<p>Hi guys, I really have no idea how I'm going to pay for college.
I'm a senior in high school. </p>
<p>I will either be going to
UCLA, UCSB, or Cal Poly SLO next semester. </p>
<p>I filed my fafsa and my EFC is 0.
I'm a foster child, and my gaurdian's income is like 17,000. </p>
<p>I will have to pay for all of college on my own. </p>
<p>I pretty much have no clue whats going on when it comes to paying for school.
How do I get grants and such?
Please help me out with this stuff so I have a rough idea of how much debt I will be in.</p>
<p>I can’t answer anything about these schools and how much aid they give, but I’m bump this to the top so someone can help you. Hopefully you applied to some schools that promise to “meet full need”.</p>
<p>You would be best off starting at your local Community College to keep costs down. Work with their financial aid department to see what grants are available, work part time if possible, and you will also be eligible for Stafford loans.</p>
<p>Since you are a foster child, you will be considered independent for fa purposes. Your f parents’ income doesn’t count. You will get max fed and calif aid. Your tuition should be free. Call the fa offices and ask what an efc 0 independent student gets. You should get enough aid to pay for any cal state. You may get enough for a uc. You can still earn some money and keep your 0 efc. Find out how much that is for an independent.</p>
<p>As a CA resident, you should qualify for a Cal Grant of around $8-9k, a Pell of about $5500, possibly an ACG and later SMART grant if your HS & college info fits the limited requirements, you can also potentially be offered a few other small grants and even a campus grant as well as applying for the Alumni Award on the UC campuses plus a work study which can reasonably allow you to earn a couple of hundred a month to cover personal costs</p>
<p>Financial aid is a royal pain in the tookus. But start mastering the details. Read as much as you can and understand the trade offs. Read through the details on the Pell Grant, the Cal Grant, the SMart grant, etc so you understand when the deadlines are, what you have to do to apply, etc.</p>
<p>Do the same for Stafford Loans (subsidized and unsubsidized). </p>
<p>Filling out the FAFSA was a great first step. Take a moment and email the financial aid office of each school and ask if you can work with one of their officers directly because you are an independent. They should be very nice and helpful. </p>
<p>Verify everything you are told. (For instance, if the officer says "The ABC program is a grant and doesn’t have to be repayed, check that out on the school website and make sure – or get it in writing). </p>
<p>This is challenging stuff. I am 52 years old with a college degree and I struggle with it. That’s ok. Some of the most challenging races are the most wonderful to win. </p>
<p>I like “How to pay for college without going broke” by Chany. You can get it from the library or browse it at a bookstore (you don’t have to own it). It explains a lot. </p>
<p>Please know we are rooting for you. You have some extra challenges – hopefully they will make you extra strong. Meanwhile, master the details.</p>
<p>You may be eligible for a fair amount of aid – but be aware that you may still have to master the system to get at it. Make sure you understand what you have to provide and when. And when you are mystified (“What’s an AGI?” sort of stuff), don’t be shy about asking. </p>
<p>Can you find someone a year ahead of you who has gone through the same process? You can ask the financial aid office if there is a student who would be a mentor. They may have specific advice that is helpful. A year from now, you should be in the situation that you could help the next kid in line. </p>
<p>A wise person here on CC once posted “Don’t judge someone’s insides by their outsides.” You will find yourself in class with kids who clearly do not have the hurdles you have. You’ll be thrashing about with yet another fin aid requirement while they are zooming off to have pizza. Hang in there. They’ll each have their own troubles to navigate. Master your own situation and be generous with what you learn. You’ll be pleased.</p>
<p>In addition to the federal Pell grant (which will be over $5,000) and the state Cal Grant (which will cover your system-wide fees at either a UC or CSU), you’re probably eligible for the state Chafee grant for foster youth, which is $5,000/year. You may also get a federal supplemental educational opportunity grant from one or more of your colleges, because your EFC is zero. With some student loans and work study, you should be in good shape.</p>
<p>Ask your social worker to help you with this. In the meantime, I just sent an email to my sister and asked what all you would qualify for and how you are to go about getting your aid. My sis (the one who is a director of a private foster care agency in Calif) has helped foster kids navigate the whole FA issue. </p>
<p>It’s hard for a foster child to find any other foster child who has gone directly into a Cal State or UC, since so few ever get that far. Sadly, many foster kids never graduate from high school.</p>
<p>1) run a credit report on youself. Sometimes kids in state care discover some adult along the way has stolen ID or gotten loans in the kid’s name. Make sure your credit history is really you.</p>
<p>2) if you don’t have a credit history, start one. See what it takes to get a low limit Visa card (say $1,500_) or a Target card that you will use very carefully. Use a credit union instead of a bank for the Visa (usually credit unions have very fair rates and small penalties whereas a bank, or God Forbid, payday loans, can be a sinking hole of debt and despair). Be careful. Shop around. Ask lots of questions. </p>
<p>You aren’ t in a situation to have big lunches out every day – but there will be small expenses and unexpected expenses. Start finding out your options on meeting them and how to use loans and credit appropriately. Shrewd choices now will make a difference for years to come. </p>