My parents wanted me to go to a community college so that I could stay at home with them but living with my parents has just been terrible. They put too much of their responsibility on me, and after some of the things that’s happened in the past I simply can’t continue living with my parents. Mind you I’m bisexual and I’d like to come out the closet, but if I did my parents would disown me and kick me out. I know that without a shadow of a doubt, so living with them is not an option. Anyways, my mom told me she won’t cosign any loans for me whatsoever, shes already planning to pull out a loan to buy a home. I’m 18, I don’t have any credit. I got 11,312 in loans & grant. I’m planning on going to Florida Gulf Coast University. I got my “Shopping Sheet” which is my financial aid package and according to that my tuition & fees is 25k. On their website it says their tuition & fees is 6k. I’m an in-state student so I don’t really understand why I’m being charged that much. All together I need to pay 33k to FGCU. And since my parents won’t cosign and I know for a fact none of my other family members will cosign (their credit is just as bad as my parents) I have to take out private student loans on my own name. But the likely hood of me being granted one of those loans is slim to none. Plus, when those lenders check my credit score its going to negatively impact it. What can I do? I don’t want to go to community college. Its always been my dream to go to a university. I already paid the housing agreement (if you cancel it at a certain date you get charged a hefty amount), and orientation. None of which is refundable. Can someone please tell me what I can do? I was planning on getting my CNA this summer so i can work as a CNA while in school to pay for my loans but the reality is i’m not going to get accepted for any loans.
First, check you’re not being confused with an oos student as 25k would be the oos rate.
Second, your parents are right not to take parent plus loans for you and even more so not to cosign college loans.
Can you copy your financial aid award below ?
What are your choices beside fgcu ?
Are you sure it is just tuition and fees that are 25K or the entire COA?
CollegeData lists Cost of Attendance as 19K (which is older information, so 25K is likely accurate for the whole cost)
http://www.collegedata.com/cs/data/college/college_pg03_tmpl.jhtml?schoolId=534
^ very possible indeed.
OP can you simply list :
Tuition+ fees+ room+board=
Scholarships +grants =
I don’t know if I can post a screenshot of my shopping sheet, but here it is
https://gyazo.com/bdf5ae85b04165804abc0aed1b531738
If you can’t click the picture here it is:
Tuition & Fees: 25,162
Housing & meals: 9,672
Books & Supplies: 1,200
Transportation: 3,400
My fafsa has given me 5,815
so now my total cost to pay is 33,619
Also, I checked my application status to make sure I didn’t accidently miss the in state tuition section and I didn’t.
@MYOS1634 If my parents shouldn’t sign my loans for me, what can I do? What other options do I have?
Tuition is $6,118. But that’s only your classes. The other charges are Room and Board ($9,672). books ($1,200), transportation ($1,700) and personal expenses ($1,700). You can buy used books and sell your books at the end of the semester to mitigate costs there. Transportation and personal expenses don’t have to be that high - I assume you’ll be driven to school and won’t be flying? That $33k total isn’t correct if you’re in state. Total estimated costs should be around $20k, minus whatever you can shave off of transportation, personal expense and books. And of course minus whatever loans and grants you got.
Also, I got accepted into University of North Florida and my total cost for them is list below:
Cost of Attendance
$35,806.00
Estimated Family Contribution
$.00
Initial Need
$35,806.00
Outside Resource
$.00
Need
$23,291.00 <-----That is how much i need to pay now after FAFSA being deducted
They offered me 12,515.00 in loans & grants
A Google search yielded this cost of attendance for this college. If you are instate your TUITION only would be $6720 for the year as an instate student.
Total cost of attendance for instate is $20992 but this includes books, personal expenses and transportation.
Total billable costs…meaning costs the school will bill you…include tuition, fees, room, board. Those are $16392 for the year.
You will have to still pay for books, personal expenses and transportation…but not a bill from the university.
Contact the school ASAP. Did you graduate from HS in Florida? Do your parents reside there…and if so for how long? If you are sure you are an instate student, this needs to be clarified with the school.
Even so…if you got $11000 plus in aid, how will you find the remaining costs? Your aid already includes loans…which ones? And for how much? Did you get Bright Futures?
Contact fgcu immediately and call on Monday first thing, because tuition instate is NOT 25k.
Your total direct costs (what you pay the university) should be about 15k.
Did you get a Pell Grant? Federal loans? Bright Futures?
Thank you, I will contact them on Monday since it’s the weekend. I received 5.8k in federal pell grant (my financial aid advisor said that is my fafsa… Is that true?) I am a senior I am graduating on June 4, I have been residing in Florida for about 11 years, I am a resident. My mom is a citizen. Is it possible that both schools are charging me for out of state tuition?
Also, I did get 2 federal loans, ones subsidized and one is unsubidized. I did not quality for bright futures
FAFSA doesn’t “give” you anything, it is just a form you fill out to see if you qualify for federal aid. You did, which is great. You need to contact the school - something isn’t right with your residency status. They’ll figure it out for you if you call on Monday.
Have you sent your verification of Florida residency to financial aid ? If not, HURRY. Look at the website for Her proofs they need. It’s quite possible that if they don’t receive that proof, they automatically bill oos.
Pell + federal loans + work + a bit from your mother would be sufficient.
Retake the sat /act before graduation if you can as you may get more in scholarships.
Okay, thank you everyone. Looks like my number one issue here is getting this tuition cost resolved. I will worry about my loan options after this is resolved. Thank you everyone for clarifying things for me
You have $5775 in Pell grant? And $5500 in Direct loans. Is that correct?
^ If that is true then the OP does not need parent cosign for the direct loans.
You need to find out why you’re being charged OOS when you live in Florida and you are a US Citizen.
Your family is low income, full Pell qualified. It’s not reasonable to expect a low income family to cosign loans. THEY would be responsible for those loans…AND…since they’re low income, they would NOT qualify ANYWAY.
FAFSA is just an application for federal aid. You rec’d fed aid: Pell Grant, fed loans, and maybe work study.
@coolweather. The student has about $11500 in aid. The cost to attend…just tuition/room/board is $16000 plus…and that doesn’t include books.
The student likely hoped for a cosigned loan to cover the remaining costs.
@thumper1, I don’t think the student understand the loans. He’s being quoted OOS tuition, and that reason isn’t clear, but once he clears that up he should also get some Florida grants for low income students. At both U of North Florida and Gulf, he will probably get a Florida needs grant (usually $1000) and maybe SEOG.
OP, if you are eligible for Bright Futures, you MUST apply before you graduate on June 4.
@twoinanddone the OP said he/she did not qualify for Bright Futures.
Something isn’t right. Two colleges both have this student as an OOS student. Why would,that be?
To the OP…your mom also resides in Florida? And for how long?
Students are supposed to send their residency information when they get admitted into a public university in Florida. I assume this student forgot to send one of the proofs detailed on his/her portal /letter and was thus assumed to be oos. By sending that proof FIRST THING MONDAY s/he could still beat the may 1deadline.(keep in mind turn around time to process things).
OP should qualify for state aid/seog once s/e’s qualified as instate, thus lowering costs further.
OP, were you close to 26 on the Act and is your GPA BF-worthy?