<p>I really want to go to a private school next semester but even with scholarships it will cost over $25,000/year. I don't qualify for financial aid. My parents combined income is $200,000 but my father only started making a 6 figure salary within the last year. Also, he works in the stock market, so his income from year to year is questionable, especially with recent events. I have 4 siblings, all of whom are younger - my parents are going to need to send them to college eventually soon too.</p>
<p>I don't understand how I'm supposed to pay this much. This school is by no means difficult to get in to - and I have friends not nearly as academically inclined going there nearly for free.</p>
<p>The whole system is screwed up. I've worked so hard to do well in school and it kills me that I can't go to a school just because theres a plethora of need-based aid and NO merit aid.</p>
<p>Is there any way to get more aid - filing Fafsa under my own name and saying there will be no support from my parents, because technically they've stated they aren't helping me with much anyways...?</p>
<p>I've asked the fin aid office for more scholarship, but they won't budge.
HELP!</p>
<p>Sorry, but you cannot file FAFSA in your own name. Unless you meet the requirements for independent status (age 24, married, supporting a child, veteran, etc.), your parents' income must be reported. Financial aid considers only what your parents can pay, not what they are willing to pay. Otherwise, every parent would say, "Sorry, not paying."</p>
<p>Unfortunately, there are thousands of students in your situation. Welcome to real life. I want, worked hard for, and deserve a lot of things that I can't afford; them's the breaks.</p>
<p>Find a school that gives merit aid.
Stay at the school you're in.
Find a school that your parents are willing to pay for.</p>
<p>Agree with Chedva. there are many schools, some more selective and some "not difficult to get into" who are looking for students with very good stats and offering merit scholarships to attract them. Check out the multiple threads on this site listing them. What is it about this one school that makes you want to go there? Are there other schools which are similar?</p>
<p>Basically, whatever the situation, 200K is signicantly more than the average family makes. Need-based aid generally goes to those students who have much, much less income than that.</p>
<p>Yes, asking for financial aid at 200k is extremely greedy.
While I understand your situation, there are people who's families are pulling in 40k a year.</p>
<p>Welcome to the real world. I would like a new BMW 5 Series but can't afford it. That does not make it unfair. You need to learn right now that you can't have everything. </p>
<p>I agree, its hard to realize that you may not be able to go to the college of your choice because of money, but that is a fact of life, My son, from the Boston area, got into all the colleges he applied to,but the scholarships ranged from 5 thousand to 30 thousand,he chose the 30 thousand,and hes very happy there. That included merit scholarship with some very small loans that he can put off paying until he gets out and working.I think you should try to find a college that will give you merit not just need based scholarship. We did not get need based scholarships either.</p>
<p>The very first thing you should do is have a very candid discussion with your parents about finances and college. You need to know what they are willing to pay each year for your education. If they say they will pay a certain amount, it is prudent that you look for schools that either are within that dollar cost, or that have the potential to give you merit aid that will bring the cost into that range (some schools have automatic merit aid for certain SAT scores/GPA combinations). There are tons of wonderful colleges out there. Look at that LAC that you REALLY want to attend, and list out its characteristics...then look for other schools that have the same qualities at a price that perhaps is more reasonable. You'll find a wonderful place for college...even if it's not that number one "dream school".</p>
<p>I completely understand what eriniggy is saying. Asking for financial aid at $200K is not extremely greedy. Why doesn't anyone take into consideration where people live? Many cities cost three to four times what it costs to live in other cities. Why is that not taken into consideration? Believe it or not, if someone has four or five children and makes $200K and lives in an expensive part of the country, that salary does not go far. It is time financial aid offices of colleges start looking more closely at where applicants and their parents reside in this country and take that into consideration to truly be economically diverse.</p>
<p>Financial aid offices do take into consideration a whole array of variables, but still, with 200k in income, there are numerous students ahead of you in the financial aid line. Your parents need to give you a solid dollar amount - this is no time for them to be coy about finances. Fin aid offices (as has been said before) take into account what you can pay if you make college a priority. Many families spend to their limits and haven't made the necessary sacrifices over the 18 years that lead to college. Let's face it, college is not a surprise. You have a baby, 18 years later you have college. If your parents chose not to set aside even a little over those 18 years, that was their choice and not the colleges problem. Get a hard number from your parents and then find a school that fits. If your parents haven't made it a priority, they are the ones to blame, not fin aid offices.</p>
<p>Another thing people fail to understand is that it is not the financial aid offices that make the rules. The FAFSA Expected Family Contribution (EFC) is mandated by Congress, under the Higher Education Act. This act began as simply veterans' education benefits, which helped our country's servicemen afford college - sort of a thank you for their contribution. In time, financial aid expanded into the arena of assisting the neediest families with access to education. The truth is that the students the government sought to help would not be in college otherwise - my own father had to quit college because he gave his family the money he worked for & saved for college - they needed the money to live. There were no programs in place to help him afford school. But the Higher Education Act authorized programs to help those who otherwise would not even be able to afford a community college. Gradually, programs expanded and more families were assisted. The bulk of assistance for families who are not-poor is in the form of loans (sometimes work study, as well). Why? Because that seems to be the best way to help the most families. The loans ARE financial aid - the government backs them, subsidizes the interest, keeps the rates low, etc. </p>
