<p>I don't know much about the FAFSA, but how much aid would I get, in general, if i only live with my mom and she makes under 30k. Specifically for the UCs (in-state).</p>
<p>The FAFSA is only a form that is used to collect financial data about your family income/assets in order to determine how much your family would be expected to contribute toward your education. It calculates something called an Expected Family Contribution (EFC) based on financial data that you provide on the form. You do not actually get any free money from the FAFSA itself. </p>
<p>Once you know your EFC, then you can begin to get an idea of how much aid you may need to attend the colleges your are applying to. For example, let's say your EFC comes out to 5,000, and you apply to a college that costs 15,000. Your need is 10,000. At a school that costs 20,000, your need would be 15,000. </p>
<p>Keep in mind though that no all colleges meet your full need with financial aid. And, even if they do, please understand that this does not mean that you will get this all as FREE money. The school may offer you a package that contains a mixture of grants (free money), plus loans and work study. </p>
<p>With that said, my first suggestion to you is that you run your family's financials through one of the many EFC calculators that exist out on the web. You mention only your Mom's income, but did you also have any income this past year? Do either of you have any savings? Does your mother receive child support? etc etc. There is more data collected on the FAFSA beyond just straight earnings from work, so it is hard for anyone to tell you what your EFC would be. </p>
<p>One last thing, if your family's EFC is very low (not sure of the limit), you may qualify for a Pell grant from the federal government. This would be free money.</p>
<p>Ok thanks a lot for a debriefing of Fafsa</p>
<p>If your mom really does make less than $30k, you might be eligible for the Automatic 0 EFC formula. There are a couple other things involved in qualifying for this - but if you do the FAFSA & after inputting the parent income info you receive a message that you can skip the asset & student financial info - then you qualify for automatic 0. In this case, you'd get a full Pell grant. That would also put you in the position for ACG if you qualify, as well as some insitutional grants perhaps. However, other than the Pell, there are no guarantees.</p>