<p>I don't believe I qualify for financial aid if one looks at my families income. My father is a lawyer with his own firm, and his income is quite high. However, my mother does not work at all, so does not contribute, and I am one of 8 children, two who have already gone to prestigious English universities (they are from my dad's previous marriage, and lived there) and there will be 5 children after me to go to college. </p>
<p>My father tells me not to worry about it, but my mother is freaking out about the cost of college at the moment.</p>
<p>If you have a really strong academic record, you can apply to schools that give some merit awards, but you will probably need to be well above the 75th percentile (SAT/ACT) reported for that school. Generally, this means stepping a notch down from what you think is your "dream school" level.</p>
<p>I believe the CSS/Profile (the f.a. form used by many private schools) will take into account the number of children in your family who are younger than you; there is some standard deduction off your income for each child who is still less than college age. On the other hand, the institutional method (Profile) will take into account the value of your family's land and property, more so than the federal method (FAFSA), which is the form used by public schools.</p>
<p>Does your father say "don't worry about it" because he expects financial aid despite what you describe as "quite high" income, or because he knows he has enough saved to cover you?</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Ask your father how much money he is willing to contribute annually to your college education.</p></li>
<li><p>Regardless of his answer apply to a few schools which may offer you merit aid (where you meet the 75% stats). Look at your local and state schools and LAC for example the ones listed on <a href="http://www.ctcl.com%5B/url%5D">www.ctcl.com</a>. Of course apply to your dream schools. Give yourself plently of options financially.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Family size affects the amount colleges expect families to contribute. As you are part of a large family, depending on how high the family income, this could make a real difference.</p>
<p>Thanks for the help guys. I used the financial aid calculator, and even with the deduction for the number of us, I still don't really qualify. </p>
<p>My dad says don't worry because he feels like he can pay it. He is out of the country at the moment, and I haven't seen him in several weeks, but when he gets home we should be able to talk over it more. I just feel bad about it. However, I will definitely get a job and stuff to contribute at least to books etc.</p>
<p>My top school doesn't offer merit scholarships, only need-based ones. I will apply to others as well to see what I can get there, but I was curious if I was missing anything- doesn't seem like it.</p>