<p>This is the biggest B.S. why do people with EFC of 0 get an advantage over me. I recieved 45k in loans while if my efc was 0 I would get something like 30k in loans and 15k in grants. Suppose that both of our parents didn’t want to pay for college, and the burden would be on the child. Someone like me would have 200 k in debt when I graduate mean while the kid with 0 efc has only 120k in debt. It will take me longer to pay off my debt and neither of our families incomes will affect our ability to pay college because we both got loans. This is great bias and unfair because I will have to spend many more years paying off my loan the the kid who happened to have a 0 EFC.</p>
<p>om36689, that’s just how it is. You need to be either very poor or very wealthy to be able to afford college these days. I told my kids I’m sorry we aren’t poorer!</p>
<p>I guess that is the way the system works.</p>
<p>cant change the system, i suggest you just apply for scholarships from outside sources</p>
<p>The reason why they have an EFC of 0 is because they are poor, as you already know. Would you rather live 18 years in poverty or the life that you lived? If it weren’t for these grants, students who have an EFC of 0 (like me) wouldn’t even be able to go to college. Your parents may not want to pay for your college education, but my parents can’t at all.</p>
<p>just because they have an efc doesnt just mean they are flat out poor and dont have anything for themselves, just thought i would put that out their</p>
<p>but yea @arrrr is right</p>
<p>I know plenty of people with an EFC of 0 who drive a bmw, there are many loopholes in the system. Just because you have an EFC of 0 basically means that you will havo to work less to pay off your debts and that I will have to pay more. There should be some type of grants for the middle class since and EFC of 0 means you go for free, and EFC of 100,000 means you can pay your way through, but an EFC of 10,000 to 20,000 means you cant afford pricey colleges.</p>
<p>ha lol what student do you know with a BMW( that i am assuming is new, and not just a older one that you can buy for 3-5k) with an efc of 0? i can see if its an older BMW that isnt more than 5k, and the only loopholes i can think of are ones in which people dont report their correct earning or something</p>
<p>I like to be able to afford a 5k car but I’m too poor. I have to work and that income puts me above 0. I was eligible for the Texas Grant but because I got off my backside and tried to put something back for college or a car or a much needed laptop it moved me past where they ran out of money. When you’re just barely over the line, it stinks.</p>
<p>@nunya their are a few schools in Texas that will pay your tuition if your family makes a certain amount. they are scholarships that usually “school mascot - promise”</p>
<p>By BMW I mean 40k BMW, if I meant to say a 5k car I would have said a used Toyota. One of the most popular loopholes is if your parents were separated and you live with your mom who is a house wife and makes no money while your father it a doctor or some other high paying job and reporting that you only live with your mother who makes $0, therefore an EFC of 0. Everyone should get the same amount of grants and loans that way all students start out on the same level, no one has to pay out of pocket and every student has an equal amount loan.</p>
<p>@ome: dude, I know people that not only drive BMWs, but collect them, own around 15 profitable businesses, take luxurious vacations and brag about the amount of money they have and then apply to a scholarship (gates) that pays in full your entire ungrad education if you qualify (which yu have to be pretty low income to do) and their EFC is around $2000 (it should be higher than the COA at UT). Then they admit to you that they cheat & find loopholes. So yea, I know it sucks, but there are people with legit zero EFCs. And these people really cannot afford college. Do I wish they gave out more merit based aid? yea, I do. But if crap like this happens. The system blows.</p>
<p>I guess your right</p>
<p>wouldnt really consider that a loophole, since you dont live with your father. but i get your point. , Merit based aid at UT is super hard to get, you think your grades are good then the next day u meet someone whos grade are better</p>