@twoinanddone Interesting idea. Usually we go with monthly payments during the semester, but paying D2’s tuition all up front in January might be a good compromise. Then I can file FAFSA and CSS with more appropriate numbers.
Did we get more aid from the school this year than last? Yes, by a whopping 5%. It still costs about 50% more than the EFC at a “meets full need” but we calculate the need as we see fit school. Good thing she’s very happy there.
D1 will be directly enrolling in her study abroad school, which will require upfront payment. Luckily for us, it will also be less expensive than her university. Her school hasn’t updated the financial aid deadlines online yet for 17-18.
@mommdc Our EFC is not in Pell range, we are firmly stuck in the donut hole.
Work study is one of my rants. Work study is NOT AID at a school where part time jobs are readily available on and off campus without it. My kids already had jobs when they were “awarded” work study. That’s a rant for a different discussion.
I’m going to take FAFSA and CSS off my to-do list until January and possibly pay the spring bills up front.
All other things being equal (hourly wage, working hours, benefits, etc.) there are several advantages to a work study job over a “regular” student job. For one thing, there is no FICA deduction from work study wages, so a student takes home more of what he or she earns. For another, work study wages are not counted against a student as income on FAFSA, and possibly not on Profile as well (depends on the school).
@mommdc Our EFC is not in Pell range, we are firmly stuck in the donut hole.
Work study is one of my rants. Work study is NOT AID at a school where part time jobs are readily available on and off campus without it. My kids already had jobs when they were “awarded” work study. That’s a rant for a different discussion.
I’m going to take FAFSA and CSS off my to-do list until January and possibly pay the spring bills up front.
Well, I guess it all depends on your particular situation and perspective. An argument could also be made that federal loans shouldn’t be considered aid, either, since that’s money that will have to be paid back (not that I would make that argument).
@rhododendron the only plus I see to work study is the knowledge that the funds will go directly to the school. Versus outside employment and a young adult spending their pay check on other things… and yes, all the benefits already mentioned.
Plus, most colleges if you are working for them, will cap hours so it has less of an impact on studying and free time whereas outside employment has no such governance and relies on the student to self limit. Which some are good at, and some not.
I’m not sure what you mean by this. The money earned from a work study job is paid directly to the student employee, who then has full discretion on how the money is spent.
@BelknapPoint technically that is true however as a parent and student I think there is a very different sense of obligation to make sure the funds are spent on school items when the only reason you have the job is so that they can be.
Granted, that is a bit of crankiness on my part. My stepson was offered work study but his mother felt that he shouldn’t have to work, and shouldn’t have to contribute at all. So instead he got a job on his own and spent all his money on food, drink, travel. Which still irritates me to no end. Great kid and I can’t say I blame him since he wasn’t expected to differently but he’s got a strong moral code and if he was employed under work study, I know some if not all of the money would have been spent quite differently. I wasn’t thrilled to see him take himself to Europe between freshman and sophomore year of college while we scrimped to make tuition at his private (though relatively reasonable) school.
“Technically” it’s true? It’s true in every sense of the word. You said that “work study… funds will go directly to the school.” Quite simply, no, they won’t.
And when you talk about an obligation that work study funds be spent on “school items,” I think that many people (including many FA professionals) would disagree with that. In many cases the expectation is that wages from a work study job will to go to pay for a student’s personal expenses; things like laundry, personal care items, haircuts, and maybe even the occasional movie ticket or pizza night with friends. School expenses usually come early in the semester or before school even starts, and at least for freshman there is zero or very little earned from a work study job at that point that would allow for spending work study earnings on “school expenses.”
What bothers me about the work study award is that it is on the financial aid award and looks like it will cover part of the direct billed items. It won’t, it has to be earned, but my daughter sees it on her award and thinks it will cover tuition.
Yes, it’s her issue but I wish they’d drop it down a few lines and not include it in ‘total of financial aid.’
@ClaremontMom maybe so, however practically speaking for most kids who do work study, they don’t have that luxury as their gap it too large. My point, as I stated was that specifically in our case at least in my mind, work study monies should have contributed to books, general entertainment, normal day to day expenses that a parent would typically fund. Not pricey clothing, electronics or a trip to europe. A work study position provides (or should in my mind) implies an obligation to use the funds for expenses associated with day to day school and living expenses whereas an outside job may not to an individual student.
As I said it’s a personal issue and not at all mandated by any work study rules, I just think there is a different sense of obligation.
@eandesmom - The quote I put up didn’t say anything about pricey clothing or a trip to Europe. It said exactly what you said – day to day expenses. And it was meant to correct your original statement that funds “go directly to the school”. Day to day expenses could mean shampoo which doesn’t go directly to the school.
I’m so angry. I guess I have been under a rock. We have to submit our 2015 income AGAIN this year? Our income went down precipitously mid-2015, and I was looking forward to this year’s FAFSA better reflecting what we can afford. This just seems so unfair and I am just incredulous at our bad luck.
@choirsandstages there may be a “special circumstances” form that you can complete for the university. Contact Financial Aid at the school to find out.