<p>My parents told me that throughout high school that my "job" was to focus on school and my grades. I did that. My family also has suffered financially since I entered high school due to being self employed and with a business that is tied to the construction and lending industries.</p>
<p>I have 4 financial aid offers and waiting for an offer from my full-ride National Merit school, but they won't give me an offer until my parents do the IRS thing. I am expecting a Pell Grant.</p>
<p>Our EFC is about $3500 per FAFSA, so I was awarded a $2200 Pell Grant.</p>
<p>I have 2 FAFSA only schools (both privates), both of which fully covered COA (not including books, etc). One has 9000 in loans and 2000 work study, the other has 5500 and 2500 work study.</p>
<p>I also have 2 CSS schools (both privates). They both cover COA (not including books, etc) without loans. One school awarded a Pell Grant and SEOG, but also included work study. The other school awarded the Pell Grant and a school scholarship.</p>
<p>Of the 2 CSS schools, one will allow me to buy a computer using an outside scholarship AND they will let me use the scholarship to replace work study AND (one time) to cover my student contribution. The other school will take away any outside scholarship. They will allow me to buy a computer with a loan (which cannot be replaced with outside scholarships) and for the National Merit money they award (but haven't yet as they are not listed as my first choice), they will replace the grants they have already given me. </p>
<p>Also the 2 CSS schools have paid for me to visit for the admitted student days.</p>
<p>I'm just writing to share my good news and I want others to know that full rides from top 10 or 20 schools are possible. You do have to work for it though.</p>
<p>Do you mean we have to work to get in or what? I had believed that once I go in, financial aid wouldn’t be troublesome given my low EFC. That was not the case.</p>
<p>My FAFSA EFC is lower than yours but I did not get “full-rides” to either Hopkins or Georgetown. My calculated EFC is more than 3X the FAFSA.</p>
<p>How does the offer compare to NPC’s for your schools? In my case, it was pretty accurate.</p>
<p>I’m sorry as I forgot a minor detail regarding the FAFSA schools. At one I was awarded $30,000 merit and the other I was awarded “full tuition” merit. This is how they met my need.</p>
<p>I realize that not all schools meet need and do not package loans under a certain income. My post does not address all situations. For me though it worked out.</p>
<p>Do you mind answering my questions? </p>
<p>It’s okay if not. :)</p>
<p>It doesn’t really sound like this kid got free rides. He’s not including books and he may not be including personal expenses and transportation. He may mostly be counting direct costs.</p>
<p>And, since he’s got loans in his pkg, he didn’t get the fab pkg Lakeawead got from G’town. With a very small loan, Lakeawead would have the full COA covered. And, it doesn’t sound like Lakeawead’s calculated EFC for G’town is 3x Fafsa from the details he posted. It’s only that way at JHU.</p>
<p>Congratulations - it sounds like you have some great choices to pick from. I’m glad everything worked out well for you.</p>
<p>Congratulations, and thanks for sharing your haul and how the various schools handled the situations with outside awards and awards in general.</p>
<p>@m2ck - Does any school pay books, personal expenses, travel? I thought “full ride” meant tuition, fees, room, and board… I know that some schools will allow outside scholarships to be added on top which can be used for that stuff, but does any school cover those costs in a financial aid package?</p>
<p>A private school can cover whatever it chooses, including extra money. PELL can be layered on top of all of that COA does include supplies , books, and things–that is the figure that one can take federal loans to that amount. There is a specific COA that each school puts together for those purposes.</p>
<p>I want to add, that the OP did very well, and was fortunate. It does not always turn out that way. I know a number of kids who are great students, worked hard, did all they could, but they are facing some tough choices in colleges as they did not get the bonanza this student did get. There is an element of luck that goes into the mix. That is why safety choices, financial safeties as well as being admissions safeties are important. It is possible and happens all of the time that any given student, is not accepted to any of the schools to which they applied that guarantee meeting full need, and that the other schools gap the student. Without a financial safety, it can be impossible to come up with the costs required to go to such schools when the family simply does not have the resources and borrowing ability to do make the payments. Getting accepted to schools with a small acceptance rate, and getting full or near full rides is very difficult even for top students.</p>