How possible is this going to be?

Paying for College
1

<p>Yello, I'm going into my senior year of high school and looking to apply to some good private schools (NYU, USC, GWU) plus out of state public schools (UMD, SUNY's, etc.). If I get in, I'm not sure how much aid I'd be able to get. I definitely don't think I'm up for much merit (3.8 GPA, 1950 SATs argh). So as far as need-based aid goes, I might be coming up pretty short. </p>

<p>I also don't think that my parents will be able to help out with payments much. My parents are separated, and I live with my mom and brother. My brother, however, owns the house. My mom makes about 10k a year, I'd say. My dad maybe makes about 20k a year. So yeah, neither are willing to pay much for me, which is fine by me. I'm more than willing to pay for college myself by working and whatnot...but how possible is that going to be? I've got $3000 in savings for college right now from a part-time job, and by the end of next summer, I should have at least doubled that. The only problem is that neither of my parents are really willing to see me take out loans. Argh!! I don't want to stay in state at all, but they keep suggesting it to me. </p>

<p>So how possible do you all think it'd be for me to pay for college by myself? Would I be getting much fin-aid at these places? Merit isn't looking so good. If I didn't add any important information, let me know.</p>

2

<p>I'm going thru similar stuff, and actually have similar stats (4.0, 1980 sat, so close enough.) my family, though, makes much more money. The household that will do my fin aid makes 124k a year, and i live with my sister, whose family makes upwards of 300k. however, neither are going to be giving me any money. </p>

<p>You are in a much better situation need based aid wise.
First, get your parents to fill out some of the aid calculators. ( EFC</a> Calculator: How Much Money for College Will You Be Expected to Contribute? - that one is good). I think your mom would be the one filling this out. </p>

<p>Next, Contact some of you top schools financial aid offices (at least one public, probably two private. they're usually better with need aid.)
Especially if your parents have such low income, you should get an amazing amount of need aid from some schools.
Tell them your situation (parents divorced, you live with your mother. Tell them an estimate of your mother and fathers income. You might end up very fortunate for need aid, seeing your mother (I think) is your custodial parent, and she makes so little money.) It all depends on the school though. Of course, you will have to work quite a bit, and possibly take out some loans (school subsided or government subsidized) as part of your aid package, but you said you would be fine with this. I don't think one of your listed schools is one, but many schools don't allow loans, and many guarantee to meet 100% of need. </p>

<p>After contacting the aid offices, do the usual scholarship wise - look at fastweb etc and try to find some scholarships to apply for. Also, ask your guidance office about local scholarships. I was suprised to find how much money some of our seniors got from small local scholarships. My best friend got easily $3,000 for writing a few essays, and he's no academic god or anything.
ALSO - don't be shy considering merit aid. Many cater to people with low-income or of minority status. Check out merit aid pages on your favorite college's websites. </p>

<p>Are there any in-state government schoalrships? For example, in Arizona, my brother got 75% of tuition + books paid by the state government, and he didnt stellar grades/SAT (like 3.6, 1300 or something). In Florida, Bright Futures offers packages that reach to 100% tuition + a stipend. </p>

<p>Last (that i cant think of now) - make sure your financial aid forms are in ASAP. I think you can start turning them in around Jan 1st, maybe its Feb. 1st. But at some places, aid is first come, first serve, I've heard.</p>

<p>P.S. You may also be eligible for some federal aid. Pell grant, subsidized loans, etc. If you haven't look around this page. Pay</a> for College - College Scholarships - Financial Aid - School Loans - Easyplanner</p>

<p>Best of luck man</p>

3

<p>WOW!!! Thank you so much for this optimistic reply. Other places I've posted similar threads, I've gotten replies telling me that I should just go to community college and live at home. I wouldn't last, I'm telling you. Thanks for all the ideas -- this is what I was looking for to get me started. My parents just said, "Find scholarships" and left it at that. It was a little too broad for me.</p>

<p>That's a shame that you aren't getting any money from your family. I hope this doesn't stop you from getting to where you want to go. Good luck to you, too. And thanks, again.</p>

4

<p>"I don't think one of your listed schools is one, but many schools don't allow loans, and many guarantee to meet 100% of need."</p>

<p>As TTwhite mentioned, there are schools out there that have committed themselves to meeting 100% of financial need, and with your financial situation, you are an ideal candidate for such a package.</p>

