<p>My situation seems very odd. I would appreciate if I could recieve a little help here. I'm from India, and have been in the U.S. since I was 2. My dad, who is the only worker in the family, moved from 20k a year to 65k a year over the course of 1991-2006. I've done ok in high school, nothing great by any means. I got admission to Purdue University, but seeing as I live in Missouri, I am an out of state student. The expected tuition total was 32000. My dad filed the FAFSA form and found out that we were eligible for very little amounts of need based aid, which I think is around less than 5k a year. I doubt I will get many merit based scholarships. The premilinary financial aid estimate (PFAE) said we were expected to pay 13.5k a year in order to attend Purdue. It was said that we could get up to 18k of financial aid a year. We visited Purdue today and talked to the financial advisor also. He said we were only eligible for stafford and parent loans based on the FAFSA. Is this true? I feel as if I won't be able to attend Purdue. My intended major is Chemical Engineering, and I know I would do extremely well if I was given the opportunity to attend. I know for fact that I'm not the only one in this situation, but how do other families with substantially less income and students of my caliber afford a school like Purdue? I thought since we lived in a 250k house, that it wouldn't be that much of a problem to attend; I was very badly mistaken. My question is, is it too early in the financial aid process to base negative assumptions on attendance? My parents said it is possible for us to pay the 13.5k a year if my mom gets a job, which shouldn't be too difficult. I personally have no problem taking loans, but is there any way the financial burden can be met? Please help me out, and thanks in advance.</p>
<p>Students with less income get more financial aid...in addition, private schools tend to offer more financial aid than public schools. Moreover, a lot of schools require more forms, like the CSS, so that they can get a better handle on your financial situation.</p>
<pre><code> At least, that's my understanding. I live in a single parent home in CT, and my mother makes about 40,000 a year, a little less. The cost of living is quite high here. But I've been assured by my guidance counselor that I'll have no problem getting enough financial aid so that I can afford to go anywhere. Of course, I'm yet to receive any acceptances (April 1st!), so I don't know if I'm just being set up for failure or not.
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