Financial Aid conundrum...

<p>So Im applying for financial aid, wanting to attend the University of Michigan (45k/yr) (already been accepted, pending for scholarships), im OOS
my mother recently got laid off from her 120k/yr job with ConocoPhillips, and my dad is a tiny business owner with a basically non profit business (5k/yr).
so for FAFSA and CSS profile, they use 09 and '10 income taxes, which as a family we made over 90,000 after taxes. but this year, assuming my mother doesnt find a job, we'll make around....$10,000. quite the drop.</p>

<p>so my question is, is it possible for me to attend the university of michigan at full price for a year and then next year with my no income get lots of financial aid/federal grants?</p>

<p>im a national merit scholar and make good grades, if that helps.</p>

<p>FAFSA, which is what federal aid eligibility is based on, will use only 2010 income, not 2009. That will not help you is your mom just got laid off although you can certainly request professional judegement due to the job loss. It’s entirely up to the school whether or not they reduce your EFC based on that. Btw, there’s really not a lot of federal aid out there - certainly nowhere near the OOS cost of Michigan! The Pell grant is the largest non-loan federal aid and that is capped at $5550 this year, which requires an EFC of 0. </p>

<p>You should really discuss this with your parents and, if it’s unlikely that your mom will find a new job with equivalent salary soon, be prepared to attend one of your financial safeties.</p>

<p>As an OOS student, you will not likely get the aid you need at UMich. UMich makes it clear on its website that it can’t meet the financial need for out of state students.</p>

<p>Federal grants are very low…at most…$5,550. Certainly not enough to pay the $45k+ per year for OOS at UMich.</p>

<p>It is VERY likely that the only need-based aid UMich will give you is federal aid…a $5,550 grant, a $5,500 student loan. Since this you will have greater need as a sophomore, the school will have no incentive to be generous to you. </p>

<p>Do NOT make the mistake of thinking that you can pay for the first year and then get aid for the following year. You are an OOS student. UMich has to reserve its aid for instate students. I’m concerned that you will find yourself without the funds you need to finish at that school…then what would you do? At that point, it will be too late to get scholarship offers elsewhere that only go to incoming freshmen.</p>

<p>Since you are having financial difficulties and you are a NMF, have you applied to any schools that will give you a lot of money for being NMF? If not, you should…as a safety.</p>

<p>BTW…while your family’s 2011 income will be lower, it may end up higher than $10k when you add unemployment payments and any other things…like severance pay or unpaid vacation. </p>

<p>What are your financial safety schools (the schools that you know FOR SURE that you have all costs covered by ASSURED scholarships and family funds for all FOUR years).</p>

<p>Check out the University of Arizona. Guaranteed $30K/year scholarship for NM Finalists, and total COA is about $38K for OOS. Deadline for application is May 1. You have to name UA as your top choice school on the NMF application (and if you didn’t, I believe you can contact College Board and change it). U Oklahoma has a similar deal and a deadline of April 1. There are other schools too but I’m not sure if the deadlines have passed. Good luck to you and your family!</p>

<p>we made over 90,000 after taxes</p>

<p>Just to let you know…Financial aid is based on income BEFORE taxes…so, your income that FA will consider is much higher than $90k. </p>

<p>What is your major? What is your career goal?</p>

<p>i am from oklahoma and yes i have a full scholarship + stipend to University of Oklahoma. my major would be nuclear engineering at michigan and aerospace anywhere else.
actually im sure my parents CAN still pay for u michigan, even though we have no income possibly, we do have over $400,000 in total real estate (2 houses) and we plan to sell one of them.
thank you all, and please share any further comments :)</p>

<p>*actually im sure my parents CAN still pay for u michigan, even though we have no income possibly, we do have over $400,000 in total real estate (2 houses) and we plan to sell one of them.
*</p>

<p>You need to have a talk with your parents. If they own a second home that they will sell, then I think they will have to pay taxes on the profits. That might take a chunk of the money. And, they may need that money to live on…not for college.</p>

<p>You need to ask your parents exactly how much they are willing to spend each year on your college costs. If they are hesitant to give a firm amount, then ask them if they’re willing to pay $45k per year for UMich.</p>

<p>It’s good that you have OU as a financial safety. If you decide that you want another financial safety, there are others. </p>

<p>UMich is a great school, but it’s not worth $200k when your family is having financial difficulties.</p>

<p>thanks, ill talk to them about it</p>

<p>^^wowlol:</p>

<p>Do you know if you plan to go to graduate school? If you do, then save your money now and go to a top-notch engineering school for your masters or phd! I went to a local, not nationally-ranked, engineering school on full scholarship for my bachelors degree, then MIT for my masters. Went to MIT for free! (Teaching assistantship for a year, then research assistantship; both included full tuition plus a monthly stipend).</p>