<p>So a friend of mine is a first generation college student with an EFC of 0. He’s a very dedicated, smart kid who loves Poly. He applied early decision and was accepted as an engineer! </p>
<p>He now believes that he can’t afford it, as he didn’t receive enough financial aid. With an EFC of 0, aren’t you awarded the Pell grant, along with the Cal Grant here in California? Any additional need-based scholarships given by the school? This kid deserves a shot at this after all he’s put in…If he can’t do this, he’s stuck at UC Merced…Any help/advice? </p>
<p>Good friend S got in last year with EFC of 0. Got approx $12,000 in grants and the rest in loans. Friend asked why SLO didn’t give more money with EFC of 0 and was told that state schools only get so much money and they can never cover all in these situations. After research my friend discovered there are lots of private schools with huge endowment and some cover all with grants for this situation. Need to look at figures in Common Data Set of each school to see how much money each school can give. </p>
<p>I’m in the same boat. It certainly is disheartening. </p>
<p>We all live with financial constraints - it’s great your friend recognized this now rather than 2 years from now. Merced’s sticker price is usually a little lower than SLO. Why will it cost your friend less?</p>