<p>^I agree that GVSU’s Out of State cost is very comparable to in-state costs.</p>
<p>OP, definitely apply to see how things go. When GVSU offered my son scholarships they “compounded” them, so he was offered full tuition. So anything’s possible.</p>
<p>Be warned, however, that you are in an income category that according to the federal govt is not in “need” of fed grants, so you will not be pell eligible unless there’s some outstanding medical circumstance you didn’t mention. Your parents are not actually “poor” although they may be living to the limits of their means.</p>
<p>For grant and need based aid, for example, students from families who earn $20,000 to $50,000 are eligible (approximately) for decreasing amounts of grant (eg. at $50k virtually nothing.) So if your folks make $90k, sorry, but for a public school like GVSU, that’s not going to be considered “need.”</p>
<p>You and your parents need to have a discussion about whether they’ve saved any $ at all, or whether they intend to borrow to help you go to college, or whether they feel you’re on your own. You need to know this up front. Your parents also need to understand that there is not any federal or need-based program available that will pay your way – that is yours and their responsibility exclusively. </p>
<p>If they just can’t afford it, then maybe you should have a backup plan to attend a cc for two years and then transfer if it’s possible to “walk on” then. On the other hand, still apply, because maybe it will all work out and you’ll get the package you need from merit and other incentives. All students, irrespective of parental income level, can receive $5500 a year in fed LOANS – which is pretty standard in terms of student debt (eg. $250 to $280 a month to pay back over 10 years).</p>
<p>In addition, there are Parent Plus loans that your parents could take to provide a share. Qualifying is quite easy and repayment terms include some “in case of emergency” type of income scaling, etc. You can read up more on financial aid considerations at <a href=“http://www.finaid.org%5B/url%5D”>http://www.finaid.org</a>
Best wishes!</p>