<p>My mother keeps warning me that I might not be able to live on campus, but I believe that's a wrong statement in nature because I can't risk my education over residential issues.</p>
<p>Financial aid and loans can pay for boarding costs and meal plans etc right? Can i get some details?</p>
<p>She is the best one to talk about your financial situation. </p>
<p>Are you attending a SUNY that is close to your home?
If not, then you will have to pay room and board at least for freshman year. Subsequent years, perhaps you can get an off campus apartment or become a RA to defray some of the cost.</p>
<p>Will you be eligible for TAP or Pell?</p>
<p>If you are not eligible for TAP or Pell, which is the biggest source of financial aid for SUNY, if you are not eligible for merit $$, then the only financial aid that you will receive is a stafford loan for 5500.</p>
<p>The Cost of attendance for SUNY (including room and board) is ~20,000/year. Is this affordable for your family? </p>
<p>If not, what is your plan B?</p>
<p>Where would you live? Is your mother thinking that you will commute from home?</p>
<p>*
My mother keeps warning me that I might not be able to live on campus, but I believe that’s a wrong statement in nature because I can’t risk my education over residential issues.*</p>
<p>Whether or not you can “risk your education over residential issues” is irrelevant. Your intentions don’t matter.</p>
<p>What matters is what aid you might qualify for and how much your family will pay. Is your family low income? How much will your parents pay each year? Are you a NY resident? </p>
<p>Have your mom do the Net Price Calculator on a SUNY website to see what you might get from that SUNY (each SUNY may give different results).</p>
<p>Either way, it’s very doubtful you’d be given $20k in grants. If you’re low income, you might get some grants, some loans, some work study, and some gap in funding.</p>
<p>My family has lost tons of money after not having jobs for years now. We will probably be eligible for something but she is thinking that I’m going to go to some close school that I can commute to, which I dont want to do because that just slims my choices. I live in weschester and want to go to upstate SUNYs, there’s no way I can commute 3-5 hours!</p>
<p>Have your mom run a Net Price Calculator on various SUNY websites to see what you’d get for grants, loans, and work study.</p>
<p>If there’s a gap (which there likely will be), you’ll have to figure out how to cover that. Loans will already be included in your FA pkgs.</p>
<p>What schools are close enough for you to commute? Westchester Community College? SUNY Purchase?</p>
<p>wow, that’s a really good idea actually. Thanks!!</p>
<p>SUNYs aren’t known to be that generous, make sure you have multiple options and not just the top tier schools.</p>
<p>After your mom runs the NPCs on the various SUNY sites, print out the results so you can refer to them. Then come back here and tell us what kind of results you got. If there’s a gap (which there likely will be), then you’ll need to figure out how that gap will get covered…working a summer job, etc.</p>
<p>We are very lucky here in New York in that our tuition is reasonable and affordable to most everyone. The Stafford loan can cover it with some money to spare for transportation and supplies. However, room and board are a whole other issue. They are no bargains here in NY, and the total cost for going away to college is about $20K a year. If you don’t qualify for PELL or TAP in sufficient amounts to cover that cost, commuting is your affordable option.</p>
<p>Don’t forget the CUNYs as well. My sons got a free ride, complete with travel opportunity and computer from Lehman college. Definitely something to investigate. Westchester Community College is very good and the offerings seem solid. </p>
<p>The SUNYs are not easy admissions these days either. I was a bit surprised at some kids who were not accepted to them. With Buffalo and possibly some of the other ones after living on campus the first year, finding cheap off campus housing is common among the kids. The same goes for commuters to the SUNYs and CUNYs as they get to know the school, area and options.</p>
<p>Yes, dont forget the CUNYs. If your stats are really good, you may be able to get into Hunter honors program, which has housing.</p>