<p>Before I apply to schools, I'd like to hear from anyone who has experience in homelessness or dire poverty during their college years (less than $10,000/year family income) and was able to pay for college, since Pell Grants and Stafford Loans can only pay so much for the cost of attendance during college and I don't want to waste my time applying to colleges if the schools won't let me attend because I can't afford to pay the bills before the semester begins.</p>
<p>Of course they do. But not all schools meet full need. Be careful going in so you don’t get stuck with loans you or your family won’t be able to pay off. Good luck to you.</p>
<p>The majority (maybe vast majority) won’t receive much, if anything, above Pell. </p>
<p>You will get your financial aid package LONG before you choose to enroll in school. Apply to schools that are generous to poverty students (there are schools, depending on your state, that are generous to poverty-level income kids even if they’re not generous in general- I went to one of those schools) and places that guarantee merit aid based on your stats. You will get your packages in the late winter/early spring and decision date isn’t until May. </p>
<p>If that doesn’t work, you go to a CC for a few years, work, save money, and commute to your local 4 year.</p>
<p>ETA: It looks like you’re applying to SUNY schools. There is some kind of state tuition program in NY but I don’t know anything about it. We have a poster on here who is an expert in NY aid but her name is escaping me right now :(</p>
<p>Before making your application list, check the net price calculators on the various colleges’ web sites to see what their financial aid looks like for your situation. Each school may be different.</p>
<p>Also, you may also want to see if you can get large merit scholarships:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1348012-automatic-full-tuition-full-ride-scholarships-19.html#post16145676[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1348012-automatic-full-tuition-full-ride-scholarships-19.html#post16145676</a>
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1461983-competitive-full-tuition-full-ride-scholarships-4.html#post16224918[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1461983-competitive-full-tuition-full-ride-scholarships-4.html#post16224918</a></p>
<p>The federal limit is about 10k a year. Go to Community College then University and you’ll be fine.</p>
<p>With the max Tap ($5k), Pell ($5645) and Loans ($6500 if you are transferring as a sophomore), you will still fall short ~4k to pay for SUNY Stony Brook.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.stonybrook.edu/finaid/cost/undergraduate.shtml[/url]”>http://www.stonybrook.edu/finaid/cost/undergraduate.shtml</a></p>
<p>what school are to trying to transfer from? </p>
<p>Are you currently a SEEK or College Discovery student at CUNY?</p>
<p>Are you currently an EOP student at another SUNY school? </p>
<p>Your parents will have to apply for a PLUS Loan. IF they are denied a PLUS loan, then you will be able to borrow an additional 4k as an unsub loan. In the mean time, you need a job so that you will be able to pay for books, mandatory health insurance and other sundry items</p>
<p>You can look at the list of schools that have a lot of PELL Grant recipients. For many of those students, the only way they could make it through some of these schools is with ample financial/merit aid. Also, looking at common data sets, you can see the average grants given to students. That there are students on either side of that average figure, means that substantial grants are given. </p>
<p>But the reality is that most schools do not meet the full need of all of its students, even when the schools themselves define that need. I don’t know a single school that guarantees to meet full FAFSA need. But some of the schools that give out poor aid packages most of the time may have some students that get full need met or close to it.</p>
<p>The federal limit is about 10k a year. Go to Community College then University and you’ll be fine.</p>
<p>not necessarily.</p>
<p>Depends much on the student’s stats and how much their state schools costs. </p>
<p>If the student has strong stats, he’s better getting into a better school that gives the best aid as an incoming frosh. Transfers often get lousy aid. A CC to univ transfer may find out that their univ isn’t affordable at all.</p>
<p>OP…I see that you are a transfer and it seems like you’re a NY resident. You probably would get your best aid from a SUNY with a combo of fed aid and TAP state aid.</p>
