cost of attendance

Paying for College
1

<p>I have an estimated cost of attendance at $9,355.00. (spring 2011)</p>

<p>I'm wondering if that includes personal expenses?</p>

<p>According to college board, here is the annual breakdown (fall 2010)</p>

<p>in-state tuition and fees: $5,476
Room and board: $6,860
Books and supplies: $850
Estimated personal expenses: $3,700 </p>

<p>If you add all those up and divide by 2, it's close to $9,355. </p>

<p>and I have been awarded financial aid which totals $2,775.00. </p>

<p>I have the post 9-11 GI Bill for 12 months... and it will pay 90%</p>

<p>just wondering where i stand?</p>

2

<p>Also according to collegeboard, the Average financial aid package is: $7,871 </p>

<p>was my package so low because I filed for fall 2010-spring 2011, but i am not attending fall. (myEFC is 0)</p>

3

<p>Your FA may be lowish because you’re only going for one semester for this school year.</p>

<p>Not going in the fall can hurt some aid…you often don’t get work study or other money by skipping Fall semester.</p>

<p>What was your EFC? If it was highish, then you wouldn’t qualify for more aid.</p>

<p>You can’t look at average aid package because people have different EFCs and qualify for different amounts of fed aid.</p>

4

<p>How does the GI Bill affect your final costs? Will it cover 90% of the original totals ($8420?) Or just 90% of the remainder after the aid? Ie, how much is really out of your pocket?</p>

5

<p>I don’t know. that’s kindof my question. All I know for sure is that it will pay 90% of tuition and fees… plus a one-time book stipend of $900, plus about $900 a month living allowance. It will pay the school directly for tuition and fees… but the housing allowance and book stipend get desposwite into my bank. Therefore, I can pocket some of it because my rent it only $400/month (I have food stamps now, but they will be discontinues if I’m enrolled in college, but I think If I have work-study, I can get food stamps.</p>

<p>the GI Bill does not affect financial aid at all… back in May, I was using the old GI bill, and taking online classes… FA paid for 95%, and I pocketed about $4,000</p>

6

<p>So I might get more aid for fall 2011- spring- 2012?</p>

7

<p>The $2775 is one semester’s worth of a full Pell grant. Did you file for your state’s aid, if you’re eligible?</p>

8

<p>What happens in fall 2011 is a question for the school.
When you applied for spring aid, did they know about the GI Bill? If not, the aid seems low for someone with 0 EFC. Perhaps most funds were exhausted already.
If they did know, it may be viewed same as, eg, an employer’s tuition remission or an outside scholarship- funds availabe to you to defray costs. That would lower your “need.” Beyond that, I don’t know how the GI works. Good luck.</p>

9

<p>yap I told them because i was asking about it. GI bill money is not taxable. I remember when I filled out my estimated award offer, I declined something. I think it was a loan, but not sure. I am a transfer with 78 credits… so I’m hoping to earn a degree in 2 years. the GI money is only supposed to last 12 months… so I might have to take out a loan later.</p>

10

<p>The COA allows $3700 for personal expenses?!? Wow. That’s the highest amount I’ve ever seen. Some schools only allow $1000 or so, others in the range of $1600-1800.
Their amount for textbooks is a bit on the low side, but $3700 for personal expenses seems very high - a student could live pretty high on the hog with that amount, especially since there apparently is already a board contract.</p>

11

<p>also, my personal expenses might be $100… the yearly cost of the residence hall I’ll be staying in is less than $6860… it is $4800, but that is without a meal plan. They are off campus apartments that are run by the school.</p>

12

<p>The Post 9/11 GI bill will cover 100% of tuition and fees, up to the state cap. I’m not sure where you got 90% from unless your state has a really, really low cap or it is a private school, which it doesn’t sound like from the rates you listed. That is paid directly to the school once certified with the VA by the school. </p>

<p>It pays app. $41/credit for books, up to $1000. That is paid to you. You only get paid per credit and won’t receive any “extra.”</p>

<p>The housing is paid at the rate of E5 with dep. BAH for the area where the college is located. You receive it at the end of each month and it will be prorated the first month from the day classes start. You are responsible for paying the school for on-campus housing. </p>

<p>Pell will still be received even if the GI bill covers everything I believe.</p>