<p>Hello,</p>
<pre><code> I am 17 years old and will be attending college starting Fall 2006. My father died 6 months ago and my mother alone cannot afford to pay for my school, as she herself does not make very much money. How much do you guys think I can qualify for in Aid??
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<p>can anyone help me</p>
<p>You will need to do this form and you will then have some idea........</p>
<p>i'm 15 and my dad died 3 years ago. we managed to make due with one paycheck, but we don't qualify for fafsa becuase her income is too high, and its only barely enough for me and my brother and various family members we're supporting (she works for stanford, so she has a good paycheck and good benefits)</p>
<p>you should definitely apply for fafsa. talk to your school and see if they can give you financial aid or grants, especially since your situation happened so recently. try to get a job, or talk to family members if they can help pay for books, like i did. and it doesn't hurt to discuss this with your mom, if she's up to it.</p>
<p>my empathies <3</p>
<p>There are financial aid calculators on the College Board website, as well as at <a href="http://www.finaid.org%5B/url%5D">www.finaid.org</a> where you can plug in the numbers and come up with your approximate EFC (Expected Family Contribution). What amount of aid you end up with depends, however, on the colleges you apply to. Some give 100% of "need" ( need being the total cost of college: tuition, room, board, books, travel, other expenses) minus the EFC. Some gap the amount they will give, and not meet 100% of need. Some give lots of grant money and less in the way of self-help (loans and workstudy.) Some give virtually only loans.</p>
<p>The finaid website gives lots of detailed answers to questions you might have. Do be sure to check your websites for each college on your list to read what they say about financial aid. Also, US News Ultimate College Guide is a huge book which gives lots of information about how financial aid works for a vast number of college. It is well worth the investment.</p>
<p>I am awfully sorry for your loss of your father, and hope all will work for you to attend the college you best love.</p>