<p>I called the financial aid offices of Cornell University and Columbia University earlier this week, and representatives from both schools pretty much told me that in my situation, they would be willing to pay for the full ride simply based on my needs. Naturally I am a bit skeptical which is why I am requesting second opinions from those who have first-hand experience in this type of case.</p>
<p>Q. what school are to trying to transfer from?</p>
<p>I went to University of Chicago out of high school, and the total bill was around $60k. The school gave me about half for free, but the rest was out of loans that I think was offered directly by the school (maybe through a third-party bank?). In any case, I didn’t want to burden my parents so I dropped out to pay off the loans and decided that college wasn’t worth it. I’m 24 years old now, so I’ve been out of school for about 7 years. I considered community college but the local ones here don’t possess the resources I need to perform the research that pertains to my field of studies.</p>
<p>Yes, they have EXTREMELY generous aid policies but they are also among the most selective universities in the country. </p>
<p>Did you actually complete a semester at the University of Chicago? If so, you will be a transfer student and thus have more limited resources as schools generally reserve their best packages for freshmen.</p>
<p>If you are 24 years old, then you are an independent student for federal aid. Your receiving financial aid will be based in your income & assets not, your parents.</p>
<p>You will be able to borrow more in student loans:</p>
<p>Second year - $10,500—No more than $4,500 of this amount may be in subsidized loans.</p>
<p>Third year through graduation (undergrad degree) $12,500—No more than $5,500 of this amount may be in subsidized loans.</p>
<p>however, this does not mean that you are an independent student for state aid (If you are a NYS resident) or institutional aid.</p>
<p>For example:</p>
<p>at Cornell</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>FOr NYS TAP (State Aid)</p>
<p>The regulations for independent status are different for New York State financial aid. Students are not automatically considered to be independent for the purpose of the TAP
program until they reach the age of 35. To be considered an independent student for TAP, APTS or Part-Time TAP during the 2012–2013 year a student must meet all of the
following conditions:</p>
<p>• Did not and will not live in the parents home or a building
owned or leased by the parents in 2011, 2012 or 2013,
even if he/she paid rent.</p>
<p>• Is or will not be listed as a dependent of the parents on the
2011 or 2012 tax return.</p>
<p>• Did not and will not receive more than $750 in financial
assistance (loans, gifts, etc.) from either or both parents in
2011, 2012 or 2013. </p>
<p>• If the student answers yes to any of the dependency
questions on the TAP application, and is under the age
of 35, he/she must provide parent financial information to
be considered for TAP.</p>
<p>Is student under 22? If yes, they are still considered dependent unless they can do the following</p>
<p>AGE: 22 TO 34
Students are not automatically considered to be independent for the purposes of the TAP program until they are 35 years old. In the meantime, they must meet all of the following conditions to be considered independent. </p>
<p>The Student:</p>
<p>Did not and will not live in the parents home or a building owned or leased by the parents in 2011, 2012 or 2013, even if he/she paid rent.</p>
<p>Is not or will not be listed as a dependent of the parent on the 2011 or 2012 tax return.</p>
<p>Did not and will not receive more than $750 in financial assistance (loans, gifts, etc.) from either or both parents in 2011, 2012 or 2013.</p>
<p>If the student answers yes to any of the questions on the TAP application, and is under the age of 35, he/she must provide parent financial information to be considered for TAP.</p>
<p>[Frequently</a> Asked Questions - TAP](<a href=“NYS Higher Education Services Corporation - TAP FAQs”>NYS Higher Education Services Corporation - TAP FAQs)</p>
<p>[Dependent</a> or Independent Student - Financial Aid - CUNY](<a href=“http://www.cuny.edu/admissions/financial-aid/student-eligibility/dependent-independent.html]Dependent”>http://www.cuny.edu/admissions/financial-aid/student-eligibility/dependent-independent.html)</p>
<p>If you have not completed 24 credits, you may not be eligible to apply as a transfer student to Columbia</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Since you are a non-traditional student, it may be a challenge gaining admittance to Columbia College as they may consider to to be a student for General Studies. </p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Columbia GS</p>
