<p>I come from a low income family and was wondering if the University of Southern California gave out generous financial aid packages. By low income I mean under $25,000. Also if anyone knows a school as competitive as the University of Southern California that gives out generous financial aid packages, could you please name them for me? Thank you!</p>
<p>It depends on the student’s income. You should qualify for a lot of need based grants because your parents’ income is under $25,000. Good luck on gaining admission!</p>
<p>the UCs give out a ton .UCM gave me 18,000 while UCR gave 13000</p>
<p>Oh okay, so would I be expecting grants to cover about 95% of my costs? Like getting a work study and grants close to about $45,000 a year?</p>
<p>i’d say yes because i’m getting 42,800 (not including loans).</p>
<p>USC also uses the CSS/Profile and their own formula to determine your need, so if you have assets not considered by the FAFSA (such as home equity), you may have a different expected family contribution than the one generated by the FAFSA. Your package would likely include (freshman year) your EFC as determined by USC, $3,500 unsubs Stafford, $2,000 unsubs Stafford, $2,000 - $3,000 in work/study, an expectation of $3,000 or so in summer earnings, federal grants, state grant (if CA resident) and University grants.</p>
<p>*a tiny note in regards to Jason2009’s post: USC is not a UC, it is a private university.</p>
<p>From your chances thread, it looks like you’re a first generation college student from Ohio with a current gpa of 3.5 (UW) and an ACT of 27 so far. So, no state grants in CA and you’re a little low on the admissions averages for USC. Given your family history (changing state residency and dad’s health problems), my advice would be to look for schools that you will be competitive for and that will award you some merit aid. If you can get your ACT score a bit higher, that would help too. If the school you choose is in Ohio, and your parents remain OH residents, you’d likely be eligible for several thousand in state grants there. Otherwise, some of the best need-based aid comes from the schools on the list at this link, but you may not be competitive for admissions:
[Project</a> on Student Debt: Financial Aid Pledges](<a href=“http://projectonstudentdebt.org/pc_institution.php]Project”>http://projectonstudentdebt.org/pc_institution.php)</p>
<p>In general, I would suggest looking for schools that offer the program you’re interested in, would be in the upper 25% of stats for admissions, and who report at least 80% Avg Percent Need Met (without Plus loans). Many list their merit scholarships and criteria on their websites. This site offers a good view of the financial aid averages:
[Student</a> Aid on the Web](<a href=“http://www.studentaid2.ed.gov/gotocollege/campustour/]Student”>http://www.studentaid2.ed.gov/gotocollege/campustour/)</p>