estimating my USC-estimated need will be zero as well. If this is the case, can I expect my entire tuition to be covered by grants and scholarships?</p>
<p>No. If you are planning to dorm, expect a lot in loans. If you find money to be an issue. I suggest choosing a UC instead. My EFC of 0 and homeless situation still required that I take out 11k in loans for USC (this seems to be the best they can offer to students from poverty even after much haggling), but UCLA, UC Berkeley, and UCSB pretty much paid for the whole thing (with the exception of books and health insurance). Only attending USC now because I love the campus and career opportunities and a scholarship that pays 10k out of the 11k I require. If it werent for that, I would have definitely chose one of the UC’s. USC does not seem to fare well for impoverished individuals</p>
<p>It’s a private university after all with a price tag of 60k a year.</p>
<p>I think you can expect significant grants, but there is always a self-help portion that will include a summer earnings expectation of about $3,000 (you are expected to work full-time over the summer and put 100% of your earnings toward your college expenses), work/study during the school year of about $3,000, and Stafford loans. The Stafford limits are higher for independent students, so as a sophomore transfer you can expect $10,500 in Stafford loans (for junior and senior years it will be $12,500 each). [Undergraduate</a> Stafford Loan < Information | StaffordLoan.com](<a href=“What is a Subsidized Student Loan? | Edvisors”>What is a Subsidized Student Loan? | Edvisors)</p>
<p>So your self-help portion will be about $16,500. That would suggest grants/scholarships in the range of about $45,000. However…</p>
<p>The part that worries me is that you mention that you don’t work - did USC request a budget form asking you to show how your bills are paid? When a student is independent and shows an income that is not sufficient to pay their expenses, USC generally requests a budget form that shows how you pay the bills. An assumption is generally made that whatever funds you received to meet expenses in the past will be available to you while in school.</p>
<p>What you can do:</p>
<p>-If you get a great package with ~$45,000 in grants, enjoy!
-If your package is less than you can afford, be sure to appeal - the worst they can do is say no. If applicable, provide documentation of why funds available to you to pay bills in the past are not available while you are in school.
-If you work during the summer* but must use the funds to support yourself over the summer, be sure to document that and ask for more grants.</p>
<p>*Please note that the summer earnings expectation remains even if you choose not to work over the summer! The only way out of it would be to WORK and have to spend the money to support yourself.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>A note in response to takmuieo’s post:</p>
<p>Something I often repeat when talking about financial aid is the purpose of financial aid. Financial aid is NOT meant to make college “affordable.” It is not meant to make paying for college “easy,” or to allow you to keep earmarked funds for other purposes. Financial aid is meant to make college, with significant scrimping, saving and sacrifice, just barely possible.</p>
<p>It seems that, since takmuieo is able to attend USC, that USC’s financial aid offer made college, with significant scrimping, saving and sacrifice, just barely possible for takmuieo.</p>
<p>This is not meant to make light of or discount the financial struggle takmuieo and others have chosen or to say that he/she is wrong, I just see SO many posts where the poster states that USC’s financial aid isn’t enough, yet they are able to attend. The fact that they are able to attend means that with significant scrimping, saving and sacrifice, college was just barely possible and USC provided just barely enough. That is the purpose of financial aid.</p>
<p>I already understand that alamemom. I am just answering the poster’s question. If he has lived through the same circumstances as I have, then I understand him well enough to know that loans are something he does not want to take. </p>
<p>Also, I do not get why you think USC made it “barely possible” for me to attend. I don’t find a 10k loan x 4 years “barely possible” for me. The only ones who think with that mindset are the ones causing the student debt crisis right now because they find graduating with 40k debt is a justification for “barely” attending college. Steer away, and pick the most practical option.</p>
<p>Not to highjack the OP’s thread but I agree with you takmuieo. I don’t who decided it’s important that college be “just barely possible,” or when that gatekeeper mindset took hold. It wasn’t always this way.</p>
<p>takmuieo, the reason I think that it is possible for you to attend USC is because you stated that you are attending USC. Is that incorrect? I must have misread your post.</p>
<p>I agree with you, takmuieo, students should avoid loans and I consistently advise applicants making that decision to take the option that results in a lower debt. Applicants (and their parents) typically respond as you have, that USC offers them something the lower-cost public university does not and they choose the higher cost opportunity. That is not a position with which I agree - I feel strongly that our California public university systems (23 CSUs, 9 undergraduate UCs and over 100 CCCs) offer an excellent education and if they are more affordable those are the options that should be chosen by applicants at all income levels. </p>
<p>Again, financial aid isn’t meant to make attending college easy or affordable. Financial aid is other people’s money. In the case of federal aid and state aid it is taxpayer money, and in the case of institutional grants it is alumni donor money.</p>
<p>^agreed … also my efc was 0 and I am a transfer student … I do not want to take out any loans and my package turned out to be 47 grand a year which covers tuitions and books … but then I live in cali so … my coa isn’t 60,000 … its more like 44k for tuition and rest for books … and alamemom is right … usc considers efc to be 3000 no matter what …</p>
<p>alamemom, you are missing the part where I have a scholarship that pays for the most of the loans. If I did not have that, then financial aid at USC would not even make it “barely possible” for me to attend. I would have just chosen UC Berkeley or UCSB since their financial covered almost everything for me as opposed to USC. I always tell my friends how its not true that private universities give more money. Yea, they do, but their COA is ridiculous that it does not even make a difference.</p>
