I did the Fafsa, came out very very small. My mother is disable, we have nothing. I cannot seem to get anywhere trying to get financial aid. I must not be doing something right. Does anyone have any insight as to what I did wrong? I am an honor student trying to further my education locally. I live in Illinois.
Your other post says you got a $16k grant from the school. It also sounds like you also got a $4k Pell Grant from filing the FAFSA. The maximum Pell Grant is only $5900, so unless your EFC is $0, that’s probably right. You may not have done anything wrong. Low income students can take the ~$5500/year federal student loan if they file the FAFSA, but other than that and the Pell Grant there’s not much aid available. Some colleges offer grants to high stats students, but it sounds like you already received merit aid.
What???
Here is the OP’s other post…
I have lots of questions.
- How much does your college cost?
- You got a $16,000 scholarship, plus a $4000 something from FAFSA. FAFSA is a financial aid form. It is not an aid awarding entity. Did you get a $4000 Pell Grant?
- What was your FAFSA EFC? That is easy to find on the Student Aid Report you got when you filed your FAFSA. If the $4000 was a Pell Grant....then your EFC was bout $2000. Is that correct?
- Are you attending a college where you can commute from home? If not...why not?
- Did you consider the cost to attend college when you applied...or did you just assume that your costs would be covered?
- Is there a community college near you where you can start your college studies and take your general education required courses?
- You can also take a $5500 Direct Loan in your name.
- What state do you reside in? Are there any grants available for low income students in your state?
- You mention your mom...what about your dad? Are they married?