<p>When kids use the word “all,” I take that with a grain of salt. LOL When kids see a few kids doing something, all of the sudden “all” are doing it.</p>
<p>A good guide is to ask the college financial aid office what the full COA (cost of attendance) is for the college. That is the amount that a person can borrow or get from the government if they have full need. The PLUS loan limit that year for that school is another way to phrase it. </p>
<p>If your scholarship includes room, board, tuition, and whatever, subtract those things from the COA. That is what the school considers the average additional amount a student needs for the year. Because it is an average, you may want to adjust it for your own needs. Are you in a sport? Do you eat/snack a lot? Do you have outside needs? Does your major need more books, supplies, stuff than others? You try to adjust for those things.</p>
<p>My one son was a NCAA athlete which meant a lot of his meals, and other things were covered by the school. He did not need the full meal plan, nor did he need snacking money, as food was not a concern for him. He was well fed. His laundry was also done for him. My other was in theater, and though he didn’t need as many expensive books as kids in a lot of majors, he did have expenses in terms of going to shows, dance shoes and clothing. Current kid is in a club sport which means they pay for a lot of the cost of the sport and the food they eat on the road, so that has to be included in his discretionary cost. Plus he needs to take two flights to get to college and back which means that the transportation costs are higher than average.</p>