<p>^^ that is because you are choosing not to take loans. IMHO, it is not ridiculous to expect students/parents to take on some of the burden of their education, especially if it is a private, not state subsidized education-- there are real costs involved in educating each student.</p>
<p>And by this, I mean summer earnings, work study, and loans.</p>
<p>takmuieo, I understand what you are saying and yes, I noted that you have a scholarship, which USC allowed you to apply to your need-based loans rather than reducing your grant (as many other schools would have).</p>
<p>What I am saying is that even WITH that scholarship, you would not be able to attend USC without the financial aid calculated for you by USC. So the things that made it possible for you to attend USC are, first and foremost, YOUR accomplished academic record which garnered you admission and a wonderful outside scholarship and second, the financial aid which (combined with your scholarship) allow you to attend an expensive private university rather than an affordable (and excellent btw) state school.</p>
<p>It is important to note that USC could, if it chose to do so, fill its freshman and transfer class with highly qualified full-pay students. Instead USC chooses to be need-blind in admissions and to provide financial aid to those it accepts and who qualify based on the information in the CSS/Profile. Nowhere does USC guarantee to provide an education for the same cost as your local state school - they state clearly that they will consider assets the FAFSA does not. Whether the aid provided will be enough for a particular student or family will vary based on each family’s circumstance, preparedness for college expenses, and debt tolerance.</p>
<p>Again I will state, unapologetically, that the fact that you are attending USC is indeed evidence that the aid provided (combined of course with your wonderful scholarship) has made it possible for you to attend an expensive, private university that would not have been within reach with only a (wonderful) $10,000 scholarship and no other aid. You would have been $52,000 short.</p>
<p>alamemom, I already understand your points, but my argument here is the comparison of private universities and public universities. Sure, you make very good points when only talking about private universities, but I am comparing two different scenarios and options. The scholarship made the university affordable, not USC. That is an obvious point to me seeing as how the state schools didn’t require a scholarship for me to attend.</p>
<p>And also, camomof3, I don’t know how you expect a homeless individual like me to shoulder the costs of a private university when I clearly have a better situation at the UC’s instead.</p>
<p>@takmuieo … bro you say that now but when budget cut hits an all time high you’ll be wishing you went to USC during your 5th year or 3rd year as a transfer …</p>
<p>I don’t believe there is a reason for me to be a 5th year. It is such a petty argument used by private universities when comparing themselves to state schools.</p>
<p>4-Year graduation rate for USC: 73%
4-Year graduation rate for UCLA: 71%
4-Year graduation rate for UC Berkeley: 71%</p>
<p>So yea, bro, I don’t think my friends at the state schools have to worry about graduating the same time as I do. </p>
<p>It is already set in stone that the CalGrant changes along with tuition prices. The Pell Grant has been rising steadily as well to account for changes, so your argument falls short. Unless I somehow strike gold and do not qualify for financial aid, there would have been no reason to transfer out of the UC’s or regret my decision if I had to choose them over USC.</p>
<p>@ the problem with cal grant in only supports 4 years so if you graduate in 4 that’s more power too ya</p>
<p>^ budget cuts are still being made soo the future is not always so predictable … im just saying. Even if its a private school defense, its a solid one</p>
<p>
So you are saying that with a $10,000 scholarship and no other aid, USC’s $62,000 cost of attendance would have been possible for you? The obvious answer is no. </p>
<p>
You have stated that you are attending USC. Have you misspoken this entire time??? Are you currently attending a UC??? If you ARE attending USC, it is clear that USC has provided sufficient aid to make that possible. Again, a $10,000 scholarship is a drop in the bucket in terms of the $62,000 cost of attendance at USC and without the aid USC has provided you (as a USC donor, I am now appalled that you have been given USC grants…) an expensive private university would not be possible for you…</p>
<p>Your posts make no sense whatsoever.</p>
<p>Then you have obviously not have followed my points. I attend USC, but I am comparing these two options for the poster, not you or your hypothetical situations. We both agree that financial aid at USC made it possible for me to attend, but I am comparing this situation as if I had the option to both scenarios. In that case, then it is obvious which answer is clearer. Just note that I said NO LOANS as my criteria, so if you follow that criteria, then my posts make very much sense to anyone as that USC is not affordable while the state schools are in that perspective.</p>
<p>And just saying Transfer2OI3, the Calgrant is a 4-year agreement. Nothing can be changed about that, so it would not have mattered for me anyways. I am happy attending USC, but just saying the “private university” status is over-glorified these days.</p>
<p>takmuieo, I have unfortunately followed your “points” on this thread and continue to be appalled that any of my small contributions to USC might have been granted to you. Your points appear to be that you have a huge sense of entitlement, a complete lack of gratitude, and you have encouraged the OP to attend a UC. Had you researched the OP’s previous posts, you would be aware that the OP is not a California resident and would pay over $55,000 for a UC. The OP is not eligible for the Cal Grant nor for the tuition discount afforded to California residents. While financial aid is available to OOS at the UCs, they expressly state that there will be no financial aid coverage for the OOS portion ($23,000) of the tuition.</p>
<p>As to you addressing the OPs question, you did not. The OPs question was,
The answer to that is “Yes, your grant is likely to be in the $45,000 range” which would cover the tuition of $44,000 as I stated in post #3.</p>