I DO NOT understand how financial aid works. Please help me?

<p>First off, I am in high school and I got into UC Davis with these fees:
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Tuition & Fees: $13,896
Books and Supplies: $1,560
Basic Living (Room & Board): $15,740
Transportation: $620
Other: $150
Total Estimated Cost of Attendance for On-Campus Student: $31,966
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And these grants/work study:
Work-Study: $3,500
Total Estimated Financial Aid: $23,466
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How is this money distributed? Do I only pay the tuition and fees or do I pay half of $31,966 per semester? Should I get loans for the rest of the estimated cost? Should I be worried this isn't enough? I have no idea how financial aid works in colleges so it will be much appreciated if help was given. Thank you!!</p>

<p>So you got $20,000 or so in grants? If so, that will be divided equally amongst your college terms. If semesters, then by 2, and if quarters by 3.</p>

<p>If you have two semesters, your total costs to the college are roughly $15,000 a semester. Subtract your $10,000, and you owe $5000 for each semester. You won’t earn work study money until you actually work at a job. </p>

<p>You can take a $5500 Direct Loan…again divide in half for each semester. So $2750 for each term. That leaves you with about $2250 to pay each semester yourself. Can you and your family pay that amount?</p>

<p>These figures do not include transportation, books and “other” as those are not billed by the college. But you will need some money for those things as well.</p>

<p>Each semester (assuming 2 semester per year) you will be billed:</p>

<p>((Tuition & Fees) + (Room & Board) - Grants))/2 per semester.</p>

<p>Note you might have to request that the part covered by grants be deferred until the grants are distributed.</p>

<p>Keep in mind WS is not guaranteed. You will need to find and apply for a WS job. You are only guaranteed the right to apply and earn up to your award level.</p>

<p>What is in the rest of your FA award? Loans? Scholarships? Hard to answer your questions without more information.</p>

<p>@cute2cl‌ : UC Davis is on the quarter system so divide by 3 approximately $9000/quarter for Tuition,Room and Board. The amount will vary depending upon your meal plan, single, double or triple dorm room.</p>

<p>You left off what grants you got or what that $23K in financial aid is comprised of. If they are comprised of grants or STUDENT loans, the it will be subtraced from you total billed cost of tution, fees, room board–anything that the school will bill to you and divided by term with some possible up front fees for first semester. You should call the bursars’s office to find out exactly what will be due in Aug/Sept in dollar amount or at least an estimate close to it. You have to cover that amount plus transportation to the school, supplies, misc money, books for that first term.<br>
When you get to the school, you go to financial aid office when you get to the school and look for a job so you can start earning some of that workstudy money. You get that as you work, just like any job, usually in a paycheck every other week You have to find the job that fits your school schedule and apply for it and then work it, and wait for pay day. WS just means the money comes from a particular fund. If you can find better paying,
better work, with better hours, you can consider that as well or in place of the WS. My niece. couldn’t find a thing to get her work study money her first semester freshman year, and she needed money, so she found her own job at some yogurt/shake type place that gave her more hours. She did find a work study position by pure luck, her second semester and earned her allotment then, but she worked most of the year at the yogurt shop non work study because she needed the money as soon as possible. </p>

<p>I don’t understand the question. Does it say that there are grants or scholarships in the question from OP? I think we need clarification about amount and type of aid that the school is providing. </p>

<p>How much did you get in…</p>

<p>grants
loans
work study…$3500</p>