Information about Financial Aid

<p>I am applying to USC- my dream school! I lived in america till I was 12. From 8-12th grade i was studying in israel in hebrew. My mom is a stay at home mom and my dad earns around $100,000 a year. however financially we are not in good shape so my parents will not be helping me pay for college. I was at the top of my class in Israel and my sat scores are in 2000's. If i fill out the fafsa form they will probably reject it because my parents are earning that much but i really need the financial aid. Does anyone have any advice for me?</p>

<p>Apply to schools where you would earn merit aid scholarships based on your academic stats (SATS, and grades). If you are a NMSF, USC offers a 1/2 tuition scholarship, but if your parents cannot pay the remaining costs, that will not help you attend the school.</p>

<p>The reality is that you need to focus our college search on schools that are in the financial reality for your family or where you will get guaranteed merit aid to make up the difference.</p>

<p>FAFSA does not “reject” anyone. It is just a form you fill out that produces a number called the EFC and sends it to the schools you list. The EFC is based on your family income and assets. The schools use the EFC to determine your eligibility for financial aid.</p>

<p>With an income of $100,000, you will not be eligible for any federal need based grant aid. It is likely your family will have to come up with a substantial amount of money for your college costs.</p>

<p>Are you considered a US citizen for admission?</p>

<p>yes i am a us citizen</p>

<p>The advice above applies to you as a U.S. citizen. Your family income is too high for federally funded need based aid. If your stats are sufficiently high you might be able to garner merit aid to support your college costs. It is unlikely that you will be able to receive need based aid except at the very most competitive colleges in the U.S. (Stanford, Harvard, Yale and the like have very generous need based aid). This is institutional aid. Regardless, your family WILL have a contribution to make even at these very generous schools…you will not get a free full ride including all costs.</p>

<p>There are some very generous merit awards that do cover the full cost of attendance…if your SAT scores on the CR/Math sections are sufficiently high, you could garner significant aid from some schools…U of Alabama is a school that offers excellent merit aid to very high achieving admitted students.</p>

<p>USC isn’t likely going to work out for you. Even if you got some merit scholarship money from them, you’d still have too much to cover since your family won’t be paying its “family contribution.”</p>

<p>What is your SAT exactly? what is the breakdown of your SAT? We might be able to point you to some schools where you’d get lots of merit money. </p>

<p>What is your major?</p>

<p>*your family WILL have a contribution to make even at these very generous schools…you will not get a free full ride including all costs.
*</p>

<p>Very true…you will not get a free ride from USC. Even if your SAT were like a 2300 and they gave you free tuition, you’d still have to pay about $15k per year for room, board, books, fees, etc.</p>

<p>the breakdown of my sat scores is CR: 650 math: 680 writing:690
I am majoring in film. Does anyone know if usc offers more scholarships to sophomores if they get straight a’s during their freshman year?</p>

<p>*the breakdown of my sat scores is CR: 650 math: 680 writing:690
*</p>

<p>with those scores you’re going to have a hard time being admitted. USC rejected kids with higher scores this last year. </p>

<p>If admitted, you won’t qualify for merit. I have heard of some NMF students getting some additional merit for later years, but I’ve never heard of a student who didn’t get merit from the beginning getting any significant merit for the following years.</p>

<p>Your question is really moot. Even if USC were to throw you a $5k merit scholarship for your soph year, that won’t be close to what you need. the school costs around $55k per year.</p>

<p>You also have to consider that you’ll have int’l travel costs as well. </p>

<p>Since your parents won’t pay, you probably need to look at schools in Israel.</p>

<p>I live in America now with my parents… I got straight A’s in highschool in a second language- will that count for anything?</p>

<p>USC is largely test scores driven for admittance. </p>

<p>That said, you don’t seem to understand. Even if you’re admitted, you won’t be able to afford to go there since your parents won’t pay their “family contribution”.</p>

<p>With your family’s income, their “expected contribution” will be around $25k-35k. how will you pay that???</p>