<p>I am currently a minister at my church and spend about 40 hours a week at the church, nights and weekends. I want to go to college M-F during the day, but what I make at the church won't cover my expenses for living. So, I am wondering if it's possible to get enough scholarships to live off of. I only need about 15K a year to live. I have gone to school previously for a semester and my GPA was 4.0. I'm also a female and do a lot of work in and for the community as a minister. So, I'm thinking I should be eligible for scholarships. I just want some info from people who have gone the route of scholarships to live off of. </p>
<p>Also, the school I want to go to is in-state and is about $215 per credit. So it’s about $6500/year. </p>
<p>So total I would need about $21,500/year, let’s say $25,000 to be safe to cover books and fees and misc personal expenses. </p>
<p>I would consider taking out student loans and I have good credit (about 725), but I do not want to be $100,000 in debt after getting my degree. </p>
<p>It sounds like you are planning to attend an instate public college and live off campus. </p>
<p>Here is my opinion…you will not likely get $21,000 in financial aid. If you will be completing your first year of college…you will be eligible for a $5500 Direct Loan. If second year, $6500.</p>
<p>You will be applying as a transfer student because you tortuously attended college. Most colleges don’t give particularly good institutional aid to transfer students.</p>
<p>It is quite possible that your Direct Loan will cover most, if not all, of your tuition costs. Why wouldn’t you be able to get a part time job to cover the living expenses.</p>
<p>How old are you? </p>
<p>Run your numbers through an EFC estimator and find out what your EFC is. Run your numbers through the NPC for the school to get some idea what that college gives in terms of financial aid. Also look up your school on the <a href=“http://www.collegedata.com”>www.collegedata.com</a> to find out what kind of financial aid and merit money they tend to give out. Look in the Money Matters area of that site for your particular school. Here is the page for some random college: <a href=“http://www.collegedata.com/cs/data/college/college_pg03_tmpl.jhtml?schoolId=3050”>http://www.collegedata.com/cs/data/college/college_pg03_tmpl.jhtml?schoolId=3050</a></p>
<p>However, bear in mind what others have said about being a transfer student. You should research what your school does offer for transfers, and also for non traditional students which is what I am assuming you are, an independent (over 24) student. Unless the school itself has some such money, or you find some outside source–do pour over what’s out there for transfers on FAst web, church info, community info for scholarships, or you state offers up such money, the pickings are rather slim for transfer students. Most adults who go back to school do it little at a time, working and taking courses as they can afford them. That’s because there really isn’t a lot of aid available. </p>
<p>How are you making ends meet right now? You will be highly likely to take up to $10500 in Direct Loans, I believe as an independent student which will cover your tuition and other school related costs. Living expenses, like room and board, you really can’t expect a school to cover unless you are very, very low income, in which case PELL grants might come into play, but the max amount for a zero EFC is about $5700. </p>
<p>The NPCs are accurate for incoming freshmen. They are NOT accurate for transfer students…unless the NPC specifically asks if you are a transfer student. </p>
<p>CPTE…do we know if this is an independent student?</p>
<p>How old are you? That determines your status for federal aid?</p>
<p>No, Thumper, I am just assuming, though I did ask, since the OP is working as a minister. I am curious as to how she is making ends meet right now. She works 40 hours a week, she says. Is this paid? Is it all volunteer work? Minister can mean a peer minister, youth minister, all kinds of minister. So there is no telling. But the OP has to living somewhere, eating, and meeting basic expenses. She says she needs about $25K to make a go of it with tuition.</p>
<p>First of all, I have a son who lives in Manhattan who has lived on less than $12K a year. That’s room, food, transportation, sundries. So, asking for $20K for living expenses is rather presumptuous, IMO. That’s why I made the remark about not expecting a school and I include school aid funds to pay for ones living expense. Can you imagine the costs to all if everyone was entitled to room, board, supplies, books, discretionary expenses while going to college? Those who qualify for PELL and have inexpensive state options, get school aid, merit money, state funds, might be able to cobble something out of all of that especially with loans, but as a rule, no, someone, student, family has to cover the living expenses. The OP can borrow enough to get tuition covered from DIrect loan entitlements. But yes, she has to come up with living expenses. Highly unlikely to get a college, organization, funds to pay for her to go to college.It very rarely works that way. </p>
<p>First, thanks for all the replies and for the information. I’ve been looking for someplace to just be able to talk and ask questions without having to enroll in a school and I think I have finally found a place. What a relief!</p>
<p>Thumper - </p>
<p>Yes, I plan to attend University of South Florida and live off campus. I did attend college before, but only completed my first semester which was 10 credits. Would that still be considered a transfer student? And do you know if I would still qualify for the freshman scholarships since I have not completed a full year yet? </p>
<p>I do not plan to give up my work as a minister. I have been staff at my church for almost 8 years and have been a minister for the last 4. I am not there for money and as far as pay goes, it is almost volunteer work. I am there nights and weekends, about 40 hours a week. 5-10 M-F and 9-6 Sat/Sun. I expect to spend about 35 hours a week on college once I start and do not see how I could add another job on top of a 75 hour/week schedule. </p>
<p>I am 28 years old. </p>
<p>Cpto - </p>
<p>What’s an EFC estimator?</p>
<p>What is NPC?</p>
<p>I will definitely check out that website and the Money Matters part of the website you said and thanks for the rest of your advice. I am an adult student - 28 years old.</p>
<p>Right now I work as an independent contractor buying and reselling used iPhones. This takes up my time M-F 9-5 and pays my bills. </p>
<p>BrownParent - 28. How does that effect me being eligible for federal aid?</p>
<p>Ok…you are independent for financial aid purposes. So you would get an additional $4000 per year of Direct Loans…so for that first year…$9500, second year $10500. </p>