<p>The financial aid office simply administers the programs the government authorizes.</p>
<p>It is true that some colleges have their own funds to distribute. Some give merit scholarships without regard to need. Those are the colleges students who need money yet don't qualify for need based grants should be looking for. Those are your best bets.</p>
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<p>If your parents haven't made it a priority, they are the ones to blame, not fin aid offices.>></p>
</blockquote>
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<p>I just want to say...there is NOTHING that obligates parents to pay for college educations for their children. Yes, when parents have children, there may be college in the future. But remember that some families don't actually expect that their children will go to college (because the parents didn't). AND some parents are not financially in a position to save money for college. It's not that it's not a "priority", it's just that paying the day to day bills comes first.</p>
<p>Now...that is clearly not the case for a family where the earnings are in the $200,000 range.</p>
<p>If we're going to cast stones here...let's just say that having multiple children is also a choice...and an expensive one (especially when the college bills come). It's also a choice to live in an expensive part of the country.</p>
<p>It is not always a choice to live in an expensive part of the country. That part of the country may be where employment takes you, such as a job transfer or just happens to be where more jobs are in your field of work. If a family making $50,000 a year lives in a part of the country where housing is much, much cheaper than a part of the country where the family making $200,000 lives, why shouldn't the housing costs be taken into consideration by the financial aid office? Especially since real economic diversity would definitely be achieved in doing so. This could be achieved by colleges using the CSS Profile, where they have more flexibility in awarding financial aid. Also, having multiple children is indeed a choice, but why should a family be penalized for that? Shouldn't a large family making more money have the same considerations as a small family who earn less? Financial aid should not just be for families with low or middle-to-low salary income without taking into consideration other geographic economic factors for people who earn more.</p>
<p>It's hard for me to have empathy here. I grew up in NYC (no higher cost area out there) in a family with five children, with a step father who made about $40K. I knew if I wanted to go to college it would have to be on my own, thus I went to an Academy. If your parents make over $200K but don't want to contribute to your education then you need to change your plan. Find a school with good merit scholarships that you can target, or look for lower cost schools.</p>
<p>OP--unfortunatley, you don't get much sympathy from other posters, but I do appreciate your challenge. You will probabbly have to choose a less selective school, but remember there are many good schools out there that don't have the rep. Check out an article in this months Fortune magazine that discusses a similar issue to yours--they are called high earners not rich yet (henry). Also, check out this MIT student post on similar perspective. Financial</a> Aid Leaves Out Middle Class - The Tech</p>
<p>OP- we have a pretty low income and do qualify for fin aid. My DD is attending a small private school with merit money it is still expensive for us. Yes, they offered loans as part of the package, but loans still cost us money out of pocket, money we will be no more likely to have later than we do now.</p>
<p>DD attended the local community college for her first two years, was in regular contact with the private school and everything transferred and DD will graduate after two years at her LAC.</p>
<p>Either you get your parents to pitch in- and if your school is $40-50k and your merit awards bring the cost down to $25k, maybe they will contribute the amount above your loans and you can take some loans for the rest??</p>
<p>Or attend CC for two years.</p>
<p>MY oldest two went 4 years at flagship publics and the youngest did not want that big school thing. She never whinged or complained, she was not at all joyous to be at a CC, but she saw it as the means to an end, did a great job and is now where she wanted to be.</p>
<p>Find a way to make things happen for you You can do it.</p>
<p>OP- Can't offer much advice, but I feel your pain. My parents make a lot of money (six figures, but I don't know exactly how much), but that doesn't mean they can actually afford to completely pay for me to go to college. You know how some colleges say they meet 100% of demonstrated need? I asked my dad how much need our family demonstrates, he said 0. but guess what? We live in an area where housing is VERY, very expensive, 3 kids in our family, 2 kids (my brother and I) in a private HS that costs ~$25k or $30k a year (each!- ridiculous). I can't offer much advice, but I can definitely empathize.</p>
<p>Have you looked at Cooper Union? It's strong in engineering and architecture (I think?) and it's free. 0 tuition. If cost is a big factor, you might want to consider it (though it's pretty selective- hey, who WOULDN'T want 0 tuition?).</p>
<p>I find your outrage extremely immature. The median income in America is about 50k a year. Even if everything you say is true (by the way, need based aid usually takes into account family size), it's hard to imagine how your family would be unable to pay for college. If anything, you should talk to your parents instead of coming on to the boards and griping. Your circumstances could be so much worse.</p>
<p>I have friends who are interesting people and extraordinary academics. They are first of all limited to state schools because of lack of money, and secondly limited to nearby schools because they have family they must take care of.</p>