<p>FinAid</a> | Answering Your Questions | No Loans for Low Income Students</p>

<p>Here is a link to a website which lists such schools, and explains the "qualifications" for receiving a loan free package (basically the cut off income is 40k... but for some it's 60k!). Many of these institutions are private LACs with big fat endowments... so it might also depend on what you are planning to study, but it's a nice list to start with. If you at least apply, you can see what they offer you (don't worry about application fees... they are usually waived for people who apply online, or provide waivers for low income families, because applying can be sort of pricey also.)</p>

<p>Don't get too discouraged, CC is always a good option, but why do it when you could go to a school which will basically cost you nothing? I'm a rising freshman at Wellesley College (50k a year... and on that list of schools =] ) and I'm literally paying under 600 dollars for the fall semester. The reality is there are schools out there providing great aid, you just have to find them!</p>

<p>Best of luck!</p>

5

<p>Yay, UMD's on the list!! Thanks so much for the information. It's really making me feel better about going to school. Honestly, I knew there had to be some way that all these kids are able to go to good schools.</p>

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<p>Having a really low EFC by no means prevents you from going to straight to state or even private school. Your stats maybe aren't stellar by CC standards, but you're definitely not out of the running for numerous local scholarships (depending on your extracurricular activities, and in some instances, financial need), and maybe some institutional scholarships at less selective schools. </p>

<p>Also, bear in mind that you will get some government grants. There is Pell, of course, and you may get SEOG at certain schools, as well as the ACG, depending on your major and rigor of high school curriculum. Also, if you choose to stay in-state, in many states there are programs that apply to even private schools. (I, for instance, get TAP here in New York, which totals up to just shy of 5k a year max.)</p>

<p>Good luck with your college search, and finding a school that caters to you both intellectually and financially. ;) As a fellow low-income student, I know exactly where you're coming from.</p>

7

<p>I don't know what kind of courses you're taking, how your hs is, or what you do outside of class, but there are a lot of kids accepted to very prestigious schools with 3.8 unweighted GPA and 1950 SAT. The top colleges also tend to give the most aid. I hope you have a guidance counselor who is helpful! Definitely aim high; you may be able to get your application fee waived.</p>

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<p>Yeah, I hadn't even thought of that. I got my application fees waivered, so that definitely helps you to aim higher because you do not have to worry about the expense of applying to many schools - only the stress!</p>

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<p>Hm...would anyone mind telling me how to go about getting application fees waived?</p>

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<p>Just call the admissions office. Some may waive right away, some may want a guidance counselor to verify that you may not be able to afford it. My daughter has gotten letters from colleges where her SAT is competitive offering to waive it if she'll apply.</p>

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<p>If you don't have much money, and also are not exceptional (i.e. a recruited athlete or top 10% or so in terms of stats) in the applicant pool, it's almost always a waste of time to apply to out of state publics. Most public universities lack the money to provide full financial aid to in-state students with demonstrated need.</p>

<p>Before deciding where to apply, check the financial aid web sites of colleges that interest you. Find out whether you have any chance of getting the aid you need. Probably the majority of colleges --private and public -- in this country are not able to meet 100% of the documented financial need of students. Many colleges that do meet 100% of need accomplish that by providing large loans.</p>

<p>With few exceptions, the colleges that are most generous in the country are places like HPY, which also are the most difficult colleges to gain admission to.</p>

<p>My suggestion is to look closely at in-state publics where your stats put you near the top of the admission pool. Also consider living at home and going to community college for 2 years and then transferring to a four-year in state public. Many bright students of limited financial means do this, and --as long as they obtain high grades --- can end up in excellent jobs, graduate and professional schools.</p>

<p>NYU is renowned for having bad financial aid.</p>

<p>If you go to college far from home, transportation costs will be high. Even the most generous colleges only provide financial aid for trips home at year's end and in Dec. If you are far from home, your parents also won't be able to afford to accompany you to college or to attend the parents weekend that many colleges offer.</p>

<p>It's well worth it to pay the $15 to completely access the US News premium college site from mid Aug. to next mid Aug. It provides detailed admission and financial aid info about thousands of colleges.</p>

<p>The average student in the U.S. takes out a total of $17 k in loans to pay for all of their college education. Taking out loans can be an excellent investment in your future, just don't do something like take out $25 k or more in loans because that would very much restrict your future options.</p>