<p>So I will not get into any details, but I come from a lower class family with a very small income. I live with my single mother that barely supports us from my father's payments. My EFC is $0. I was given the maximum amount from the Pell Grant and Maryland Grant, but that is not nearly enough. I cannot afford to pay $30000 a year for school. I will be majoring in Material Science and Engineering, but for some reason, I did not receive any merit aid whatsoever. I test scores are good, GPA excellent, and have an extensive resume. I spoke with everyone I could, but no one will give me a straight answer as to why I was not given any awards. Maryland is my dream school and this is very disheartening. I have already applied for many other scholarships, but have yet to hear back from those outside sources. Please give me any advice on what I should do. Thanks</p>
<p>Puckhound, do you mean you received zero in financial aid or zero in merit money?</p>
<p>If your EFC is zero I’m assuming you received financial aid. I hope so at least. Regarding merit money, UMD is pretty tight with merit money. It is all about the stats. You need really high stats to get a scholarship. I truly hope you are able to gain some outside financial assistance that will allow you to attend your dream school. After you matriculate you can apply for engineering scholarships from Clark. Again, I hope it works out and wish you the best of luck! </p>
<p>I’m not sure which specific grant you are referring to since several state “Maryland” and “Grant;” …are you IS or OOS? </p>
<p>Also, while I absolutely could be mistaken, I believe there are some grants that do NOT need to be repaid and are therefore equivalent to merit aid for all intents and purposes…so, if you qualify for those grants, that might possibly explain why you are not getting merit $ in addition to the grant award…?</p>
<p>“Need-based grants are funds allocated to the University of Maryland by the institution, the Department of Education, and the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC). The University awards these funds to students with demonstrated financial need.
Need-based grants do NOT need to be repaid.” That is a direct quote from this link:
<a href=“http://www.financialaid.umd.edu/grants/”>http://www.financialaid.umd.edu/grants/</a></p>
<p>And Terpmom is right - lots of merit awards AFTER freshman year for engineering… </p>
<p>I would call the financial aid office and talk to them about it…hope things work out for you!</p>
<p>I was trying to not go into too much detail…
@terpmom7 I received zero merit aid, but received need-based aid. My stats are relatively high which is why I am confused. If I do go to UMD, I am hoping my good grades in engineering will get me some merit scholarships. Trust me, I applied for a LOT of outside scholarships as well
@maryversity They call it the Maryland Grant, but I am OOS. They gave me the most they could need wise, but I simply need more money. They did not help me out like I thought they would</p>
<p>I found this link - maybe you can appeal?
<a href=“http://www.financialaid.umd.edu/appeals/financial_aid_appeals.php”>http://www.financialaid.umd.edu/appeals/financial_aid_appeals.php</a>
I would also ask about work-study aid…<a href=“http://www.financialaid.umd.edu/fws/”>http://www.financialaid.umd.edu/fws/</a>
Unfortunately, I don’t know where else to direct you to go other than contacting the office of student finanical aid <a href=“http://www.financialaid.umd.edu/about/contact_us.php”>http://www.financialaid.umd.edu/about/contact_us.php</a>
As admirable as it is that you are trying to resolve this on your own, it might be helpful in this situation for your mom to call…?
Are you able to secure any loans?
I really hope things work out for you! </p>