<p>[Applying</a> to GS | General Studies](<a href=“http://gs.columbia.edu/applying-gs]Applying”>School of General Studies Undergraduate Admission | School of General Studies)</p>
<p>Have you considered looking at programs that caters to non traditional students:</p>
<p>Example:</p>
<p>Eli Whitney program at Yale</p>
<p>[Eli</a> Whitney Students Program ? A Program for Non-Traditional Students | Yale College Admissions](<a href=“http://admissions.yale.edu/eli-whitney]Eli”>http://admissions.yale.edu/eli-whitney)</p>
<p>Brown RUE program</p>
<p>[Resumed</a> Undergraduate Education Applicants | Undergraduate Admission](<a href=“Undergraduate Admission | Brown University”>Undergraduate Admission | Brown University)</p>
<p>Most of the schools for non traditional students such as and including Columbia’s School for General Studies do not meet full need, even if the parent school does.</p>
<p>If OP were to get into the Eli Whitney program at Yale, the financial aid is the same as the parent school.</p>
<p>While Brown is need aware for transfer students they do meet need of students that they do accept (including RUE)</p>
<p>While University of Chicago states the following
</p>
<p>Perhaps OP should consider talking to the financial aid people at Chicago (especially if s/he has been self supporting for the past 3 years) to see how they would look at his/her financial situation.</p>
<p>If you dropped out in good academic standing, you may be able to return to Chicago relatively easily, though you would have to apply for readmission: [Leave</a> of Absence | The College](<a href=“http://college.uchicago.edu/policies-regulations/leaves-restrictions-warnings/leave-absence]Leave”>http://college.uchicago.edu/policies-regulations/leaves-restrictions-warnings/leave-absence)</p>
<p>Since you are now an independent student at age 24, try running the net price calculator at <a href=“https://collegeadmissions.uchicago.edu/costs/apply/calculate.shtml[/url]”>https://collegeadmissions.uchicago.edu/costs/apply/calculate.shtml</a> to see if the net price will be reasonable for you now.</p>
<p>I don’t know why you got such an expensive package at Chicago if your family income was that low. It doesn’t add up. My daughter got a good package where she would only have been borrowing $5k per year. (She was HS class of 2005). I thought her package was entirely need based. However she went to Brown on a loan free package with a full ride.</p>
<p>I wonder if the parents were pretty well off. What’s happened to the OP to now be homeless?</p>
<p>I see a lot of kids who take time off after starting college, and don’t restart until after age 24. Their parents may refuse to pay their costs, but even if they will, it behooves them to check out what financial options are available to them That they were homeless or whatever isn’t going to affect their status as they are independent through the age stipulation. That is more of an issue for those who are under age 24 and do not meet independent critieria otherwise. Not all school will accept that as an independent critierion, by the way, for their own funds. The PROFILE schools will want a lot more info than that,mose likely, and will make their own determination. But in this case, it doesn’t matter as the OP is over 24.</p>
<p>As Sybbies states, a lot of PROFILE schools and schools that tend to give generous aid, and really any school can have such stipulations, will not permit a former dependent student to automatically be classified as independent. Not for their own funds, anyways. They do this to avoid getting steep increases in need by students marrying, those who do take this break and returning, getting a dependent, etc. They will look at each case. in these situations. Clearly someone returning at age 50 is not going to be treated the same as someone who returns at age 25. Veterans are often not subject to the rule either. </p>
<p>So the original school might have stipulations for aid or for return that whole other school might not have. The OP can give it a whirl. I know of many students who took breaks in school and returned to get their degree at NYU or Columbia General Studies, or the SUNYs and CUNYs. Nothing new about doing that and I wish the OP well.</p>
<p>But not all schools meet full need, not all parts of those schools who meet full need have that policy for all students and the OP does have to check the policies of each school But yes, as a general rule, students with lower EFCs, that are in poverty are eligible for more financial aid from schools. Eligible does not equate getting it, however, beyond the federal and whatever state entitlements there are. Schools can do what they want with their own money, and most schools do not meet full need to most of their students.</p>