So, my my parents are divorced, I live with my mom who’s currently unemployed and on SNAP/welfare benefits. We live in subsidized housing, and she basically lives off of money given to her by my grandparents (essentially, my mom doesn’t want to, or plan to, get a job anytime soon). I’m scared that this might affect my financial aid/fafsa process. Considering she hasn’t filed taxes in years and is literally living off of untaxed income, how will this affect my chances at receiving aid? I read another thread on here about almost the same situation, and the posts were basically saying the parent was committing welfare fraud…which would affect the child’s financial aid. I don’t know what to do or how to talk to my mom about this. She’s really not the type of person who will…listen. Also another thing is my brother is a senior, and just finished his FAFSA so I don’t know how that’s going to go. I don’t think he got his FAFSA award yet. What should I do? Is all this going to end badly?
Just reread all that…sorry it’s written so messed up (didn’t close the parathesis…), I’m in a big hurry and Im just hoping I can get any advice.
What state are you in?
Are you a junior?
What are your grades? When will you be taking the ACT/SAT ? How’d you do on the PSAT?
There are some schools that will require your dad’s info. Does he pay child support?
Where did your brother apply? Sounds like he’s still waiting for his FA pkgs from his schools.
@mom2collegekids , I live in Pennsylvania and yes I’m a junior. I have a pretty good GPA (honestly, I think it’s due to my school’s grade inflation) and a pretty low PSAT score of 1110. I’ve been studying a lot and plan to take the SAT in May. As for my brother, applied to mostly PA schools. On the top of my head, he applied to Shippensburg, Bloomsburg, Penn State Berks, and Lock Haven. I think my dad has to pay directly to the welfare department last I heard.
Plan on taking both the ACT/SAT because you may do better on one, and you’ll need the best scores you can get.
Sounds like he hasn’t yet got his FA pkgs yet.
Try this…run the Net Price Calculators on a couple of those schools’ websites and copy/paste the results below. For now, just put that there’s one Student in college.
Do you have younger siblings, too?
Yes, that’s likely. Ive seen that happen when the mom is getting welfare benefits, then the state goes after the dad for reimbursement.
@mom2collegekids
Okay I might have to do that.
I ran a net price calculator for Bloomsburg, the estimated net price after grants and scholarships was $15,320. For another school, Temple, the net price after grants/scholarships was $19,546. I have two younger siblings, 10 and 3.
Yikes! Doesn’t sound like either of those schools will be affordable for your brother. Does he have any way to cover $15k-20k per year?
Do you think your dad will help with college costs?
@mommdc are you the one who knows about PA grants??
@thumper1 @mom2collegekids I do know about the PA grant which is definitely an option.
I honestly have no idea how my brother/mom is going to cover the net price/efc whatever it ma ybe. I know there are private loans separate from the financial aid package but he needs a cosigner with good credit and neither of my parents has good credit 
I’m beginning to think maybe I should start off at a community college, then go to university which I’m really bummed about.
The PA grant should have already been reflected in the NPC results. Was it?
Can you copy paste the results of the NPC?
Is your mom or brother aware of the NPC results?
Well, that depends. If you can get your ACT/SAT up and get into a school that gives super need based aid or merit scholarships, then it would probably be better for you to start as a frosh…because transfers often get worse aid.
Wouldn’t want you to start at a CC only to find that transferring isn’t affordable.
Keep your options open for now, and work on your ACT/SAT scores!
In Pennsylvania a $0 EFC student can expect to receive at maximum around $10,000 in federal and state aid.
So $6,095 Pell Grant and about $3,000-$4,000 state grant.
Depending on school and when FAFSA was filed (early, like preferably in October), there might be a small FSEOG and/or federal work study award.
Then there is the $5,500 federal student loan in freshman year.
So that is about $16,000
Considering that Pitt and Penn State branches charge about $14,000 for tuition and fees, plus you need books, you either need to commute to a branch, or you need merit to make living on campus a possibility.
Pitt Bradford, Pitt Johnstown might give merit of around $5,500-$7,500 for higher stats and living in campus.
