<p>I know that I'm going to get the pell grant and other federal grants, but I'm talking private schools. In your experience, did your universities offer need-based grants and scholarships? If so, how much?
I'm an average student ~3.6/3.7 UW
Most people who post their financial aid packages seem either affluent or have high stats. Any other "average students"?</p>
<p>You can’t really compare that way. Some privates give EFC 0 students more money because the students have high stats and/or the school has a big endowment.</p>
<p>Some privates give EFC 0 students little money because the school has no money to give.</p>
<p>What schools did you apply to?</p>
<p>At most private Liberal arts colleges a 3.6 0or 3.7 and around a 2000 SAT score will put you in the running for a good aid package. A good package at 0 efc is first year loans of 5500 and work study under 2,000, assuming they meet your 0 efc. The top liberal arts colleges and the no loan liberal arts schools will do even better and you could possibly end up with just the work study. You need to focus on the need based schools, especially the ones that promise to meet 100% need. But you need to maintain the grades, visit and do well on the SAT.
Here’s a chart for many of the schools with the best aid for low income students
[Project</a> on Student Debt: What’s the Bottom Line?](<a href=“http://www.projectonstudentdebt.org/ncoa_chart.php]Project”>http://www.projectonstudentdebt.org/ncoa_chart.php)</p>
<p>Ugh… I have a 0 EFC and mine have horrible. Trust me, zero EFO does NOT mean that you have a free ride to college. It just means you’ll have a lot of loans to pay back after you get out.</p>
<p>^^^^ The max federal student loans (not including perkins) will add up to:</p>
<p>5,500 + 6,500 + 7,500x2 = $27,000 in loans</p>
<p>Minimum.</p>
<p>Im still waiting on financial aid packages though I recieved one from the University of Iowa and it was the best aid I could ask for. Im an out of state student from Michigan with a efc of 0 and its likely I may be attending the school next year, hearing about other students financial aid from schools I assume my other schools will not be as affordable. Iowa is likely to be cheaper than my own in state schools.</p>
<p>I’ve only gotten one letter back so far but the one I did get was from Michigan-Ann Arbor. I got an EFC of 0 and am OOS. I can’t remember exact percentages but something like 82% of the 50k COA for an OOS was covered. And of that 82%, $8k of which was in loans. So in the end, $8k loans + $8k gap = 16k A FREAKIN YEAR in out of pocket costs. By graduation, 64k in the hole.</p>
<p>Needless to say, I won’t be going to Michigan. It was one of my top choices but I’ll take a lower ranked in-state school over that anyday.</p>
<p>I completely understand that. But when you have huge gaps in aid packages from colleges, the money has to come from somewhere, even if it’s private loans. My point is pick a number of schools that you can afford. Don’t expect a $40,000+ college to pay for everything unless they meet 100% need and you have amazing stats. </p>
<p>I unfortunately was sucked into a college that assured me that they would help me in anyway possible with financial aid. </p>
<p>Not the case.</p>
<p>This was my “dream school.” But instead, when I called to see if they could give me anything other than $10,000 dollars in loans, they basically told me they couldn’t help.</p>
<p>I was disappointed, but I should’ve known better. Just don’t make the same mistake I did.</p>
<p>"At most private Liberal arts colleges a 3.6 0or 3.7 and around a 2000 SAT score will put you in the running for a good aid package. "</p>
<p>Not true. Most private liberal arts colleges don’t have the funds to give excellent aid to people with EFCs of 0. In fact, most colleges in this country don’t have the resources to give excellent aid to people with EFCs of 0.</p>
<p>“I’ve only gotten one letter back so far but the one I did get was from Michigan-Ann Arbor. I got an EFC of 0 and am OOS.”</p>
<p>Only UVA and UNC guarantee to meet the full demonstrated need of all students. Most public universities can’t even meet the full need of their in-state applicants. They have even less $ to give to OOS applicants.</p>
<p>At most private Liberal arts colleges a 3.6 0or 3.7 and around a 2000 SAT score will put you in the running for a good aid package.</p>
<p>So not true!! “Most” do not have the funds/endowments to give generous aid packages. Don’t think because some popular CC LACs give good aid that “most” also do. Most don’t/can’t.</p>
<p>I’ll rephrase, if you can get that SAT score over 2000 you’ll have a lot of options.
Unfortunately as an average student or actually pretty good student you won’t get into the need based liberal arts colleges and will get a gapped package from those schools that will accept you. You’re probably looking at around $6,000 a year in fed loans and a gap of anywhere from 5 to 10 grand for your parents to pick up. As for EFC 0, it doesn’t make much difference to the school whether your EFC is 0 or 1500, although family income at 1500 EFC is much higher, usually around $40,000 a year. An EFC of 0 might actually be better for the school than someone who has a family income of $50,000 and not eligible for Pell or SEOG funds. A “heavy need” student for many schools is anyone with an income under 50 or 60 thousand. So there is nothing special about a 0 EFC from the schools point of view, you’re just another heavy need student.</p>
<p>^^</p>
<p>I agree that someone with an SAT 2000+ can have more options IF they applied to schools that have aid to give. Many schools don’t have much aid to give regardless of your stats.</p>
<p>I don’t know if the op is applying to colleges or waiting to get a package back but here’s a helpful list from Kiplingers
[Personal</a> Finance Tools and Calculators – Kiplinger’s Sortable Rankings of Private College Values - Kiplinger](<a href=“Kiplinger | Personal Finance News, Investing Advice, Business Forecasts”>Kiplinger | Personal Finance News, Investing Advice, Business Forecasts)=ALL</p>
<p>Mostly private liberal arts colleges with excellent retention rates and substantial finaid, unfortunately for the above average student.</p>
<p>The reality is…kids with 0 EFCs or other low EFCs need a strategy…it doesn’t work for them to just pick schools without consideration of what kind of aid do they give for their stats.</p>
<p>The op is asking about private school packages for “average” students with 0 EFC.
I don’t have an available package for this year but unfortunately for an average low income student there are very few opportunities at the privates that don’t involve high loans and gapping. Unless you have something to offer beyond “average” there’s probably no strategy that will result in a “good” financial aid package. Average low income apps go to the local state college or community college.</p>
<p>^^^</p>
<p>Very true… a low EFC or 0 EFC student with avg stats will probably get the most affordable situation with their state school for a variety of reasons…in-state rates, fed help, and perhaps some state help…as in the case of Calif, NY, and some other states.</p>
<p>Um…my SATs are 2130 in one setting. Rank is Top ~10%.
Parents are willing to pay 10k out of pocket per year even though we are poor.
I am also willing to loan 10k a year.
I was hoping for a private school to give me some need-based grants?</p>
<p>It’s just that I would really like to not go to bunkerhill community college or UMASS.
My gpa has fallen because I sadly overloaded myself with AP’s senior year. </p>
<p>I didn’t know that some schools gave that much more need-based $ than others (other than the ivy leagues). BU didn’t give me anything at all except federal aid. Syracuse kept saying they didn’t receive some document even though I sent it 3 times (is it too late to get good finaid?). I got into NYU cas also, but not much hope for finaid there lol.</p>
<p>sorry to hear about your situation, but I see on an earlier thread that you applied to Richmond - they usually give good aid. How did that go?</p>
<p>Waitlisted
My mom probably should’ve written the optional personal letter. oh well</p>
<p>Do transfer students get the same type of aid?</p>