<p>I have been looking over my EFC with wide eyes for a while now. My estimated family contribution could easily pay for a year at UCLA, yet, it is completely inaccurate. Yes, my family might make a lot of money yearly, but at the end of the month they have absolutely none to cover any other expenses other than their bills, which definetely rulls out college. So, with that said, my parents have recently claimed bankruptcy and their debt is extreme, so how can I get more money to pay for college? Thanks in advance for your help.</p>
<p>EFC is primarily income based. Why should a family with a certain income get college money when other families in the exact same income bracket and like assets do not? Because family A chooses to run up debts and spend their money on expensive housing does not entitle them to more money than family B who does not spend much and lives in less expensive housing. </p>
<p>The EFC is not particularly useful in guaranteeing any money to a student anyways outside of the PELL grant, and that is only if the EFC is very low. So, it’s not as though you are losing out on a whole lot. UCLA does not tend to meet full need anyways. </p>
<p>If you live close enough to UCLA to commute, you can do that, and borrow from the Stafford unsubsidized to pay for the tuition. Other than merit awards, I don’ t see where else you can get money other than loans and work if you family does not have the assets and is living up to every penny of what they earn.</p>
<p>“A chooses to run up debts and spend their money on expensive housing does not entitle them to more money than family B…”</p>
<p>I live in an apartment with my parents and the money has been spent on personal issues, not luxury.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Depending on what the expenses and debt is for you may be eligible to be considered for a special circumstances adjustment. This would be for things such as medical expenses and you would have to provide detailed documentation.</p>
<p>Point cpt makes is that the money is spent, not saved. FAFSA doesn’t care why or wither.
If you make it, you are expected to save a portion of it to send your kids to school…or finance a portion…or cashflow a portion. Period.
HOWEVER, since your family has filed bankruptcy, you may be eligible for a little more in loan. First, have them apply for the direct loan, for which they will be rejected (must apply though). Then, you’ll be eligible for an additional $4,000 in student loans, which will bring your loan eligibility up to $9,500.
Good luck.
K.</p>
<p>EFC does not take into account which part of the country you live in. Some parts pay better but then are very expensive to live in. State and property take a good chunk of your earnings. Does no one understand that life in NYC and surrounding suburbs cost significantly more than in a small town in the Midwest. No luxury just regular day to day expenses.</p>
<p>Yah exactly. I live in NYC and why oh why does someone living Kansas get to have the same FAFSA caculation</p>
<p>For the price of my rent, they can buy a freaking house.</p>
<p>yeah, all in all it seems unfair in many ways. i live in los angeles, in no way an I living a luxurious life, i am just living period and its hard to get by day to day.</p>
<p>Y’all can move to Kansas. The colleges are cheaper there too. Where are you applying to college? In Kansas? YOu are not going to find the jobs or the income there. Much of what makes you who you are is where you have been raised.</p>
<p>If the personal matters that your family spent their money on are considered catastrophic, medical, etc, some consideration can be made.</p>
<p>I don’t even want to hear the whining anymore. My neighbor just informed me that her daughter, who is graduating from college this year, paid for it all by herself. She worked 40 hours a week, paid for her apartment in Chicago, paid her Columbia College tuition (no financial aid other than loans offered), has a 3.9 gpa, and is graduating on time — all without taking out any loans. It CAN be done!</p>
<p>MKII is absolutely right. It is about time that the cost of living in cities like NYC is taken into consideration. And do not expect everyone to just move to a cheaper place when they have their work and lives established in these expensive cities. Everyone can’t just move; that would be ridiculous. NYC has been rated as three times more expensive as most of the rest of this country. This should be recognized and taken into consideration for financial aid purposes.</p>
<p>Lots of “shoulds”. There are problems with the FAFSA as there are with every financial aid app and every program out there.</p>
<p>Most people spend what they have, then wonder how anyone can expect that they should have enough left over for college. Life is about choices, and there are consequences to our choices. Fortunately, there are also affordable alternatives for those who did not order their lives in such a way that they are able to pay what some colleges would cost them.</p>
<p>I hate to say it…but if you are a resident of NYC, you have the SUNY system right at your fingertips with plenty of options at a very affordable price. Some states do not have the extensive state university system that NY has.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I heard someone got into Harvard with a GPA below a 3.0. It CAN be done! It’s not that hard 
Yeah I feel sorry for you OP…but you’ll probably have to choose a cheaper college than you would want. In the long run its the person who decides what happens, not the college. There is no fair FA app as people have said and its unfortunate, but real that you’ll have to make your decisions on college based on money. But I’m sure after your first semester at college, if you pick it out carefully, you’ll be very happy that you love your school and don’t have to worry about money at all.</p>
<p>There is also the City University (CUNY) system at your finger tips. You can go to a top grad school from Queens, Hunter or CCNY (fighting gobblers). </p>
<p>Working for expense money, the military, part-time schooling. Cooking your own food, taking on roommates to help with expenses. There are many options. My wife and I both paid our own way through school (in NYC) for different reasons. It was hard, but we were never unhappy. We both made it out in 4 years. It’s pretty cool to be able to pull that off. We’ve never felt like our education was inferior to anyone’s - quite the opposite.</p>
<p>The OP lives in LA not NYC!</p>
<p>The OP lives in CA, but another poster on this thread was complaining about the high cost of living in NYC. Sometimes folks respond to other posters on a thread, especially if the topic is related.</p>
<p>Re: the OP who lives in CA…the CA state university system and the UCs are a BARGAIN for instate students and there are many to choose from.</p>
<p>OP -
Please do your HS pals a big favor and nag, nag, nag, nag, nag all of the freshman, sophomores, and juniors you know to run the FAFSA calculators (the ones at the college board website are the best ones this year) so that they can find out a lot earlier than you did just what their families’ numbers look like. I did this for Happykid when she was in 9th grade, and now that she’s in 11th she already knows just exactly what financial options for college are. There will be no surprises for her next year.</p>
<p>To people commenting regarding my situation- i am married and i have a child with one on the way, so no i can not do 99.9999 % of the things you all are suggesting and mentioning. Not everyone is in their late teens early 20’s with no responsibilities besides themselves. I have a family, and i dont plan on taking food out of my child’s mouth to pay tuition. </p>
<p>I do go to SUNY and i do NOT get state tuition. There are 0 scholarships for transfers. So the only ONLY option i get is loans. I can not graduate with that many undergraduate loans considering that we already have over 100k in grad loans from my husband.</p>
<p>Sorry to respond within the thread when it is a bit of topic, but really i dont think anyone on here faces a situation even remotely similar to what I have. </p>
<p>I cant go and work 40 / week, i have kids, they need to be watched. Infants are not self cleaning or self feeding, contrary to popular belief. And this country doesnt offer any daycare at affordable prices.</p>
<p>BTW i transffered from UCLA to SB b/c i had to move to NYC . … and I did work 35 + hours a week to pay for my rent etc and even with grants and loans I barely made it there because I also had to financially help my mom out. If you are only responsible for you then there are a lot of things you can do to make it through college but if you have even one additional FINANCIAL responsbility , you are screwed. </p>
<p>Also, UCLA is not condusive to anyone working a real job. Most classes are in the early morning when you would have to work. I actually had to withdraw from one quarter to pay for my rent and go to work instead of class. </p>
<p>If you are coming from a poor family and you have responsibilities there is very little help for you.</p>