<p>There is a net price calculator on every college website. You enter your information and it gives you a decent estimate of your potential aid and net cost at that school. Problem is…if you are a transfer student it won’t be accurate. I’m not sure it is accurate for independent students either. </p>
<p>Can you meet your living expenses with the above loans and a part time job?</p>
<p>Thumper - yes, I could, but getting a part time job is not something that I see as possible. I will still be working at the church 40 hours a week and with school being about 35 hours a week I do not see how I could work another job on top of a 75 hour/week schedule. </p>
<p>And also, what’s OP mean?</p>
<p>You might be considered a transfer student, you might not. You need to find out what USF classifies you as. Pop over to the admissions office, and chat with them.</p>
<p>Full-time work and full-time studying is almost impossible. Consider keeping your full-time job and studying part-time. It will take longer to finish your degree, but you should be able to pay-as-you-go out of current income if you limit the number of classes each term to what you can pay for with the second job you find that helps cover your bills.</p>
<p>Speak with the higher-ups in your denomination. Sometimes they have scholarship money for their staffers.</p>
<p>
OP means original poster or original post. You are the OP on this thread.</p>
<p>NPC is net price calculator and EFC is expected family contribution.</p>
<p>Thanks a lot for clearing those up for me. </p>
<p>You need to talk to the Admissions Office at USF as to what constitutes a transfer student. It can differ from school to school. You should ask about how you will be considered for financial aid purposes due to your prior credits, and yes, your age, as you are a non traditional student. </p>
<p>Go to <a href=“http://www.commondata.com”>www.commondata.com</a> and look at the Money Matters for your college and you will see what % of the students at USF get financial and merit aid. You can click on the NPC for them on that site as well.</p>
<p>But you also need to know how much need you have by federal/college standards, so you look up the FAFSA EFC estimator and run your financial numbers though that. The FAFSA is the application you have to complete for financial aid. It generates what is called the EFC (expected family contribution) which is usually the minimum you have to pay before you are eligible for federal funds. The COA (cost of attendance) of a school minus your EFC is what equals your need as defined by federal methodology. An EFC of about $5600 (?) or so quailifies you to some PELL money. You need a zero EFC to get the max PELL grant of $5700 of a year.</p>
<p>Bottom line, USF does not generally meet full need for its students, so the chances of you getting your full need met is low. Especially when it comes to large amounts of money which is what you are seeking. A lot of those in the statistics getting full need met, by the way, are those who are commuters, who have low need, that can be met by entitlements. My take on this is that your chances of getting $25K a year from FSU is about zilch. </p>
<p>How are making ends meet now? Where are you living? Who’s paying for your expenses like housing, food, transportation, utilities, phone, etc right now? </p>
<p>You look at the admissions pages of the colleges you are interested in and they will define what a transfer student is for them. It looks like you may be a freshman for USF (be sure to call and ask if you initial credits came from them), and so eligible for certain aid and scholarships from the school. No guarantees. You might also look at other colleges. Of course you should apply for any scholarships that you find, that can take a lot of effort, but it is free money if you can find it. Full scholarships to live on are rare.
<a href=“http://usfweb2.usf.edu/admissions/am-I-a-freshman.html”>http://usfweb2.usf.edu/admissions/am-I-a-freshman.html</a></p>
<p>Your age affects if your parent income determines EFC and what level of federal loan you are eligible for.</p>
<p>You do not see how you can work part time, but I do not see how you can afford to go to school not working. Something has to go.</p>
<p>There are ‘meets full need’ colleges, but you will have to check eligibility and be willing to relocate, and frankly you don’t seem flexible at all. Some programs are for students with certain amount of credits like Ada Comstock Scholars at Smith, but some don’t require credits, like RUE at Brown.)</p>
<p>A lot of employers have tuition benefits so you can take a couple classes at a time while working, and not end up with a lot of loans.</p>
<p>I’m going to be very frank…continuing to work 40 hours a week while attending college full time is NOT a good plan. It might be if your job paid for your living expenses…but it doesn’t. I know you likely live your ministry work, and it is good that you are doing it. BUT if you want to continue that job 40 hours a week, I would strongly suggest you look at college part time. Full time college and. 40 hour a week job would be like having TWO full time jobs.</p>
<p>Plus, if you are going to work, you need a job that can support you while you are attending college. </p>
<p>Can you take a leave of absence from the ministry while you attend college…so that you can get a paying job? Or is there anything related to your ministry work that will offer you housing?</p>
<p>As a clergy spouse, I have a real beef with churches/congregations that expect full time work for little to no compensation (and an ever bigger one with churches that think buy a clergy, get the spouse work free!–but that’s another post). My first bit of advice would be to find a job with another church that will pay you. 25k a year is not too much to ask for a full time job, even at a church. You have experience and honestly, you’ve been at this one for about as long as is healthy for both you and the congregation. </p>
<p>And then retread thumper’s post. She’s right. There are very few folks who can handle full time work and full time school. People can sometimes manage if for short periods of time, but you’re talking about quite a haul. Better to go slow and finish than burn out. </p>
<p>You need to ask USF if you’d be considered a transfer. You don’t have many hours, but if you were enrolled at the other school as a degree seeking student, USF may jot be able to consider you a new freshman. It’s worth a call to admissions. </p>
<p>Good luck. You’re so smart to be lining up your ducks now. That kind of forethought can make all the difference.</p>
<p>I worked full time (two 16-hour shifts on weekends) while I went to nursing school full time days. I did it for one year, and could not have done it for any longer. I was exhausted!!</p>
<p>because of your age, you can borrow about 9500 for frosh year.</p>
<p>as for freshman scholarships…you will have to see what the schools rules are. However, florida publics rely mostly on Bright Futures for scholarships and you dont qualify.</p>