<p>I did it online, my family is from a low income bracket. My efc is 0 dollars. Will my parents have to pay anything and will I have to take out loans or does the school pay for everything. I'm looking into nyu, BU, bc, schools like that. I heard nyus financial aid sucks. So how does this all work?</p>
<p>Keep reading the posts in this forum. Your EFC just tells colleges what you qualify for in FEDERAL financial aid. An EFC of 0 qualifies you for a Pell Grant of ~$5.5K and loans of $5.5K. It is up to each school to see what else they might like to offer to you. As you’ve heard NYU gaps people terribly so you would have to come up with the rest (~$45-50K).</p>
<p>So others can help provide alternative ideas, what is your home state and what are your stats and class rank?</p>
<p>That is right , what Erin’s Dad has written. You can apply to any number of schools and see what they give you. It’s like a lottery. You can see what the average need met is at any school which can give you some idea how much they typically fund. Usually if your stats are in the upper end, you can get more need met. NYU, for instance, can be very generous to top students, but other than that, they do not tend to meet EFC. BU has a chart that pretty much tells you what you can get and it uses your test scores/stats and your EFC to come up with a package. Other schools are not so transparent, but many use such systems. </p>
<p>Make sure you have a few schools that you know will take you and that your can afford. Those will tend to be state schools to which you can commute. Maybe there are some generous privates in your area as well that often provide packages for local kids with your stats. Ask your guidance counselor what his/her experience has been in terms of schools that give good aid packages for someone with your grades/ test scores that needs a full ride.</p>
<p>Oh okay my stats are posted in another thread if you guys want to read them. So let’s say I get in BU for example, I get like 10,000 for pell and state grants, will BU come upnwith the rest through scholarship?</p>
<p>No, BU may not necessarily come up with the rest. Or, they might. That’s what people are saying - look on the websites and see the average % of need met, etc. Every school is very different. If they want you, they might offer a lot, but not definitely.</p>
<p>You aren’t really going to know until spring when the acceptances and financial aid letters arrive. Make sure you complete applications to a variety of school, including schools that say that meet need, and schools where you know because of your stats and GPA you will garner some automatic money and to some privates that are generous with aid and where you will fall into the tippy top of applications. You’ll have to do some work, some reading and there are great threads on this discussion board about strategies for low income students. You can always enroll at your local CC for two years, work and go to school and finish up your last two years somewhere else. Your degree will be granted from the college or university where you graduate.</p>
<p>should i try quest bridge?</p>