<p>Emory's loan replacement "replaces loans for dependent undergraduate students whose families' assessed annual incomes are $50,000 or less. Grants replace need-based loans to cover expenses including tuition, room, and board. The eligible grant amount represents the student's self-help portion normally given in the form of a loan." </p>
<p>Right now, my single mother (supporting two children with no child support), earns $57000 a year. Our calculated EFC is $8600. Right now we do qualify for the Emory Loan Cap program (which caps total loans at $15000 when you graduate), so I'm planning to graduate with $15000 in loans (we can't contribute anymore). </p>
<p>But I feel like I've been jipped. I could have graduated with no loans, if my mom only made $7000 less a year. Considering our EFC is $8600, we're going to have to give everything we have and pull loans, placing us below the $50000 a year mark anyway. In other words, my family will be basically living as if we made $48400 and I'm going to graduate with $15000 more in loans. But if my mom only made $49500 a year, my family would live with that much more money a year and I would graduate with 0 debt.</p>
<p>What can I do? Besides look into more scholarships, is there anyway that I can possibly reason with Emory and receive a greater grant? Possibly qualify for the Loan replacement grant program?</p>
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can possibly reason with Emory and receive a greater grant? Possibly qualify for the Loan replacement grant program?
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<p>Probably not. They have to set an income limit somewhere. If they change it for you then the next guy with $58,000, then $59,000 then $60,000 will want an exception made for them. It is the same for FAFSA based aid - below $50,000 income no assets are taken into account - $1 over - assets are. Under $20,000 income = automatic zero EFC. $1 over - no zero EFC.</p>
<p>Really you are getting a pretty good deal with the loan cap. You are certainly not 'getting screwed'.</p>
<p>I wish there were some way that you could fix it. The only thing I can say is that this is why I advocate managing income levels, and being aware of how a change will affect things. I could make more, but if I did, I'd net <em>less</em> because of financial aid. It's pesky for exactly the reasons you have -- that on the cusp, you can make a little more and end up worse off because you don't qualify for programs like Emory's.</p>
<p>Edit: Oh, wait. Wait about things like pre-tax deductions? How do those affect EFC levels? IRAs, things like that. If you can't negotiate with Emory, can you negotiate with her employer, to provide part of her income in something that isn't counted? I don't know what that would be -- I'm not a financial expert. Would it be worth it for her to work fewer hours for less pay, like negotiating for a 36 hour week at 50K a year, or something like that?</p>
<p>considering tuition per year is in the 40k range...15k in debt when you graduate is pretty damn good.</p>
<p>-<em>- It's not really a shaft...i'm getting the shaft really. efc is 53k -</em>-; where the heck are my parents going to get that kind of money? Just because we have investments. grr.</p>
<p>I wondered that about Emory's loan replacement program when I first read about it. It seems in cases like yours it would be more sensible for colleges to phase out the loan replacements -- for example, a family making under 60K would have a lower loan cap than a family making 90K. Or in some way, have a program that makes the benefits phase out gradually. The idea that $50,001/year puts you in the same borrowing catagory as a family making $99,999/year is ill-considered.</p>
<p>My son was thinking about applying to Emory for a little while, but didn't end up doing so.</p>