<p>The OP seems to be in a situation where there is not family need as defined by the financial aid process but the parents can’t/won’t pay. That is a niche a lot of students find themselves in. Those students plus those who have parents who refuse to fill out fin aid forms and/or give info and permission so the student can do so, can’t get financial aid other than the $5500 in Stafford loans on an unsub basis. Apparently, the OP’s parents have cosigned or the OP found someone to cosign a private loan since the amount borrowed freshman year is $25K, with who knows how much interest is being charged on the non Stafford part. </p>
<p>BobWallace has offered to check out what colleges near the OP that might be affordable. This one is not. To owe over $100K, and it will be well over $100K with the interest accruing is sheer insanity. Even those majors that can net a person a good paying job, such as engineering, accounting, nursing, medical tec, programming, are not likely to pay so much that someone can take on that kind of a load, meet expenses with an entry level job, especially when the parents are such that they are making the kid pay close to $2K a year for the extra insurance that goes on a policy when there is another driver at home. That $2K could have gone against that loan. You think these parents are going to be helping out with seed money for job start up? My son needed a car for his first job, clothes, and had to relocate, and that was after some time spending money on a job search. His major is condusive to getting good, high initial pay, and he’s with a major company that is picking up relocation and start up costs, and it’s still going to be tight. I don’t know how he could have snagged this job if he didn’t have back up from home. The needs don’t end after graduation, and $100K is a mortgage in many areas, a decent sized one, only no home to go with it. </p>
<p>So in my opinion, continuing at that OOS school is not a good financial choice. A lousy one. OP cannot afford that school, pure and simple. So now what? It appears to me that all that is affordable is going part time locally, and working part time. Need to get some sort of idea where the OP is located, and what the field of study is, and there may have to be a change in that. OP might not be able to afford to go into that fields right away. </p>
<p>As others have noted, transfer chances for money tend to be low, and merit is all that s/he qualifies to get. Not much out there in transfer funds that have decent chances. But the current school, $15K award or not is unaffordable as is the OP’s own state school . If parents won’t/can’t/don’t pay for a kid, sleep away college is not an options with out substancial awards or substancial debt. The OP has opted for the debt. </p>
<p>You are not alone, OP. But those in your situation are having a terrible time. Worse than you are now, and they are out of school and should be dealing with other things They’ll be paying for 25 years for their loans and woe to them if they miss a payment or are late. The large amounts on the credit history make finding certain jobs, getting an apartment ,house, car loans much more difficult and even impossible.</p>