So I’m at a very expensive private school going into my sophomore year and got a slightly disappointing FA package for 2018-19 plus I just don’t like it here so I’m thinking about transferring to a state school back home for junior year (not sure which one). But I just realized that a state school wouldn’t really be much cheaper for me unless I got a merit award. Would this be possible as a transfer?
I don’t anticipate being happier transferring so probably won’t do it unless it will save me money.
It depends on the college. Some schools provide merit aid to transfer students and some don’t.
Check the websites of the colleges you wish to transfer to…see if there is anything listed for transfer students.
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Generally, transfers get lousy aid (even financial aid) and merit aid, when it’s available which is often not the case, is never as high as for freshmen. You’d have to look at your state school’s “transfer” page to see if they offer anything.
If your current FA package is lower than for freshman year and your current school “meets need”, review the package with them, see what may have changed it.
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@MYOS1634 They technically met my need, but swapped out some of the grants for loans. I’m guessing they do this a lot for current students because they are less worried about yield.
It seems like the school I’m looking at has some merit specifically for transfers, but doesn’t specify amounts, so it could be very little for all I know. Also, its mostly specified for students with associate’s degrees cuz most transfers are coming from CCs but idk what they do for people from 4-year colleges.
One of the options is only half hour away so I could commute but the option that my mother says is better is an hour away and she says I could commute if I want to but I don’t want to spend 2 hours every day driving.
What kind of loans are they offering you? If it is the standard federal loan ($6,500 for sphomore year) that probably is doable. If they have tossed in any other loans, then that is a different story.
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1-hour commutes one way aren’t doable in the winter and that’s two hours you can’t spend on activities you’ll need for your post graduation work, on homework, on study groups and tutoring, on lab and library work, etc.
So your loan go from $5,500 to 6,500? Because that’s normal.
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@MYOS1634 @happymomof1 Went from 0 to 6500. Means i will have debt even if I graduate early, if they do this from now on. Idk if that’s worth it for a place I don’t really wanna be.
And yeah I don’t want to drive that much. Still not sure if that school is really better though.
ALL colleges will have that $6,500 loan in their package, except for no-loan colleges. There won’t be any college that won’t put it into a transfer student’s package except for a small handful. You can try and transfer to a no-loan college but they may not guarantee the no-loan policy applies to transfers (as mentioned upthread, financial aid for transfers is always less good than for freshmen).
You can try and transfer to another college you’ll like better but you won’t be able to avoid the $6,500 loan for sophomore year anywhere basically.
Is your college a no-loan college if your parents make under a certain income and your parents’ income went above the threshold?
Why did you choose this college?
What has changed since then?
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@MYOS1634 i don’t care if the new school offers a loan too. It won’t matter if the school is much less expensive. For example if I transfer to the school I can commute to, I won’t have to take out any loan. Also I would transfer for junior, not sophomore year.
From what I read online, the school my mom likes better doesn’t seem to have a better reputation. I asked her why it’s better and she said her friend went there and something vague about rankings. She is worried about me going to a less selective school and told me I should go to my state flagship if anything cuz they have my program there. But I’ve done my research and they absolutely do not have my program of study undergrad or grad. She doesn’t know much about this. I think she’s just panicking. She even told me she found my undergrad program there for sure and I made her check again and she saw she was wrong so she suggested I go to this school her friend went to. So I would probably end up picking the closer option. It will be cheaper but I guess I’d still want to find out about merit. When students apply for transfer admission, does that make them no longer students at their school? Like could I apply for transfer and then decide after seeing the financial picture?
I think my school just gives more grants and no loans for first year students. My efc stayed exactly the same. I read that they implemented the no loan policy a couple years ago but i guess it’s just for freshmen.
I just didn’t realize I would be so miserable in college. It’s a good school but I don’t know it’s worth the debt to be feeling this way. There is more academic/professional support here I think, but I don’t know if thats gonna keep me here. I was already thinking about the transfer possibility before I got my aid package honestly. It just nudged me a little further in that direction, if that makes sense.
