^ Something that I don’t understand is when people post on here then the advise starts to come in, they get defensive.
It’s not unusual for people trying to give you recommendations to look at your other posts. They usually just want to get more info in order to make better suggestions.
You are getting good advise. If your mom isn’t helping and she has a high income, find merit aid. Merit aid is usually very stats driven.
You don’t seem to have an understanding of how fin aid works and that you can just decide based on your own judgement whose income to put down.
You need to look at the federal aid forms carefully and put down what they require.
And if applying for private schools the Profile will require both incomes unless the school only takes the custodial parents income into account.
Are your parents divorced? That matters. You have to list the parent you spend more time with. If you live with your mom, you can’t file with your dad’s financial info.
Nowadays in the US, you can’t pay for your college alone.
Is your mother willing to take loans for you? Because that’s basically your choice unless there’s a college within drivable distance (including in the winter) and/or if you get a full ride somewhere (fewer than 1% ever get one and it means attending a college anywhere AND having very high act/sat scores.)
5.5k loans is all you’re sure to have. You may get merit aid at some colleges, your job nowbis to find them quickly. The deadlines are October 15-December 1. You need to apply to A LOT of colleges because you can’t predict merit aid - unless it’s automatic. Examples of automatic merit aid include UAlabama Tuscaloosa, UAlabama Birmingham, some HBCU’s. (it means our have to look through the whole country.)
But this year universities that had automatic scholarships converted them to competitive (Temple, Howard.)
Both parents divorced, yes. I obviously have to use both parents for CSS and FAFSA, it’s not optional. I will also obviously provide tax returns. @TomSrOfBoston I figured I would have no choice. Just a mistake I made posting two varied financial situations, which I should not have done. I’m very sorry for doing so, and hope others will read and see that it’s kind of tough in my situation when money is tight. I understand others have it worse, but others can pay their way very easily.
@goingnutsmom thanks for advice yeah, some people like to bash others, which is (sometimes) understandable.
Sorry to anyone who is confused about my financial situation. I figured I will end up not having a choice, so all the advice is appreciated as to just trying to get as much merit aid as possible, since that will most-likely be the way for me to use money towards my schooling. Thanks everybody, and sorry again!
You do not use both parents on FAFSA if your parents are divorced. You MUST use the parent you lived with the most. Then the other parent becomes the “non-custodial” parent for CSS Profile schools or schools that ask for their non-custodial forms to be filled out.
I get why the OP is defensive. It is tough to have parents who make a lot, but won’t pay. Often they don’t understand the US education system well, and/or realize how much it has changed since they went to college. Mostly how much the price has gone up. So if the OP has been thinking they could go to a top school, or even have choices that some of their classmates have, it is a shock to hear that is not the case. OP, you should see if you are eligible for any of the automatic scholarships that could help you, and look at community colleges & colleges you can commute to. Then sit down and go over those options with your parents. I agree with a post above that you can assume that you have your federal loans plus maybe $6000 per year of your own earnings to work with (so $11,500 freshman year total to cover everything).
Your parents may say, “Yup, that is what we expect, you are still on your own”. Or your mom (or dad) may decide that they could come up with more money. I honestly would not keep talking to them about schools that are unaffordable with their help. Show them the limited options that ARE affordable, and see if that moves them. It may not… but then at least you have options on the table. But I also agree that you have to hustle, deadlines are very close for some of them.
^No problem OP. You are in a very tough situation. You live with your high income mom and step father in Michigan while your father pays your mother for child support. For FAFSA, it requires that you put in the finances of the parent you live with the most- that would be your mother and it includes your step father too. Bummer.
Your best bet is to look into merit. Usually for merit, you have to look into lower tier schools. But you could be receiving a quality education there nonetheless.
If you are really feeling stuck, take a gap year and live with your father in CA. FAFSA requires that the parent with whom the child has been living with for the past 12 months fill out the form. Your father could then be the income that counts.
Does your mother understand how paying for college works? Maybe you could sit down with her - perhaps with your guidance counselor present - to see if there is any flexibility with respect to her contribution. U of M or Mich State cost roughly 25K for tuition, room, and board, in state. Given the quality of education offered, that is a good value, IMO. As has been stated earlier, your personal student loans are capped at 5.5K for your first year and gradually increase over your four years in college. Summer and part time work might add another 3K to your personal resources. Any additional loans would have to be cosigned by one of your parents. Does she know that federal student loans are capped and that it won’t be possible for you to obtain additional loans on your own?
Are you eligible for any merit scholarships from MSU? I notice there are some for particular counties/high schools as well as more general merit awards.
Full ride scholarships are not that common. Full tuition is easier to find, but then again, you will need to come up with room/board/books, which will consume if not exceed your personal budget of 8.5K. Going out of state will add travel expenses as well.
On the yolasite link, it looks like you “might” be able to get a full ride with your stats at Florida A&M, North Carolina Central, Prairie View A&M (TX), Alabama State, Tuskeegee, Howard (full tuition + room), and two U of Arkansas campuses. Not entirely sure as some test scores listed are based on the old SAT, but you seem potentially in range. Double check their websites for current minimum requirements. Should you get a 32+ on the ACT, more options will open up.
Are you an instate resident for Michigan? Not that it matters because if you reside with your mom, her income would not give you need based aid there.
What about Western Michgan, or one of the other Michigan public universities?
Even so…you are not going to get a free ride at these schools. Just not going to happen.
