<p>For all the OOS people, what are you doing to front the ~50k cost of attendance?
Obviously there is limited financial aid from UofM and potentially some money from the Pell grant, but the cost otherwise is totally overwhelming. What is your plan?</p>
<p>If you are not from a family that can easily fund it, the answer is to take massive loans. It is why many people that are accepted ultimately find out that they cannot attend.</p>
<p>Did you get any need-based FA from FAFSA? For me, I received an 10k/yr scholarship, a huge grant from outside that covers much, work-study, and will probably have to take a few thousand in loans. </p>
<p>FAFSA-based grants would cover roughly 40% of tuition for me, and the remaining 30k is still almost more than my mom’s income.
I see what sundaypunch is saying. </p>
<p>New to the board but been reading a lot and I’m in the same boat. FAFSA yielded nothing but loans and UM is stingy with merit aid.</p>
<p>Same exact position as you guys. Literally got $3000 grant and some small federal loans that’s it. Looking more and more like UMich is only for the rich</p>
<p>When you are evaluating your choices, keep in mind that some schools (we asked about LSA specifically) have many more merit scholarships available to upperclassmen than to freshmen. So there is hope of getting a scholarship for subsequent years.</p>
<p>^i would absolutely NOT assume this. You should truly only consider Umich if its financially viable for your family. That is true of all schools, but especially true talking about Umch OOS. That’s because IME your aid package is not likely to vary dramatically from the freshman offer, AND because I’ve seen a number of kids have to transfer out because the finances were unsustainable by their families.</p>
<p>It’s a great school, and my son loved it, but nothing is worth insurmountable family burden. Four years is a short time to find oneself shackled by debt for a lifetime. Come back to Umch as a grad student and let them pay you to be there :)</p>
<p>I second kmcmom’s advice. Only go to a university (any university) if you have a financial aid/scholarship plan that is manageable. It is imperative to graduate with as little debt as possible. </p>
<p>“Same exact position as you guys. Literally got $3000 grant and some small federal loans that’s it. Looking more and more like UMich is only for the rich.”</p>
<p>Unfortunately SupremeStudent, that is definitely the case for most OOS students and virtually all international students at Michigan. The University is working to build a large endowment dedicated to aiding students, but it will take years to take effect.</p>
<p>In my experience most state flagship universities are brutal to oos applicants especially the top 5 and UMich is definitely in the top 5. It changes the dynamic when a top 20 private is more affordable then state flagships with a 12,000 merit for oos applicants. </p>