So without reference to merit based scholarships, most “need-based” scholarships are, I’m assuming, based largely (although not entirely) on parents’ income. My parents are solidly in the upper middle class, and COULD pay for my college. However, in an effort to incentivize my own personal effort and hard work, they refuse for all of us kids, to pay for anything - other than textbooks. Understandably, I want to graduate with the least possible student debt. Other than merit-based scholarships - which although many of which I am eligible for, will probably not lessen my student debt TOO too much - how can I get any significant financial aid with my parents’ income?
You can’t. As long as you are a dependent student, and most people are until they are 24, your parents’ income and assets are going to be used to determine your need based financial aid. That’s just how it is.
Focus on state schools, schools with big merit for YOUR stats, go to a school that has co-ops and work for a semester/go to school for a semester.
If schools would give large aid in cases like this, then every parent would do it (and in most cases then pay off whatever loans remain right after their kids graduate). As such, if your parents refuse to pay this puts you in a very awkward situation.
As @twoinanddone said, this means that you are going to need to focus on the lowest cost education option that you can come up with.
I might add: I think that it is very reasonable for a parent to give their kids a strict limit in terms of what they will pay for university. However, to me $0 does not seem like the correct limit just because of the realities in terms of what university costs in the US today.
If you are married, a U.S. veteran, an orphan, an emancipated minor, a homeless youth, a parent who provides more than half of the financial support for a child, or have been in foster care for any stint after the age of 13, you can declare yourself independent on the FAFSA (US News). It doesn’t seem like any of these situations apply to you.
You will need to look for merit scholarships only. Full tuition scholarships and full rides do exist, though only for those with stellar stats and not at the most selective or competitive universities. You won’t be able to attend any college that is need-based aid only (like Harvard).
Look into schools that will accept a large amount of AP/CLEP credit. My D will be graduating in three years instead of four because of AP credit. That’s a big savings.
Short answer is you don’t get need-based financial aid if your parents won’t pay but could. You have to look at low price tag options (like living at home) and merit aid. Outside scholarships can help, but many won’t be awarded on the college admissions cycle (a lot of local scholarships are awarded near graduation time which is too late to make a difference during college planning). But mostly, you’re looking at getting top grades and test scores for merit aid at Alabama etc or finding a school with a very cheap price tag like community college.
Get the best job you can and work through school. Start now. It’s going to be necessary to supplement your student loans. Since the basic federal student loan only covers community college level tuition, you need to talk to your parents about whether they would cosign a private loan for you. If not, sock away money towards your four-year school while attending CC.
Write out sample budgets and go over them with your parents.
The colleges aren’t going to subsidize your education if your parents won’t pay.
You need to have exceptional grades and scores to get funding at schools that need students (like the Midwest and South).
If you don’t have the best grades and scores, then you need to:
live at home and go to your local CC and transfer
or
commute to the closest state university.
Go to BYU. It is the cheapest nationally ranked college.
You should definitely take out federal Stafford loans. That will cover almost all of your tuition. To cover room and board, books, travel expenses, and fees, you will need to work full time in the summers and part time in the school year. The campus has a lively student employment program. You will easily be able to find a job scooping ice cream or cleaning bathrooms or something. And if you get a high GPA while you are there, you can earn continuing student scholarships that will take more chunks out of your tuition.
Yes, Mormons can be hard to live with, but this is undoubtedly the best way to get a high quality education if your stats aren’t high enough for the automatic full rides that are out there (3.8 and 32 approximately). You’ll have to suck it up for a few years. But BYU is definitely the highest ranked school you can feasibly work your way through, even accounting for non-LDS tuition.
Your parents will have to cosign for any loans over the federal max which is about $27,000 total for all four years. Merit aid will not likely cover tuition let alone room and board unless your stats are near perfect and even then not at a top 50 university, except MAYBE University of Alabama.
@twoinanddone I’m assuming OP doesn’t want to attend a local directional. Assuming this, the only cheaper options for OP are South Dakota State University (assuming he is in-state), University of South Dakota (assuming he is in-state), Trident University International, Wilmington University, and University of Phoenix.
One can earn veteran status if one is so inclined by enlisting in one of the branches of the armed forces and completing it with an honorable discharge.
Interestingly, one can also earning veteran status by being a cadet at one of the Federal Service Academies for any period of time so long as one doesn’t leave with less than an honorable discharge.
I know of some cases including an older relative who ended up being considered independent for financial aid purposes at the college he ended up graduating from once he decided to transfer out of his service academy.
Granted, neither of these options are easy ones to take so give it some careful consideration before deciding.
I’m curious, what did your siblings do or are you the oldest? I know there are tuition free colleges, that might be something to explore. My son received something in the mail about being in the Navy reserves, they pay tuition (not sure of %) you serve some during college then you have to commit after you graduate. I’m sorry I don’t know all the particulars of the program but it might be worth checking it out. Good luck! When you have your first kid, open a 529 account, put some $$ in it and forget it until they go to college so they won’t have to go through what you are dealing with!
The non-LDS tuition at BYU is $11k. Many schools have instate tuition at less than $11k, and the stafford loans will NOT cover tuition. Any public school in Florida has instate tuition of $6500. In Colorado, schools other than CU-Boulder are less than $11k. The OP doesn’t say anything about not going to instate or directional schools, just that he wants to avoid loans and his parents won’t pay.
BYU is a good suggestion, but student loans will not cover tuition, and financial aid to non-LDS students is limited. U of Utah might be cheaper.
Do your parents know how much college costs these days? My daughter has a friend whose parents had a similar approach to yours. They did not understand that it’s no longer possible to earn tuition, room and board with summer and part time work, as was possible when their generation went to college.
If you could provide your home state, your GPA, and your test score info, people here will be able to steer you towards the lowest cost options.
Full tuition is a reasonable aspiration for merit-based aid, depending on your stats. Full ride is a lot harder to obtain. If your parents will pay nothing, your budget is federal student loan + summer earnings + part time work - roughly 10K.
What’s their approximate annual income?
If you’ve got older siblings, what did they do/or are you the oldest?
Do your parents know the costs for one year of college (and how budget cuts have both increased tuition costs AND reduced scholarship opportunities) - ie., it’s no longer possible to “work your way through college” and you’re limited to 5.5K in loans (any other loans would be on them)?
Are they against your going to college or do they want you to go?
What state do you live in?
What are your stats?
Can you commute anywhere - and will your parents let you live at home during college?