Guys, I am seriously starting to consider FIT for Mechanical Engineering. However, it is extremely expensive. I’m 19, but I’m an independent student. In which case that means I typically qualify for the max amount of federal aid, but the downside is I have no college fund other than whatever scholarships I qualify for. It looks like FIT gives alot of merit aid out. I go to a local CC in Florida and have a decent GPA (probs a 3.8 by graduation). I’ll be graduating with my AA this spring I am a member of PTK. I keep reading on here that there are alot of paid internship and jobs near FIT, would I be able to work with one of these? I reasonably expect after everything to still owe around 25k a year for tuition. Would I be able to pay for that and go to school the same time? Is this reasonable?
If you’re concerned about cost, you should attend a public university. FIT’s tuition is comparable to OOS tuition at public schools.
There are many internship opportunities near FIT, but they’re part-time and not all of them are paid. It’s also unlikely you’ll be able to do an internship every semester. Most people do internships over summer or in their final semester.
FIT also has a lot of work-study positions (too many in my opinion). They pay around $10/hour and are part-time which will probably only cover your living expenses but not tuition.
FIT does have merit aid for freshmen entering, but I think you’d only be eligible for the transfer amount. If you are a Florida resident, you’ll get $3000/yr as a resident grant. Do you have Bright Futures? You can use that too. It is much cheaper to live off campus than on (mainly because the meal plans are extremely expensive). There are jobs available in the area. You could also look into the co-op program. I don’t know how it works for transfer students, but you could go to school for a semester and then work for 6 months to earn money, the back to school, etc.
You should get $5920 as a Pell grant. FIT is generous with SEOG and FSEOG. Doesn’t PTK offer a $2000 scholarship? What about Jack Kent Cook? Look on FIT’s web page for more scholarships you might be eligible for.
All you can do is apply and see what is available for financial aid. The people in the FA office are very nice and will be honest with you about how much you will get.