So Dartmouth’s website references a US News ranking which says Dartmouth grads only graduate with an average debt of 15k, is this because students dont take out private loans or there are few students who do so?
If I go to Dartmouth (probably won’t due to cost) I will need to end up taking very high loans to pay for it. I didnt qualify for financial aid. Is there an appeals process or should I just give up? I am ok with going to other schools, I was honestly just confused how they calculate the debt.
The maximum federal loans the student can take out is in the vicinity of $5500 per year. (It’s a sliding scale.) The typical student wage contribution is probably in the neighborhood of $2K per year. Beyond that, loans can be some kind of private or PLUS loan taken out by the parents, or co-signed by the parents.
@SWeLLT, if your parents refuse to contribute their EFC as calculated by any college, it doesn’t leave you too many options. The EFC is a combination of savings, current earnings, and future earnings (ie, loans). In my experience, D does not expect parent to take out significant loans.
@SWeLLT : There is a form for requesting reconsideration of an initial financial aid decision. Use it. The financial aid folks are not heartless. There are often factors that do not get reflected in the FAFSA [did I get those letters in the right order?] etc. forms, and I found them very understanding of individual circumstances. You have nothing to lose by asking.