<p>bayareatrojan7, kelsmom responded to your question on the <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/915248-i-awarded-8-325-pell-grant.html?highlight=summer+pell[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/915248-i-awarded-8-325-pell-grant.html?highlight=summer+pell</a> thread, so be sure to take a look. It is still confusing, but a teeny-tiny bit less confusing with her explanation.</p>
<p>So I got my financial aid package finally, turns out my efc is 50,000. which I don’t understand, being that my father is unemployed. my mother is not, do they just go off of her information?? because my parents are divorced. </p>
<p>So basically… I can take out a parent plus loan and be done with it? I have the money to pay for next year but this year is a different story. Is the stafford loan something that is only given if you need it, or can I apply for that too?</p>
<p>also, I emailed USC asking why my efc was so high… and I’ll probably just get a generic response telling me to take out loans. blah.</p>
<p>
Your parent(s) apply for the Parent PLUS loan, and it will be in their name. As a junior, you are eligible for up to $7,500 in Stafford unsubsidized loans by filing the FAFSA. If your parents are turned down for the Parent PLUS loan, you are eligible for an extra $4,000 unsubsidized Stafford. Fill out a Stafford loan request to start the process. You can find the online form by logging into your USConnect financial aid.</p>
<p>
They generally use the parent you live with. I recall in another post you mentioned that you live with your mother, so it seems they used her information.</p>
<p>Is it possible that once you receive and accept a housing assignment, your financial aid will increase? I read everything on my awards page on USConnect and was wondering what this was about:
“Please notify us as soon as possible if you receive additional awards or if your enrollment or housing plans change as your eligibility for financial aid may be affected.”</p>
<p>“The financial aid shown is subject to change if: 1) your enrollment or housing plans differ from that shown at the right <a href=“for%20both%20fall%20and%20spring”>USC-Owned Housing</a>”</p>
<p>I called the financial aid office to ask and I was told that the above statement means that my account will be budgeted differently for on-campus (USC-Owned) housing vs. off-campus housing, and my amount will not increase or decrease if I accept USC-Owned housing. I’m not sure if I explained my answer well enough bc right after I finished speaking, there was a long pause lol</p>
<p>I’m gonna go ahead and send an email to the Fin. Aid Office for some more answers</p>
<p>The cost of *your particular housing *does not matter at all. Only the category your housing falls into. The possible categories:</p>
<p>-USC-owned
-Non USC-owned, but not with parents or relatives
-Living with parents or relatives</p>
<p>USC uses an estimated amount that generally corrsponds with the cheapest version of the three categories listed. You will not receive more financial aid if you choose a more expensive housing option - a single room in USC housing instead of a double, for example, or Gateway for off-campus non-USC housing instead of a dumpy apartment. It is the same amount for the category for all students who fall into that category.</p>
<p>An example with completely made-up numbers (do NOT use any of these numbers to estimate costs or aid!!!):</p>
<p>For example, USC might estimate an off-campus apartment shared by four students might cost $5,400 (room only, each student) for the school year. They will figure your cost of attendance using that figure even if you choose to live at Gateway and have to commit to a 12-month lease for $10,788. The difference will come out of your pocket.</p>
<p>Does that answer your question?</p>
<p>So after I sent them the form for Stafford Loan, do I have to do anything else? like…do I have any more application or registration to do? or my file is already done, I don’t have to do anything else and just wait for the day when the classes begin =] ? </p>
<p>PS: We do not need PLUS loan.</p>
<p>You will still need to do your online loan counseling and then an online Master Promissary Note (MPN). It was a while ago that my kiddo did it, but there should be “tasks” or “next steps” links on your financial aid awards pages. Then after you arrive on-campus for classes, all students receiving Federal loans need to make an appointment for in-person loan counseling.</p>
<p>If the links don’t appear yet, don’t worry - USC does a great job of taking you through the process. The financial aid office is still working on new transfer student aid packages and returning stdent packages and won’t be turning their attention to loan funding processes until mid July, so you may not hear from them until then.</p>
<p>USC’s loan instructions: <a href=“http://www.usc.edu/admission/fa//loans/[/url]”>http://www.usc.edu/admission/fa//loans/</a></p>
<p>is it too late to start applying for cal grants? what are some websites for outside scholarships and what other places should i be looking for loans/grants/scholarships?</p>
