So, I have applied to 12 schools, have been admitted into 7 so far. Waiting to hear back from 4 more.
Aside from being a spring admit to U Miami (fin aid doesnt come out til June), I have received aid from 4 schools. and at each school, I have received very little in financial aid that is not loans.
This is deeply distressing, as I was hoping to graduate college with little debt. Even for some safety schools where my test scores and GPA are above the 75th percentile, they only offered me 1000-2500 in aid.
The private schools I received aid from will also require me to waltz out of college with 40,000+ in debt.
It just flabbergasted me, as I did not expect this little in aid.
Is the minimal aid because of my parents salary?
Our income is listed at 200,000+ because of my dad’s job. However, my parents are divorced and my dad has explicitly stated that once my brother graduates college (this year), the child support will stop.
Therefore, he is not paying for college according to my mom.
What do I do?
Sorry if i sound arrogant/snobby.
I am just very worried about being burdened by great loads of debt.
I have applied for numerous scholarships and have been turned down by them
Is the minimal aid because of my parents salary?
Our income is listed at 200,000+ because of my dad’s job.
yes.
I suggest you reapply to other colleges next year that will cost you and your mom less.
You should repost this thread on the Financial Aid forum, where you will get lots of correct advise from CC parents who are knowledgeable about FA.
Yes, both parent’s income is taken into account at alnost all schools that say they meet financial need. But most schools don’t meet need anyway, regardless.
Unless you applied to an in-state public that is affordable, you may need to take a gap year and apply to a list of schools that may be affordable next year.
Can you talk to your dad directly? If he paid for your brother’s college, will he fund some of yours? Don’t phrase it like child support, but ask for help with tuition at least.
You probably can’t go to college with no debt, but shoot for only taking your federal loans ($27K total for the 4 years).
What are your test scores and gpa?
Do you live with your mom?
If you live with your mom and she has a low salary and low assests, you may be better off applying to FAFSA only schools that don’t take your dad’s income into consideration.
Sure, but most of those schools don’t meet need.
It is hard to offer much advice without knowing more about your specific situation. Most certainly students with divorced parents is one of the really tough cases where the cost of education becomes especially difficult to handle. You are very wise to be trying to limit the amount of debt that you take on.
I agree with @intparent that if possible you might want to discuss this with your dad. Hopefully your relationship with him is such that this is possible.
Of course there is a huge range in terms of what universities and colleges cost. However, if you are looking at 40k to 50k in total debt, then it it possible that you might already be looking at relatively more affordable schools (or at least less obviously horribly unaffordable schools).
Did your colleges require the non-custodial parent Profile?
Did you run the Net Price Calculator on the website of each of the places on your list before you applied?
How much can your mom afford to pay?
Will your dad help at all?
Which parent do you live with?
Did you apply to any FAFSA-only places?
What is your GPA, what are your test scores, and what is your major?
What state do you live in?
You can only borrow the standard student loans ($5,500, $6,500, $7,500, $7,500) on your own. Who is going to borrow the rest of that money for you?
Is there a community college or affordable public U that you can commute to?
Have you talked with your mom yet about taking a gap year to find a better list of colleges?
Your list seems to be all over the place.
As an OOS student, even should you get accepted into a UC/CUS school, you are not getting a dime in financial aid. You will be full freight paying all of the way because the state does not fund OOS.
What is your home state? IF you are from Florida, are you eligible for Bright Futures?
What is your home state?
If you applied to schools that require the income and assets pf both of your parents, with your dad making 200K, you are right, you are getting very little if any aid anywhere outside of HYP.
Did you apply to colleges that just require your mother’s income and assets?
If you already know that your dad is not paying, then you need an affordable option where you can attend with financial aid and what your mom is able to pay. This may mean commuting to your local U or even starting at community college until you can get your money situation together
I have a 1310 SAT and 3.83UW/4.51 W GPA
Here’s is what I see…you have applied to:
American University…they use they use the Profile…don’t expect much aid there.
UCSB- the UCs do NOT give need based aid to OOS students, and you are not likely to get merit aid. Expect to be full pay.
University of Miami- you are a Spring admit, which would lead one to believe that, for some reason, you were not in the top of their applicant pool. Also the school uses the Profile. I don’t know if they give their Spring admits merit aid or not. Need based? They use the Profile too.
East Carolina- is this your fourth acceptance? Are you instate for NC?
You have also received little or no guidance in your choice of colleges, or you ignored that guidance. You applied to the UC’s as an OOS student. No financial aid at all regardless of your parents’ income or relationship.
Unless you applied to your local state school you may need a gap year or community college.
It sounds like you are possibly not doing the financial aid forms correctly.
If your parents are divorced and not living together as of the date you file the FAFSA and you live only with your mom, you can report only her income (and her new spouse if any) income on the FAFSA. If your parents filed a joint return in 2016, she would have to adjust all of the numbers to reflect only her income and not use the IRS DRT tool to transfer numbers. The school will ask for her W2’s and other documents showing her 2016 and current income and possibly adjust your financial aid award.
Your dad’s income only counts at some selective schools that use the noncustodial Profile.
You can do a financial aid appeal to your instate schools and to your private colleges correcting your information and asking for an adjusted aid package. Out of state publics are less likely to do adjustments, so try them last. You want to get started on this immediately - work on a new FAFSA and a letter accurately describing your family finances right away and call your colleges starting Monday morning. This way, you’ll find out if you’re getting more aid before the May 1 response deadline.
