Is this a normal thing? I’m not going to that good of a school and these numbers seem absurd to me. Also, when I applied for financial aid the only thing I got was 5,500 in subsidized and unsubsidized loans. So I didn’t get any free money I just got some more loans that I have to pay back… Am I missing something?? Thanks
If you graduate in four years, that is over twice as much as what the average student with debt borrows (the average student borrows up to the federal direct loan maximum – which is approximately $30,000 in total over four years).
You’re not missing anything; this school just isn’t affordable for you. They didn’t provide you enough aid to attend practically. It’s likely that those excess loans over $5,500 are Parent PLUS loans, which you are not even able to take out on your own.
My mother was saying something about if I do really well my first year they would drop the tuition and I could get scholarships… Do some colleges do this or is it just a myth?
Your mom is WRONG. Schools do not “drop the tuition” if you do really well.
And rarely do schools give merit scholarships to current students. When they are given, they’re usually one time SMALL awards …and they’re rare.
This is NOT an affordable school. Go to a CC.
That is an insane amount to borrow.
Where are you going to college???
NO school is worth that much debt…and NO, it is NOT normal. Typically kids borrow about $5k per year.
You’ve been getting BAD advice.
In another thread you said that you really wanted to take a year off of college…did you?
Are you a FL resident? Do you qualify for Bright Futures?
I think someone’s been yanking your chain. The best time to find an affordable school is before you enroll. It’s rarely possible for a school to become affordable after you’re already a student there if it wasn’t before. I think your best bet is to figure out how much you can pay, add the Stafford loan to it, and use that as your “price range”. There are affordable schools out there but it’s best to start searching for them as soon as possible (honestly, May is a little late…)
Do you have other college acceptances? If you want and feel comfortable doing so, you can post your other acceptances and awards here to get some more advice.
Assuming this is FGCU you could save $6K by living at home. http://www.fgcu.edu/FinancialAid/Undergraduate/cost-of-attendance.html Then you get a job during the summer and during school. Then see how much your parents can contribute. Does Bright Futures only apply if you get into college right out of HS?
You have to apply for Bright Futures before you graduate from high school, and under most circumstances start using it within two years. Exceptions are military service or missionary trips.
Bright Futures is not a slam dunk anymore. The ACT required has gone from 22 to 26, and there are service hour requirements and foreign language requirements. I think the number of kids receiving it now have dropped 50%.
My daughter’s college said they didn’t receive her final transcript from high school so put a hold on her registration. I frantically called the high school and they resent it. Turns out it was not the high school’s fault, it was that the college didn’t put the final transcript into her file. Twice. You have to follow up on things. I’m sure if the school admitted you and all that is needed is the hs transcript, they will still admit you.
<<<
My mother was saying something about if I do really well my first year they would drop the tuition and I could get scholarships…
[QUOTE=""]
[/QUOTE]
Adults should really look into the facts before diving into big debt. Some adults just use “wishful thinking” to come to conclusions, and then their “advice” leads to costly errors. Then their excuse? “Oh, I thought that you’d get scholarships,” or “Your 3.99 needed to be a 4.0.” :rolleyes:
I hope you’re not already in college. I hope that you’re talking about next fall, so you can get off this road of massive debt.
I don’t think 20,000 dollars is absurd. In Florida, all public universities are set at about the same tuition of about $6,000. Room and board are pretty much the same at around $10,000. With books and living expenses, $15,000 to $20,000 is the average cost of attending Florida public colleges. I don’t know if that’s is more expensive than the rest of the country, but that is the cost down here.
I agree that one shouldn’t borrow the entire cost of attending. I agree with @“Erin’s Dad” about working during the summer and living at home if you can. Maybe work study would be something to consider as well. There are scholarships available throughout the college years in different majors. I know there are yearly scholarship available to STEM majors that are based on GPA. I believe Journalism is another major with scholarship opportunities. I’m sure other majors offer scholarships as well, competitive as they may be. Amounts can range from 1,000 to 5000 dollars but every little bit help.
I understand the sticker shock of college, but this is doable. You may even want to consider a gap year to earn the first year tuition. We have a prepaid plan for college tuition. In hindsight, wish we had invested in the room and board plan as well. Son will be working to help pay for that. My best wishes for you.