I have been accepted to Purdue University for the fall semester as an undergraduate student. I am a US citizen living in India.
The total cost of attendance (COA) for the year is around 30k which is not possible for my family to pay. When I filed the FAFSA, it asked to enter my parents’ tax information for the year 2018. So my EFC ended up being $31335 and I am only eligible for the student loan of $5500. The reason for the high EFC is probably because my dad was working in the US in 2018. However now, he is currently in India with us. Also, he is unemployed since January. So it is not practically possible to pay so much money for college in this current situation.
I really want to attend Purdue but can’t seem to find a way to make it possible. I didn’t get any scholarships either. I have all the time in the world right now to apply for scholarships but unfortunately, all of the deadlines have passed. I don’t know what to do and I am really stressed out about this issue.
Have you appealed your financial aid decision to Purdue? The basis of your appeal would be that your family’s financial status has changed for the worse. With the economic impact of the coronavirus, this is probably a common problem. Unfortunately, the fact that this is common does not mean that universities have the financial ability to fix it.
If you do appeal your financial aid offer, you should be sure to remain calm and respectful at all times. Remember that the person that you talk to probably does not have the ability to fix the problem, but can only listen to what you say and take it back to other people. Also remember that they are getting a lot of requests such as this right now and they are in a bit of a tough position also. Financial aid is probably the one place where it would be acceptable for your parents to call if you do not feel comfortable – the assumption is that the parents are the ones who are going to pay.
Definitely appeal with the new financial information but understand that aid for out of state applicants is limited. Purdue’s primary mission as a state school, is to be affordable for Indiana residents.
So Purdue admitted you and actually offered you some FA? Can you breakdown the award you did get? I am surprised you got ANY FA offer. Did you apply with your international residential address? Did you run the NPC correctly? The COA isn’t 30K for a non resident. It is over 40K
Go to school in India. Do you have eng tech courses in India? You applied for engineering at other schools. You are clear that eng tech is not an engineering degree?
I’m sorry that you are in this situation but you had to know that Purdue would not be free.
Yes, as a citizen, you qualify for federal funding, but as you’ve discovered, the federal government won’t pay the full fees for your attendance. Pell is not much money and your parents wont be eligible for much in loans. You can always ask, but getting additional funding from a public university will be difficult.
Unfortunately, Purdue is a public school that gets its funding from the State of Indiana’s taxpayers. Neither you, nor your parents live in Indiana and pay taxes there, so where would they get the money from for your education?
They can’t afford to fund you, especially now. Their Financial Aid priority would be their own state residents.
Where else did you get in? What are your safeties?
@d33psan Purdue University average financial aid for incoming first year students is $18,891, a significant amount will go to in-state students. Nevertheless, approximately 46% of new students receive some form of financial aid, a large part of which are scholarships and grants. All the scholarship and grant money has been awarded at this time, congratulations based on the numbers you provided you appear to have received OOS merit-based FA. Please confirm.
Your best and really only remaining option is to speak with the Office of Financial Aid regarding a change in circumstances review of need-based FA. While you have to be realistic about receiving additional need-based FA, it certainly is something you might want to do asap, time is unfortunately not working in your favor at this stage of the process. Best of luck and success!
You need to add transportation, books and personal expenses to that number…which easily could add $5000 to your costs due to international travel. So…look at about $44,000 a year.
There will be tens of thousands of students whose families have reduced incomes this year. I’m not sure how schools will be able to respond to all of the requests for more money…regardless of the reason.
What CAN your family pay? Do you have any acceptances that are in their price point?
Are you a top student in India? Your stats in the US are not top student stats, you might have better results in India based on your own education system. Do you have A levels?
Where else have you been admitted?
What can your family afford?
Can you take a gap year and apply to colleges that “meet need” for US citizens (Purdue doesn’t)?
Can your parents afford to pay anything at all? Can they help you pay for travel to the US to come here to live and study?
Do you have any family or friends living in the US who you could stay with for a while? If they are in a state that allows you to establish residency independently, that might be a workable option.
@MYOS1634 the stats were on another thread the OP made.
How will a gap year help the stats? The GPA certainly won’t change. The ACT and SAT are supposed to be taken while in high school, not afterward. Plus…who knows when the next ACT or SAT administration will even take place.
I suppose this student could apply to meets full need for all schools that are test optional…like Bates…but a 3.8 GPA isn’t going to guarantee admission.
This student needs a plan B that is affordable, with a high probability of admission. Or a current acceptance that is affordable. Does he have that or were all eggs put in the Purdue basket.
3.8 is a very good GPA and many, many internationally-educated kids take a gap year during which they retake tests. As long as they’re not in college, there’s no problem.
The mistake here was to apply to Pursue, which doesn’t meet need as a public university.
Obviously if OP has an affordable acceptance and)or family they could stay with in the US, it’s all the better.
Unfortunately there is probably not going to be any testing this school year.
The completion for SAT optional school next cycle is going to be fierce!!!
A gap year may not be the answer as I think schools will be more committed to admitting the high school senior class of 2021 before gap year students who did not defer admissions.
Add to that…this student’s admission application will be considered alongside others from his region (India) and there are a lot of very strong students who apply to U.S. colleges from there.
Certainly worth a try… but it sounds like he wants to go to college now and not wait a year.
I’m still asking…does this student have any affordable acceptances now?
Really, I don’t see what a gap year does, OP needs to go to a uni he can afford. He doesn’t have merit worthy stats for big money for admission to engineering majors, so I am not sure why he would be encouraged to try again, next year the applications will be brutal. There will be very little money for normal applicants.