I recommend this guide for FAFSA questions
https://www.edvisors.com/fafsa/book/user-info/
The best aid comes from the colleges and many will reduce their grants by the amount of outside scholarships, so if the $5k grant you mention in other threads isn’t from a school it may affect the aid you’re offered.
What state are you in? Are there any affordable schools near you? They can make good financial safeties.
How much will each of your parents contribute? If they haven’t said, ask. You can take the ~$5500/year federal student loan and if you work summers you can probably earn another $3k. Can you afford the honors college that gave you the $2500 grant?
Is your brother in high school? If your mom moves to CA and he graduates from high school there, he may get in state rates in their schools. I don’t believe you will because you graduated and applied as an OOS resident. They’re really strict about residency.
I am getting NO financial aid/scholarships
So I am reposting this threat in the financial aid section as I feel I will get more responses and have provided more info.
I have applied to 3 in state schools- gotten accepted to two.
One of them was my safety- which I got accepted into the honors college with a 2500 a year scholarship, which im seriously considering. That’s all good and great, but that is the only non-loan aid I received. The rest was a 6500 a year Stafford loan 
The other in state school has not sent out aid yet- but I am not expecting much, if anything.
I applied to UMiami, UCSB, UCLA, BC, American, OSU, Flagler, Mercer, ECU, UNCC, CSULB and UNC. Did not get into UNC.
UNC was my top pick- buttttttttt……
I have gotten into OSU, Miami, CSULB, Flagler, UNCC, ECU and Mercer. However, I do not wish to attend mercer, as I feel as if it is not the right fit.
I got 15,000 from OSU as an OOS student and am thankful. My mom really likes that school
I have applied for scholarships on the school’s portals, but I have not been selected for ANY.
I have an SAT of a 1310 and a 8.83 UW/4.51 W GPA. At some schools, this is above the 75th percentile.
On my school’s website I have looked at scholarships and many are specific to one school or group; IE “UNCW hawks scholarships”. “under represented minority scholarship”. Whicchhh I dont qualify for (white)
I applied to schools on the west coast as there is a great possibility that my mom will be moving there soon. If I go to an instate school, well still get in state tuition because of my dad’s residency.
My parents are divorced- I live with my mom. My dad pays the minimum for child support and will not be contributing anything towards my college education (According to my mom).
Our income however gets listed at (combo) 200,000+, mainly because of how much my dad makes.
I just don’t want to waltz out of college with 25,000+ or even 50,000+ in debt. I am very worried about financial aid.
My dad’s child support also cuts off after my brother graduates (he is a junior- graduating a semester early)
So far, ECU is what I am leaning towards, as it is most affordable. However, I have other schools that I absolutely love. I was sort of thrown through a loop as I was naïve and expected a lot of need based aid. Sighs
What do I do? I am very worried about burdening myself and my mom with a lot of loans.
Sorry if I sound arrogant or snobby, I am just stressed and worried.
If I can get any advice, I would be very thankful.
ALL of these schools will consider any child or spousal support your family receives…those are included on the fafsa…for the 2016 year.
So…you are instate for NC? And it sounds like you got accepted you ECU and UNCC…is that right?
University of Miami, American, BC and UNC CH require the CSS Profile and the non-custodial Parent Profile. Those schools will consider your dad’s income.
UCSB and UCLA do NOT give a nickel of need based aid to OOS students, and not much in merit aid either. Expect to be full pay there.
CSULB…it’s an OOS school for you, right? Don’t expect much aid. The school doesn’t give much if anything to OOS students…and the don’t guarantee to meet full need anyway based on the FAFSA EFC.
Great about OSU! Can you afford the remaining costs to attend??
Have you heard from Flagler yet?
Moving with your mom to California will not get you instate residency in California unless you do so a year before enrolling in any college.
You have received advice here but it is not the advice that you want to hear.
I agree with @TomSrOfBoston
CSULB is a California Public school funded by the California taxpayers. You will be expected to pay full fees of $40K per year. California residency rules are strict for non-residents; they know all of the tricks. https://www.ucop.edu/residency/establishing-residency.html
Has your mother researched how much our rents and mortgages are in California? Is this your idea? You won’t be given instate status until your mother has established residency, paid California taxes, has rental/mortgage receipts, for at least a year. Has your mother researched how difficult it is to gain employment in California and get a decent livable wage?
Our costs of living in California are ridiculously expensive. You may find out that living in California will be more expensive than paying OOS fees. No, you can’t find some little place and pay cheap rent because there really are no cheap rentals, unless you move out to the farming cities which are nowhere near the universities where you have applied.
I agree with @thumper1, if you can afford OSU, you may want to go there.
I will throw in that I don’t see how the child support ends when your older brother finishes college. My friends that are divorced with kids don’t tell me that is how it works for them. In fact, one of them just feels railroaded because the child support was extended (this is in NJ, so YMMV).
Listen to the advice here, these folks give excellent guidance, and you are right to avoid massive debt from the get go, even if it means a “lesser” choice such as community college, or a gap year where you work your ass off to earn money, take no classes, and apply more wisely. Best of luck!
States are all over the place on child support, how much is awarded, how long it lasts. NJ is an exception rather than the rule that it must go through college or the amount to be contributed toward college.