ETA…sit down with your mom. Look at the costs to attend these schools. Show,her that YOU can only take $5500 in loans yourself. Ask her if she will take out loans for the balance.
If not, ask her what she hopes you will be doing in the fall,after your college graduation if you can’t come up with $30,000 one way or another.
UMIch is a profile school. That school,will want financials from both of your parents…and if anyone is remarried, their spouses’ as well.
I agree that you need to show your mother the costs of UMichigzn, Michigan State, Michigan Tech and/or whatever school is near yours. Then show her (and your stepfather, as his income will also be factored in) the results of the npc. Considering all you can get for sure is 5.5k, talk to them about their plan: take loans for you (basically the only option if our stats truly are 1300 new sat)? Send you to a lower -ranked hbcu in the South? Or do they expect you to work while you go to community college part time (no federal aid though for part time students) ?
If the latter, or even in general, it may be worth taking a gap year and moving in with your dad if he’s okay with that. Working and living in CA -starting in June- you’d be considered a ca resident by Fall 2018 due to your dad and you could apply to CSU’s and UC’s as a resident, have access to state grants, etc.
I was in your mother’s position except that it was my grandparents who all came from Russia. I put myself through college and law school, as did my H. As my kids grew up, I was of the mind that they had to pay for themselves, because I did. As they neared college aid and I was doing better, I re-evaluated and told each child (I have 5) that I would pay for them to attend an instate school or give them the equivalent towards another school. That is about $20K per year at this point in time. My kids have all chosen instate options so far.
Perhaps you can approach your mom calmly, maybe with someone you both trust and respect, and speak to her about providing something towards your education.
If this poster lives on the east coast…he is not a resident of Michigan and would,be paying OOS costs to attend University of Michigan or MSU.
Not likely he will be getting merit aid…and with his reported family income (and we don’t even know how much the step dad earns), he is not going to get need based aid either.
And he can only take $5500 in loans himself.
This poster needs to rethink his application list. There is no college bill “fairy” out there who is going to pay the bills.
<<<
I live with my mom and step-dad on the east coast.
<<<
Where do you live??? You say east cost…and you say Mich
[QUOTE=""]
<<<<
[/QUOTE]
GPA: 3.83 UW (I got a few Bs As in my AP classes 1st semester of junior year but got As the second semester)
Rank: 19/209
SAT: 1300 (second highest in my school), but taking ACT on October 22
APs: AP US Histo
am going on the Pre-Med track, with hopes of Medical School in about 4 years
For my financial situation, even though I live with my mom [doctor high income}in Michigan, and I go to a Michigan public school, I am not supported by her. I am supported by my Dad who lives in California, and who is currently retired and only making about $31,000 - $32,000 an
<<<<
Anyway…because you GO to a Mich high school, the school will KNOW that you live with your mom. So her income and your STEPDAD’s income will go on FAFSA.
okay, so you live in Michigan and will graduate from a Michigan high school, so you will be considered a Michigan student by all Michigan schools.
Apply to Kalamazoo (solid match), Albion, Alma (+ if you’re evangelical/conservative Protestant/Christian, Hope, Calvin?) in additition to Michigan Publics (Oakland, Central Michigan?)
OR/AND
move to your Dad’s right after graduation and work. DO NOT take any classes for a year. Then your dad will be your custodial parent and you’ll qualify for instate tuition in California, as well as whatever his income allow you to have.
(In addition to CSU’s and UC’s, you can of course consider your father is your custodial parent for other colleges, some of which won’t need your Non Custodial parent info.) It’d also give you time to improve your test scores.
However if you intend to stay in Michigan, you won’t be able to pay alone.
If 1300 SAT is second-highest in your school, it means it’s likely a lower-performing school and you may get some leeway on that at some private schools, but your mother will still need to contribute. In any case, make sure to include “2nd highest score” in your bragsheet for your guidance counselor.
Would the dad be willing/able to pay for college? With an income around $30k, EFC might not be $0 and would the student qualify for Calgrant if not graduating from CA high school?
While CC would not cost that much instate CA, if student only qyalifues for loans and partial Pell, would that pay for a CSU or UC?
Before thinking about moving to CA I would apply to some MI colleges like Myos suggested and try to talk to mom and stepdad about costs that might not be covered by student loan and summer job.
@MYOS1634 I’m not sure that will work. The rules for those who’ve ALREADY graduated and move to Calif may be different…particularly for AID. I don’t think he’d qualify for a Cal Grant or Blue and Gold.
He may have to be in Calif for 2 years…not sure.
I vaguely remember seeing very strict rules to prevent non-HS-graduates/families moving to Calif after graduation to get instate rates.
@ucbalumnus What is the situation (tuition wise and AID wise) for a student who moves to Calif AFTER graduation to live with his non-custodial parent?
BESIDES…why would a premed want to move to Calif?? Ugh…nightmare.
<<<
Apply to Kalamazoo (solid match), Albion, Alma (+ if you’re evangelical/conservative Protestant/Christian, Hope, Calvin?) in additition to Michigan Publics (Oakland, Central Michigan?)
OR/AND
[QUOTE=""]
[/QUOTE]
How will these schools get paid for??? Do they give huge merit (MORE THAN full tuition)? If not, what’s the point???
This student needs to RETEST and apply to schools that will give him MORE than full tuition.
I agree the student needs to retest. But, yes, these schools have a better likelihood for him than Michigan or Michigan State when it comes to merit.
If he’s premed, then :s because he’s got no good solutions.
yeah, some people like to bash others, which is (sometimes) understandable.