<p>You don’t need to apologize, we were in the same position as you. My mother had contributed generously to an UGMA account for my daughter which put us out of range for receiving any financial aid. Coming up with what is left, in your case $25,000 per year, is daunting. We got lucky and received merit aid from one college that made it possible for our daughter to attend.</p>
<p>In the end it’s always better to have the money than financial aid. Financial aid is never dollar for dollar and is never enough and is only good for one year. If your circumstances change then so will your financial aid award. Consider your UGMA account as the first steps towards your tuition, a lot of people have to start from ground zero. Good luck.</p>