<p>Hello. I have been accepted by a college for fall transfer. My first acceptance- YAY! But the fin aid award is inadequate. They are expecting me to pay $10,000 more than I could afford. Not only did I notify in my application the amount I can pay, my financial documents proved it. That college is not a 'top' college and they have limited resources, and the fin aid counselor said I received one of their top awards. I am going to fill out an appeal form and write them a letter explaining my financial situation but the counselor already told me that it is unlikely I'll get more money since they are almost out!</p>
<p>Can someone offer me any piece of advice? Has someone gotten their awards improved?</p>
<p>It says in a Princeton Review book “Unfortunately, what you think you can pay, what your college thinks you can pay, and what the government thinks you can pay are three different things.”
I’m sorry you’re in a quagmire, but it seems as if the college in question will not give more aid.
But I wish you the best of luck.</p>
<p>Thank you Joon. But the thing is that the college did not see any bank statements or employer letters to know my need. They only asked for a fin aid form, and then they didn’t meet my need. How do they even know I can afford what they are asking me to pay! I am going to send in the supporting financial documents with my appeal form.</p>
<p>Er… Unfortunately, not many. Scholarships and loans are your remaining options, it seems.
If your school received your FA form, it essentially had all it thought it needed to make up it’s own idea of how much you should be able to pay. From what I’ve heard FA doesn’t change much unless your parents get laid off, or something drastic happens to the family income.
If you’re international, imo they’ll be even more reluctant to give you money.</p>
<p>Does this college meet full demonstrated financial need for internationals? If they don’t then determining your financial need isn’t something they ever said that they would do.</p>
<p>You say their award was inadequate, but was it generous? If it was one of their top awards then you are unlikely to get more.</p>
<p>I can’t speak from experience but most on-campus workers work at dining services stuff for an hourly wage slightly higher than the minimum wage. For those who work in a lab the pay is better, but not by much.</p>
<p>Well, I have only been accepted by one school so far. I think f1 allows students to work at college for 20 hours weeks during term time and full time during the summer. I can also do an internship. So why do you think it is very difficult?</p>
<p>1) You have to get that job. Maybe it will be easy, maybe it won’t. Only people on that campus can tell you the answer.</p>
<p>2) Right now, you don’t know how much that job will pay. Maybe it will be the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour. Maybe even less because the college has some kind of special waiver.</p>
<p>3) Even if you can work 20 hours each week with your visa status, you may not be able to fit that many hours in around your coursework each week. The job hours may be more variable.</p>
<p>4) If you get a paid internship for the summer, you will almost certainly have to pay your own living expenses. Ask this particular college how they organize these things.</p>
<p>Your best bet for accurate information about your options at this particular college, is to ask them. It is perfectly OK for you to call them or send an email about the job situation.</p>
<p>@mom2collegekids. I can show the money, but I can’t pay all of it. </p>
<p>@happymomof1. Thanks. The college is going to decide on my aid appeal later this week. Hopefully I’ll get a $1000 or $2000 further off. Then the gap will come to $8000 or $9000. I could at least make $3000 - $4000 by working.</p>
<p>How is the loan scene for intl students? My college does not loan out.</p>
<p>My family earns more money than my EFC but I can’t possibly pay a major part of my family’s earnings to college. Lets assume my EFC is 10,000 and my family’s income is 20,000, then I can’t pay 10,000 because their are other expenses. So I could maybe pay 5 or 6,000. But I can still show my EFC of 10,000 in bank statements.</p>
<p>You are not eligible for federal work study. As for the college not meeting your need, since you applied to a school that does not guarantee to meet aid, you are in the same situation as many of your future classmates. That you are international does make the options fewer, but many US students are gapped too. Do check out what your work options are as an international student. Are you transferring from a US school?</p>