<p>The Cal Grant deadline was March 2nd to file a FAFSA listing a California college in your first three selections and a Cal Grant GPA verification. To qualify as a freshman for Cal Grant, you must apply within one year of graduating from a California High School.</p>
<p>Transfer students under age 28 might qualify for a Cal Grant, but you must have filed the FAFSA and GPA by March 2nd of 2010 to be eligible this year. If you begin classes as a transfer student this year, you will not be eligible for Cal Grant next year. (You have to apply before starting.) [Grants</a> for School, College Grant, School Grants](<a href=“http://www.csac.calgrants.org/index.cfm?navId=12]Grants”>http://www.csac.calgrants.org/index.cfm?navId=12) <a href=“http://www.csac.ca.gov/pubs/forms/grnt_frm/G-50_Morewaystopay.pdf[/url]”>http://www.csac.ca.gov/pubs/forms/grnt_frm/G-50_Morewaystopay.pdf</a> [California</a> Student Aid Commission - Cal Grants](<a href=“http://www.csac.ca.gov/doc.asp?id=20]California”>http://www.csac.ca.gov/doc.asp?id=20)</p>
<p>Based on your screen name, I am wondering if you are in California? Only students who attended California high schools are eligible for Cal Grant in any case. (All of this is assuming Cal Grant survives…)</p>
<p>I submitted an appeal for financial aid in mid may but I haven’t heard back yet… I was being a patient little boy because they said they would get back to me in the first two weeks of june but now that the end of the month rolls around im feelin a bit nervous… anyone know when you receive notice of your appeal?</p>
<p>so I’m supposed to bring all of my financial aid documentation with me to orientation on Thursday.</p>
<p>I still haven’t received my offer.</p>
<p>What am I supposed to do?</p>
<p>wisdomsomehow, I remember in mid-April you posted that you hadn’t yet submitted all of your required information - I think you were working on getting your tax forms in?</p>
<p>What documentation are they asking for?</p>
<p>USC will not present your aid package until all of the required and requested documentation has been submitted, so you should get those documents in as soon as possible. If it were me, I would FAX the documents they have requested TODAY AND bring copies to orientation . FAX info on page 1 of this thread.</p>
<hr>
<p>For next year’s applicants who might be checking in: Remember the deadlines for the FAFSA and CSS/Profile are the end of January, and copies of tax returns should be submitted by March 2nd. Discuss with your parents NOW that their taxes should be done as early as possible next year to avoid a delay like this in receiving your aid package.</p>
<p>The #1 piece of financial aid advice I have is : DON’T MISS DEADLINES</p>
<p>alamemom,</p>
<p>I was wondering how outside scholarships work with USC. If I get a couple outside scholarships next year, how will it affect my financial aid package? I’m just curious because if it all does is decrease the amount of a USC grant i get, then isn’t it pointless to get outside scholarships? But if they decrease my loans or work study, that’s a different case.</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>I’ll quote myself for this one;
Post #6, this thread.</p>
<p>yeah I’ve been getting forms in and then they tell me they still need more forms every time. It’s been a very long process, which hasn’t been aided by the fact that for some reason, some of the forms I fax never end up getting to them. I currently have one form pending, hopefully my last, but then again I thought that about five forms ago.</p>
<p>They were asking for all of this farm stuff, we don’t even have a farm. My grandfather did, and he and my dad have the same name, so I guess that’s where it got confusing. Believe me, I’ve been nagging my parents about all of this so much, they just… didn’t do things on time necessarily. I’ve already explained many times how time is of the essence here, but the message doesn’t seem to be sinking in with them.</p>
<p>OK.</p>
<p>So I JUST got an email saying that my financial aid package has been determined. However, when I log in to USConnect, it still says that it hasn’t been determined yet, and my last document is still “pending.” I know it’s late at night, even in LA, but if I got the email, USConnect should be updated as well, right? I’ll obviously check again in the morning.</p>
<p>One of theses Oasis sites might work: <a href=“https://camel2.usc.edu/ESD/IOL/login.aspx[/url]”>https://camel2.usc.edu/ESD/IOL/login.aspx</a>
<a href=“https://camel2.usc.edu/OASIS/Login.aspx[/url]”>https://camel2.usc.edu/OASIS/Login.aspx</a> Sometimes one updates before the others.</p>
<p>Ok. I got my award. It’s not great, but better than I got from my other private school, and certainly more than I was expecting at this stage in the game.</p>
<p>yeah, i graduated from a california high school. i’m a transfer student so i wasn’t aware of the cal grant deadline or even knew about cal grants since i don’t live in california anymore and didn’t need them for community college there since it’s so cheap. i’ve filled out my fafsa and css profile and im just waiting to hear about my aid still.</p>
<p>In case anyone was wondering, I contacted the USC Financial Aid Office and apparently they estimate on campus and off campus housing to be identical in cost.</p>