That leaves a net price of around $16,000-$18,000
There are many small private schools in PA like Allegheny, Susquehanna, Lycoming, Geneva, that are pretty generous with merit and need based aid.
Pitt, Penn State main campus and Temple, will cost about $30,000 a year.
You wouldn’t be able to afford the cost of $14,000 after federal, state grants and loan on your own.
You need to raise the SAT score well above 1200 if you hope to get merit. And keep a high gpa.
I hope your brother has high stats or applied to affordable local choices.
Even PASSHE schools can cost above $20,000 a year.
You and your brother need to try and get a part-time and summer job as well.
If the brother just filed FAFSA, he wouldn’t have his FA award yet.
Make sure your brother reads all emails from the schools and follows up.
Since the mom has $0 income from working, the schools will want to have an explanation for how monthly expenses are paid.
And they might require non filer forms if no tax returns were filed.
Make sure he applied for PHEAA grant after he did his FAFSA, and there is a signature page to print and mail to Harrisburg.
True, however, I would select cc over not going at all, just make sure you earn the AA and not simply focus on enough credits to transfer. If fed/state grant aid don’t change for transfers, and there’s little institutional aid at the state schools, there may not be a lot of benefit to starting at one as a freshman.
Yes, we’re planning to get a job over the summer. I ran the NPC for Bloomsburg again and these are the results:
Bloomsburg -
Estimated tuition and fees = $10,155
- Estimated room and board charges
(Includes rooming accommodations and meals) = $8,912 - Estimated cost of books and supplies = $1,200
- Estimated other expenses (Personal expenses, transportation, etc.) = $3,140
Estimated total cost of attendance: $23,407 - Estimated total grant aid: = $8,087
Estimated Net Price After Grants and Scholarships: $15,320
Also, I’m not really sure what my mom would say to verify how she gets bills and other expenses paid. I did mention she receives money from my grandma so I don’t how that will go.
If your mom was asked to verify, then she would indicate that she receives welfare payments, food stamps, and subsidized housing. As you noted, she’d also say that she gets some money from her parents.
.
Why does your brother say about those results? Has your mom seen them?
You may want to apply to out of state schools that are FAFSA only. PA schools are expensive with insufficient aid. However, public out of state schools have high price tags for non residents. The trick would be to find a FAFSA only private, a public with generous need-based aid, or a private with generous need based aid including your dad’s income. If his income is low, it may work out at a school that requires info from both. Would your grandma help you at all?
A low income PA student with no parent help has the following options.
Commute to local Pitt or PSU branch (preferable one that offers bachelor degree), or PASSHE school close by.
Live on campus at Pitt or PSU branch that gives enough merit to live on campus.
Live on campus at PASSHE or private school in PA that gives enough merit and/or need based aid to bring net price down to about $15,000 (Pell, PA grant and student loan).
The only OOS school that is very generous to PA students with and might be affordable is Youngstown State in Ohio.
Unless the student would qualify for full tuition somewhere like UA or UAH, out of state schools would most likely not be affordable on a budget of Pell and loan ($11,500), since the PA grant would be lost.
If the area has a community college that might be an option too. Transfer agreements with local 4 yr schools would have to be investigated. And the student should save up their student loans if possible for the higher tuition at the 4 yr school.
What are your brother’s stats, what is he hoping to study?
Most of the schools he applied to would only be affordable with merit.
Run the net price calculator at Lycoming, Susquehanna, Youngstown State.
The main costs that need covered are the direct costs the school charges for tuition fees and room and board.
Books and supplies can be paid with your summer earnings and a (work study) job on campus.
The only private university that meets full need for all that uses only the FAFSA is University of Chicago.
OOS public universities are likely not going to be free…or affordable.
This student has the full Pell of $6095, the PA grant which is minimally $3000, and a $5500 Direct Loan. That’s $15,000 which I believe would pay tuition at one of the PA branches if this student can commute. Am I correct @mommdc
This student might want to look at one of the work colleges…e.g. Berea.
@ucbalumnus do you have a list of the work colleges?