I am also from NJ.
In my opinion, you should start by living at home and commuting. Either go to community college or to a school that is closer to you than you said Rutgers is.
Do that for two years. Work, save money, then transfer to Rutgers. At that point you can probably rent an apartment with a few other people.
I know it is not your dream - that hallowed 4 year living on campus dream - but believe us - think longer term than 4 years, thing 8 years from now. Look at that payment. It’s hell. Don’t think the only way to have fun is to go away to college. You can still hang out in the student center, still do the college activities and have friends. Good luck.
Have you tried talking to the school? That would be my first step - you never know. Have you tried for any outside scholarships at all? I know some are small, but better than nothing.
I don’t want to discourage you from going to college, so maybe try some avenues where you can get some more money. And work in the summers, etc. If you are going to have debt, which is not unheard of at all, then at least try chop down the amount a bit.
I think your first option should be a state school you can commute to. Jersey isn’t THAT big a state that you can’t drive to a college.
That would drop your annual cost by $12,000 or so a year.
The debt you’re talking about will cripple your future. It will impact your ability to drive the car you want, plan the wedding you want, buy the house you want and do the traveling you’ll want to do.
You should do the stars program if it is not past the deadline. That would give you two free years at the NJ community colleges then you go directly into the state school of choice. Rowan has an amazing plan with two of the community colleges since they actually own them.
This would check all your boxes. You would end up with the same degree, same job with half the debt
I know that you probably have had your heart set of going away to college. This is the time of year that many students find out that their choices aren’t affordable…so other options have to be found.
What are your test scores and GPA? (include SAT breakdown - don’t superscore))
How much will your parents pay each year? Ask them, please don’t guess.
Do you have a sibling in college? If not, your EFC doesn’t make any sense with that income.
I commuted 40-60min each way to college all four years. It certainly is doable and it will be worth it for you to avoid the kind of debt you’re talking about. Better to move out of your parents house at the end of four years than to be moving back In after you graduate.
2.9 gpa unweighted (i take all honor courses) SAT English 650 Math 700. I have 2 siblings, one graduated and the other is still in college. My parents won’t be contributing as of right now.
It’s not worth it. That amount of debt would crush you, especially if you decide to start a family. Simply put, you can’t afford these colleges without gambling your future. If you’re paying for school on your own, then you really need to more affordable options. The biggest option is spending your first 2 years at community college. This will give you virtually zero debt for your first 2 years. After your first 2 years with almost zero debt, your school options are a whole lot more affordable. A manageable amount of student loan debt is $27k. That’s the maximum you can take out for a bachelors degree in federal student loans.
“My parents won’t be contributing as of right now.” Then you need to find a cheaper place to study.
You can’t borrow 80k on your own. Your parents would need to borrow it for you as PLUS loans, or they would need to co-sign the loans with you.
Find a CC that you can commute to easily from home. Study there for the first two years. Get good grades so that you have better transfer options than you have as direct admission options right now. You might be surprised in two years, and be able to go somewhere outside of NJ. But at minimum, you will be able to transfer to a public university in state.
Not what you want to read here as advice, I know, but CC then transfer is probably your best option right now. Take a look at the thread at the top of this forum that discusses automatic scholarships. Your UW GPA is not so hot, but some of those institutions accept weighted GPAs, and you might make their cut-offs. In that case, a gap year with a new list of places to apply to could make sense.
Did your FAFSA indicate 2 in college or 3? It would seem that an income of 120k would have a combined EFC of more than $20k if the FAFSA indicated that there would only be 2 in college.
@MommyCoqui are you asking if the FAFSA adjusts the FAFSA EFC because of where a person lives?
If so…the answer is…no.
I think the question about how the siblings paid for college is a good one. The OP should have had some sense of the finances because of older siblings in college. How ARE they paying for college?