<p>I just received my fin. aid package. This was my preliminary award:
$15258 inn grants, and around $9000 in loans. My original EFC was around 1518.</p>
<p>And since UCI manually corrected the FAFSA, and my EFC rose to $2440, my new package consisted of around $1428 in grants, around $9500 in loans.. but now they got rid of my UCI loan, and added a whole mess of unsub loans instead.</p>
<p>Should I take unsub loans? I don't know if we'll be able to afford not taking loans.</p>
<p>If the total cost is less next year if I'll be commuting, does that mean they diminish the grant aid, or do they keep the same proportion of grant:loan for total costs?</p>
<p>Can you double check those numbers. The change in grants doesn’t make sense between the two numbers. Also, what is the COA of the school, and what types of loans were you awarded?</p>
<p>whoops, I meant 14258 in grants. COA is $24,849.</p>
<p>$1151 federal direct PLUS
$2440 federal direct PLUS optional
$3500 fed. subsidized
$2000 fed. unsub
and $1500 workstudy</p>
<p>so basically, -$1000 in grants, more unsub loan amt, and more fed. direct PLUS loans.</p>
<p>Taking an unsubsidized federal stafford loan is better than taking out a private loan, so if you cannot afford to pay the remaining cost otherwise I would take the unsub loan. An unsub loan is not the end of the world. Variable interest rate private loans have the potential to be.</p>