Also, throughout the admissions process, I was more interested in prestige than fit, so local schools were not even on my radar, except as a back up in case I didn’t get in any where else, or got no financial aid.
Yes, you can apply to other universities and wait till you get your FA package - if it’s not satisfactory, you don’t have to transfer.
If your school has a “no loan” policy, it shouldn’t just be for freshmen - talk with Financial Aid ASAP, pointing out the problem. Mistakes CAN be made.
You could also apply “laterally” to universities of similar standing to your current one which are a better “fit” for you.
Up to 27k in debt is doable, especially if you graduate from a top school (hence, with good placement).
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What if I graduate from a top school but a not so top grad school? If I try for a top grad school, debt would be well over 27k.
Do you mean med school, OT school, PA school, law school? Or do you mean PHD?
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Masters for SLP. I was hoping to go to a state school and apply for graduate assistantships, as no “top” schools I found offered huge funding for masters programs. My school is rated very high in SLP but reserves all funding for PhDs. That seems to be the case elsewhere as well.
@soontobecolleger
I am a SLP. You can go to any masters program with ASHA accreditation and you will be able to get a job assuming you complete all of the course grad requirements satisfactorily, complete your clinical hours, and pass the exam.
I would suggest that you join the student speech and hearing association when you are in grad school.
Look at schools that are not tippy top for your grad program if you want full funding. I got my masters at Western Illinois University…no cost to me. I was also offered fellowship money at Southern Illinois.
One of my best friends went to Northwestern, and really her SLP career was almost identical to mine (except she only stuck with the profession for about 10 years).
If your instate university has a masters program, apply there…and hope that you get accepted.
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Graduating from a very good undergraduate will likely “signal” to your graduate school that you have both knowledge and soft skills - assuming decent grades and relevant activities, obviously.
Try to ascertain whether the reasons you’re miserable there would follow you to whatever new school you’d attend, or whether there are unique factors at your current school that cause things to be bad for you.
Do call the FA office ASAP asking about their no-loan policy and why you now have a loan, if a mistake was made?
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@thumper1 All other SLPs online have also said that it doesn’t matter where you go as long as the requirements are met. This is another factor that leads me to believe undergrad debt is not worth it. Do you think it will be easier to get into grad programs and get funding coming from Northwestern undergrad than from a much less selective school?
There seems to be a lot of support here for helping students build impressive resumes (especially for shy students like me who have trouble seeking out opportunities alone), and I’m worried it will be harder to get those resume type opportunities if I transfer.
Also, since you’re SLP I have a slightly unrelated question. Is it difficult to move states as an SLP? I know there is some state specific qualification, but I don’t know how comprehensive that is, and the state I go to for grad school and career starting is probably not where I’ll end up wanting to settle down.
@MYOS1634 As I said before, I don’t think I’d be much happier at a different school, but I’d rather be unhappy without debt than with. I might be slightly happier at the commuter school because I’d be living with my mom, and I don’t really have anyone I’m close to here.
I checked my award again and realized that my EFC went up by 5-6K so they technically met my need without the loans. I think it’s because my mom got a job, but she didn’t expect it to have an impact because that makes our household income still only about 30-40K (only one parent in relatively low paying job). So there’s nothing to call for I guess. It’s just a matter of whether I wanna finish my degree here or not.
@soontobecolleger
Northwestern gives only need based aid to accepted undergrad students. Does your family have financial need? If not…you won’t be getting aid from NU.
This is off topic to financial aid…but if you work in multiple states, you will need to satisfy the licensure and certification requirements in those states. This isn’t usually hard…but you do have to do it. If you work in the public schools, you will likely need to take a praxis test in your new state if you relocate.
I would suggest you go to the non-member section of the American Speech Language Hearing Association website, and you will find a ton of information including accredited grad programs.