<p>I'm applying to UC Berkeley in the Fall as an out of state student. If my family is on the very low end of the income bracket (less than 40,000/yr), how much aid do you think they would offer me? Are they known to be generous with financial aid for students like me?</p>
<p>You will be offered no aid except for Federal grants and loans. You need to look at other schools, because you will not be able to afford Cal.</p>
<p>Cal has a generous need-based aid policy for in-state students, but that’s where the generosity stops - out-of-state students are not eligible.</p>
<p>With your income bracket, you need to look first at your in-state schools.</p>
<p>okay thank you! Cornell is my first choice anyways and I’m applying ED, so I really hope I’m accepted. They have a really generous financial aid policy.
chance me please? <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1173704-cornell-ed.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1173704-cornell-ed.html</a></p>
<p>I’m not sure I’d recommend ED for anyone where finance is a problem. I know you can “pull out” if you’ve been accepted and can’t afford it, but at the same time, you’ve also stuck yourself in a sticky situation. You can ask for more money, but because you have no packages to compare it with, you really don’t have much leverage. Or you can give up Cornell, but then you have <em>really</em> given up Cornell. Also, you don’t know if another school will provide a more attractive option. Additionally, you really do have to prove you <em>absolutely cannot whatsoever</em> afford it. It’s not so easy as to just say “yeah, I don’t want to pay this much.”</p>
<p>If you apply RD, you’ll be in a much better position to pick and choose, and even better, negotiate with schools. And yes, even Cornell.</p>
<p>I know a girl who applied ED and she was a little hesitant, but didn’t want to give up the school (her dream school). A week ago, she signed a student loan, and watched her friends get full tuition and really regretted her decision to apply ED.</p>
<p>the reason I decided to apply ED is because of the financial aid policy Cornell has. they eliminate student loans completely for families making less than 60,000/year and replace them with grants. basically, I would pay very little if anything at all. was your friend on the higher end of the income bracket? maybe that’s why she had to get a loan.</p>
<p>trigirl…Cornell uses the CSS Profile when determining eligibility for need based aid. Just make sure you don’t have anything in your financial profile that will cause them to increase your family contribution (e.g. home equity, self employed business expenses, or something like non-custodial parent income if your parents are divorced/separated). These can really surprise students who just look at their parents’ incomes and don’t realize there are other things that Profile schools use to consider the awarding of institutional need based aid.</p>
<p>The schools who say they have a no loan policy are usually talking about students share. They may still require you (student) to contribute a portion of your savings or summer earnings and to do work study. If you can’t contribute or do work study, you can get a loan to cover that portion if you want. But your parents share is usually not covered and as thumper1 said, they use the CSS profile. Have you used the calculator?
[Financial</a> Aid Estimator | Financial Aid](<a href=“http://www.finaid.cornell.edu/cost-attend/financial-aid-estimator]Financial”>Financial Aid Calculator | Financial Aid)</p>
<p>yeah, my parents and I filled it out. we’re estimated to pay very little. I would have to do work study but I don’t mind, and I am willing to work over summer. thank you!</p>