Hi Everyone!
This forum was enormously helpful to me when my son was a high school senior and we were seeking an affordable college for him to go to. I learned so much here and he ended up at a great school with a great price. 
He is now a sophomore and already thinking about graduate school. My financial situation is the same as it was then – we really need to be searching for schools with the lowest possible price. Does the process work basically the same for graduate school as for undergrad? (Understand your unique financial aid profile and what you are likely to get from different schools, have a good financial safety school, and seek merit aid whenever possible.)
Are there some schools that are known for good financial aid for graduate schools, and are they the same ones that are good for undergrad? Are there merit scholarships for graduate students, or should we just be looking at state schools?
Any advice pointing me in the right direction would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks!
The grad school financial aid process is totally different.
Graduate school financial aid is primarily merit aid. It is based on the strength of your application, and the school’s desire to have you as part of the grad school program cohort. Grad school funding comes in the form of assistantships, scholarships, grants, tuition remission, sometimes work study, and loans.
There are no Pell grants or the like for grad school. Grad school students file their fafsa forms as independent students. Parent income and asset information is not included (unless the student is applying to medical,school or law schools…which often DO continue to require parent financial information). So really…YOUR financial situation as a parent doesn’t matter…at all. And really…your son’s financial need won’t make a huge difference either.
What does he need to do?
He needs to get the very best undergrad GPA possible. He needs to get the very best GRE score possible. He needs to have some relevant work or internship experience in the field he is applying to. He will need to write some good essays, and often interview. In other words…he needs a STRONG grad school application.
Also, some grad fields just don’t have a lot of funding. What is his intended major?
Wow, this is really great news! Fortunately he is on the right track for what you are talking about. He has a very high gpa and he is majoring in Computer Science with a minor in Business. He is doing an internship this summer and he wants to do more internships over subsequent summers. He is pretty serious about what he is doing and seems to be doing great! Are there specific schools that he should be looking at as a CS major? He has no income at this point, so cost will be a big factor. Should he apply to several schools looking for the best deal?
I think you should ask about masters degrees in computer science on the Parents Forum. To be honest, I think he should get a job after undergrad. He should be able to do so with a bachelors in computer science. Then he can decide on a masters later…maybe employee paid for or partially paid for.
On the other hand, the D of a good friend graduated from high school in 2006, majored in CS in a top college, and has been in academia ever since, all expenses paid at least since 2010 (merit scholarship in college but I think parents also contributed). She is now a postdoc at another highly respected institution. She loves what she does, really came into her own, has published papers, presented at conferences, taught, etc.
So depending on your S’s bent, his education and career could go many ways.
I have a child of my own in a computer field, college dropout, I think he makes the most of any of my kids, takes vacations all over the world, buying a house in an expensive area, etc.