<p>Does any one know if the colleges increase your room and board amount if you have a spouse and children and will be living in on-campus family housing? </p>
<p>I know the net price calculators give an estimate, but the room and board is geared towards single students. So would the colleges re-write this part of a student's (with family) financial package? Increasing the room and board fee and possibly the grants to help cover the additional charge?</p>
<p>I doubt it. It could work the opposite way. The college’s could assume the spouse is working and the student is actually viewed as a commuting student…and in some cases the COA is less for commuters…and therefore aid is less.</p>
<p>In a way, the family is considered as you are included as members of the student’s household. So instead of being a household of one…you are a household of five.</p>
<p>College financial aid is to provide aid to,the student. It is not meant to be a support stream to the family.</p>
<p>I think I may have answered my own question. But if any one else is ever curious, it appears at some colleges, you can request that the financial aid office may increase your standard student budget if you notify them of the need. They can increase it up to $200, you may appeal it for more of an increase but it is approved only on a case by case basis.</p>
<p>$200 a year? </p>
<p>If a school increases COA by $200 a year for a “family” that might be rare, but also hardly much at all. I highly doubt ANY would give more grants. Maybe that $200 per year is an increase for off-campus housing? Some have higher COAs for off-campus housing, but the calculation is still only dealing with ONE person.</p>
<p>It’s really not the school’s responsibility to help fund a family. There are single moms going to college and they’re not getting more school aid because of that. </p>
<p>Even grad students, who are more likely to have families aren’t given more money for families. </p>
<p>By them increasing it, it only allows for you to increase the loan amount of aid, they would not provide grants to cover the additional cost for a family. I plan on working, but wanted to get an idea of how this works, especially if I don’t find employment quickly. We’re from a small town where it can be tough to find work, so I just want to prepare for the worst case scenario.
@thumper1 the site didn’t specify if it was an annual or monthly increase. I was looking specifically at UC sites.</p>
<p>Keep in mind that COA housing/meals estimate is for 10 months only. </p>
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<p>This is why I think it’s important that your H transfer to a school that’s within a well-populated region. Jobs should be more plentiful, etc. I’m guessing that once a school is selected, you will visit, find housing, and maybe have time to do some job searching (some apps can be done online).</p>
<p>What kind of work do you do?</p>
<p><<<
it only allows for you to increase the loan amount of aid,
<<</p>
<p>If you’re already at the max loans for a jr/sr independent (which is about $12k per year), there can’t be any increase. </p>
I’m a phlebotomist, CPT II, at a hospital, so I don’t think I’ll have too much trouble finding work. We are thinking about LA and Bay area for school. I’ve been speaking with another user on cc who transferred to UCLA, and he said the college’s aid calculator was accurate for him. If that’s the case, we’ll be looking at $8,600 a year including loans and potential work-study.
I’m hoping that with the well-populated areas around the colleges, that there will be plenty of job opportunities. I just want to prepare in case I am unable to start work right away. I’ve never lived in a city before, so it makes me anxious, especially with the kiddos. But I do plan on beginning job hunting as soon as we know where we will be heading. I like the fact that UCLA offers guaranteed housing for the first year to transfers and graduates.
Are the children all school-aged or will you also need to pay for daycare?
I'm a phlebotomist, CPT II, at a hospital, so I don't think I'll have too much trouble finding work. We are thinking about LA and Bay area for school. I've been speaking with another user on cc who transferred to UCLA, and he said the college's aid calculator was accurate for him. If that's the case, we'll be looking at $8,600 a year including loans and potential work-study.
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What will be $8600 per year? your remaining costs after loans? What did the NPC indicate when you ran it? Can you copy/paste?
You need to consider transportation and housing cost issues. Housing near UCLA and SF is very expensive. Will you have two cars?
There are UCs with less expensive surroundings.
I think this couple is young (22ish?, so likely the kids are still day-care age (unless the wife is older?)…maybe one will be school-aged soon?)
I just don’t see how OP will afford to live and work in California.
Well, they will have to carefully consider nearby housing costs before they choose a school.
Housing near UCR is less expensive, UCI is in a pricey high-traffic area, UCD may be a cheaper area, but don’t know if there are jobs (probably at the medical center?).
Cal Poly Pomona has some lower priced housing nearby, but CPP will not likely give a FA pkg that is as strong as a UC can. A Cal Poly or CSU will likely just give the Cal Grant and the Pell Grant…and loans. A UC may give Cal Grant, Pell Grant, UC grant, W-S, and loans.
I should add, ‘…and pay for daycare for multiple children.’
True…that will be a significant expense…but one that they’re already facing. … So, I’m guessing that they already have all that budgeted, since they’re already used to paying it?
I hope that they are able to pick a school that has lower cost housing nearby. That expense alone can eat so much of the family’s budget.
Small town daycare cost versus Southern California daycare cost- the difference could be quite significant.
Very true…but there usually are some local home-based daycares in many Calif cities that will be less costly than “day care centers.”
The H won’t be transferring until Fall 2016…maybe all 3 kids won’t need all-day daycare by then.
We live in Tahoe, so even though it’s a small town prices are fairly high here. Including day care and housing expenses. We qualify for financial aid because of our household size and income. We do budget everything, and have childcare figured out. My husband and I are both 25 years, our oldest is almost 6 years old and in kindergarten. The two younger kids will need childcare, though it is something we are looking into with every college.
@mom2collegekids that is correct. By that time, one will qualify for preschool programs as she will be nearly 4 yrs, and the youngest will be 2.5 yrs