<p>I just found out today that I was not eligible for financial aid. I got a small merit scholarship worth a few thousand (I don’t know exactly how much yet, this is just what an FA officer told me) but no need-based. My mom a single, working mother with two children (including me) entering college this fall. She makes over 100k but no where near 200k a year, and much of this goes towards paying living expenses and my brother’s boarding school tuition. My father is unemployed. I don’t understand how USC expects me to pay 50k a year flat-out; this is the worst package I have received thus far and may make attending unrealistic for me.</p>
<p>Chelseaaa217, sorry to hear you won’t be attending USC. It is very good news that aid you received at other schools fits your budget. Good luck!</p>
<p>I haven’t got my financial aid package in the mail and I live in NorCal =/. Has this anyone happedn to anyone else? (Though I did have to submit some tax return forms around March 27th to the USC website, but they’ve said they have all the required documents for like a week now).</p>
<p>Alamemom, I’m not positively not attending. It’s just going to make the decision much, much more complicated, because I don’t like the other schools I was accepted into nearly as much as I like USC. :/</p>
<p>It sounds like you already called to double-check, but be sure they know your family will have TWO undergraduates next year. The boarding school tuition and living expenses won’t be considered, but two undergraduates might make a difference IF they don’t have that information in their records.</p>
<p>Good luck with the decision and, though I understand liking USC best, I checked your past posts and you have WONDERFUL options. It will be great. Really.</p>
<p>Hi. I am a new user here but have been following the forums since last September! I had a quick question because just today i realized that my parents had not filed their 2009 taxes due to my dad being out of town. I talked to him and he said that he would have the paperwork by this week. I am guessing this is the reason why i have not recieved my financial aid and i was wondering how this was going to affect my financial aid and if it would even by available by May 1st.</p>
<p>thank you!</p>
<p>Hello EzequielP! Welcome to the forum. Check posts #18, 79, 80, 138, and 238 on this thread. The earliest you can expect your package would be 1 - 2 weeks after you get the required paperwork in.</p>
<p>thank you so much! i was unaware that i could receive extensions so that is a huge relief knowing i will be able to make my decisions with the knowledge of what financial aid i receive.</p>
<p>Yes, most schools will grant extensions if you are still waiting for financial aid information, but you will have to request them. If you don’t have your aid by about April 25th, that would be an appropriate time to make those requests. You will have to request one from USC as well - they will not automatically assume you are waiting for your aid. Be sure to get any extensions in writing. Good luck!</p>
<p>Hi Everyone,</p>
<p>I live in Canada and have yet to receive a package from USC. My EFC is 15,000 for FAFSA. I have also been accepted to FSU, but not in the major I wanted. They offered me a scholarship for roughly half my tuition, but I really want to go to USC. I have to make a decision soon so I was wondering if anyone had any advice. To go to USC for SCA would be amazing and I think the degree will be worth the money, but I’m not sure my parents want to go 100,000 in debt. for it. I don’t blame them certainly. Any comments would be helpful…this waiting game is painful. Is the degree from SCA worth that kind of money?</p>
<p>^ It is impossible to say if USC is worth the cost when you do not yet know the cost. When you get your package - which should be soon if your FAFSA and CSS/Profile were in by February 2nd and all your paperwork was in by March 2nd - you will be able to make a more informed decision.</p>
<p>Please remember that USC uses the CSS/Profile to distribute USC grants, so your FAFSA EFC is only used to determine your eligibilty for Federal aid such as Stafford loans and Federal work/study. Please read page one of this thread for details on how USC calculates your need and standard Stafford loan amounts year-to-year.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>Is there any chance of a Financial Aid appeal for USC if they only offered me 10k(making my parents contribution 42,000) need based, when the FASFA profile says my parents estimated contribution should be 23,000? and Pepperdine, also a private offered me 20,000 in need based? Is there any chance of appeal in this case?</p>
<p>Hello, everyone. </p>
<p>I live in American Samoa and plan to enroll USC this fall. I completed FAFSA and profile on time but sent the tax return on March 30th. USC then asked me for additional documents and I sent all of them on April 7th. I cannot still view my financial aid award! I am worried how bad my late documents were going to affect my financial package. My EFC is 0, with no asset and I have one sibling attending the university right now. </p>
<p>I have seen many people with awesome package in this forum. (Someone with 40k!!!) Can I expect similar package even though I am late?</p>
<p>When USC increases the amount of the Stafford loans, do they also decrease the amount of grants?</p>
<p>green6446 - please see post #287 for a list of posts where that question has been answered. Good luck!</p>
<p>wymae13 - Your need and aid package will be calculated each year. Each year you will submit the FAFSA and CSS/Profile and USC will calculate your aid on that year’s information. Once they figure your “need,” they award aid based on that amount. As you already know, the Stafford loan amounts go up sophomore year and junior year by $1,000 each year. Those higher loans will be a part of your total package.</p>
<p>So it isn’t that your grant will be “reduced” as your loans increase, it is that the larger loans will be a part of your package. If every other item on your aid applications stayed exactly the same, the effect would be that your grant would be reduced by that amount. If your income goes down, it is possible that your grant would be increased even with the larger loan. If your income were to rise significantly, your grant would be smaller. Good luck!</p>
<p>A note for those still waiting for their aid packages:</p>
<p>USC usually has all packages ready by about April 8th or 9th, but the U.S. Department of Education *just *informed financial aid offices on April 8th that the maximum EFC to qualify for Pell grants was increased. [IFAP</a> - Dear Colleague Letters](<a href=“http://www.ifap.ed.gov/dpcletters/P1003.html]IFAP”>http://www.ifap.ed.gov/dpcletters/P1003.html) Thousands of financial aid packages have to be reworked to be sure students get all the aid for which they qualify. The change does not increase the amount of the Pell, but it does expand the number of students eligible for a partial Pell. <a href=“http://www.ifap.ed.gov/dpcletters/attachments/P1003PellPaymentSchedules.pdf[/url]”>http://www.ifap.ed.gov/dpcletters/attachments/P1003PellPaymentSchedules.pdf</a></p>
<p>
michelley11, Pepperdine is a FAFSA-only school while USC uses the CSS/Profile, which considers assets the FAFSA does not. As I have typed many, many, times (please see posts #1 through #295 of this thread…), that means you may be expected to contribute more than your FAFSA EFC at USC. </p>
<p>You certainly can appeal and present any special situation you may have, but USC does not typically “match” offers from other schools, especially if they are FAFSA-only schools. Good luck!</p>
<p>USC just recently I believe finished by financial aid package. For the past three days they have been updating it, so hopefully they add more money. This is what I am working with so far. </p>
<p>University Grant Total $28632 </p>
<p>Scholarships/Fellowships/Other Awards
Deans Scholarship total $10096<br>
University Scholarship total $2500 </p>
<p>Loans
Federal Direct Subsidized Stafford Loan total $3500<br>
Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loan total $2000 </p>
<p>TOTAL
$46728 </p>
<p>Is there anything else they will update it with or am I done? And is anyone willing to explain what a University Grant is and university scholarship?</p>
<p>They finished mine too.</p>
<p>Trustee Scholarship: $40384
University Scholarship: $2500
ACG - $750
Pell Grant - $5500</p>
<p>Scholarship and Grant Total: $49134</p>
<p>Sub. Stafford Loan - $3500
Unsub. Stafford Loan - $2000</p>
<p>Total:
$54634 - Really happy with my package.</p>
<p>Great news, Arctic! That really is a fantastic package!!</p>
<p>Could you do me a favor and post on the “kidding me” thread that when you got your package, it was really good? :)</p>
<p>alright, done. :)</p>