Financial Safeties for a High Achieving, Mid-Low Income Student

Paying for College
1

<p>I know that many of the elite private universities across the country (Ivies, UChicago, top LACs) offer next to free tuition for students from lower middle class families. I'm applying to a few of these schools and hoping for success. However I obviously need a safety school that I'm sure I'll get into. The problem is, schools that are less selective often have a lower sticker price, but families like mine end up paying more because of the poor financial aid. What types of safety schools are in my family's range? Happy to provide more details if necessary.</p>

2

<p>We don’t know what your family’s range is, nor do we know how much they’ll pay each year.</p>

<p>WE don’t know what your stats are.</p>

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

3

<p>First of all, you must realize that any school that gives need based aid … including the more generous top-tier schools … will look at your family’s ability to pay. Have you put your family’s income/asset information through an EFC calculator, or have you done the net price calculator on college websites? This is the place to start. If your family is unable or unwilling to pay their calculated EFC, you will need to concentrate on schools where you might receive merit (no consideration of income/assets). Also, if one/both of your parents is self-employed, it’s important to know that EFC calculators and net price calculators don’t always give a true EFC for students in this situation … you would want to talk to directly to some schools regarding your situation, since EFC in this case <em>can</em> be considerably higher than you might expect.</p>

4

<p>If you really are a competitive applicant for those TOP elite schools that meet full need, there ARE schools which will offer you merit aid.</p>

<p>So…what are your SAT/ACT scores and what is your GPA? With that info, folks can give you some suggestions.</p>

<p>You should also read the thread that has a stickie at the top of this page…about guaranteed merit scholarships. Then check the colleges to see if they are still being offered.</p>

5

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