<p>Hello, as you can see, I am a USC hopeful. It is one of the most expensive schools in the country and I need some help. </p>
<p>Provided I actually get in, I want to see if I will be able to pay for it. My parents make quite a lot. Around $210,000 per year. But that's all I know! Every time I ask them about running a NPC, my religious mother says I need to speak our ability to pay "into existence". Every time I ask my dad, he literally will just ignore me. My parents also havent saved any money specifically for college. The one time I pried my mother on the topic, she said this is basically how it went down. I asked her what he budget was, and she said "$10,000 TOTAL per year" That is ridiculous on so many levels for our income, but here is where it gets worse. When I told her that is unreasonable, she said "Fine, then we will figure it out when your acceptances come in'. But now, shes back to letting the Lord handle it. And I know with our high income, we wont get much need aid, but I know that USC and a lot of schools of it's caliber meet full need. So even though it wont be a lot, it will be something. I have already sent in my application for my state flagship and I am using that and another in state public as a safety. I know USC has merit scholarships, but I doubt I would get any if I got in. My SAT score is 2020 and my GPA is 3.8. I also have a sibling graduated from community college and will hopefully be attending an in state college in the spring. </p>
<p>So, any help?</p>
<p>Also, when I ask my parents to try to put aside money for me, they get really mad at me.</p>
<p>My biggest fear is that I won't be able to go to any college I get into because my parents have kept me in the dark.</p>
<p>Thank you!</p>
<p>P.S. I know this sounds crazy, but I am telling the truth.</p>
<p>If your parents really earn $210,000 per year, you will not get a nickel of need based aid from USC. Actually, it is highly unlikely that you will get need based aid at any college. </p>
<p>If your parents will contribute. $10,000 a year, and you take the Direct Loan, you will have room and board covered. Look for places where you can get a merit scholarship to cover tuition. It won’t be USC unless you are NMF…and even then a full tuition award is not guaranteed.</p>
<p>Look in the pinned thread above for links to threads about scholarships and affordable options.</p>
<p>Also, start looking at affordable options within your state. Perhaps there is a public university you can commute to from home.</p>
<p>If you apply to all schools where you won’t get need based aid, and your parents won’t pay the costs to attend, then you are right. You won’t be attending college.</p>
<p>You need to work with what you have. Look for merit aid.</p>
<p>Start looking for schools where you can merit aid, then. The $10,000 figure they told you might very well be what they can afford - despite their income. Assuming your CR+M is at least a 1400, you can get full tuition at Alabama. If they can afford $10,000 per year, that might be enough to cover your other expenses - room/board, meal plan, books, etc. You might also get an automatic full ride at U of Louisianian - Monroe, and Louisiana Tech U. </p>
<p>Your situation isn’t as dramatic as @thumper1 is making it. I ran a NPC for Harvard, though it is unlikely you will get in. For a family of 4 with 2 students in college and a family income of $250,000, that family would get $12,000 (excluding student work) in aid from Harvard. Bring that number down to $210,000, and your family would be getting $28,000 from Harvard, bringing he cost to your parents down to $29,000. So at elite schools with huge endowments, there is hope. BUT that is still over budget for you, so you will need to seek merit aid. If USC is really your dream, bring up your SAT score by 250 points.</p>
<p>Anniebeats. The family says they will pay only $10,000 a year. Sorry…but the schools you mentioned even with two in college will cost more than $10,000 a year.</p>
<p>Plus…the sibling will only be in college the first two years…then this kiddo will be a full pay student. Period. </p>
<p>I don’t think I painted a dire picture at all.</p>
<p>This student needs to be realistic. It’s good that applications have been sent to affordable instate public options.</p>
<p>Sure…apply to USC. Apply to Harvard. Apply for aid. And if the money isn’t forthcoming…be prepared to walk away.</p>
<p>Then believe that…or at least close to that.</p>
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<p>That just sounds like she is shutting you down (shutting you up) to deal with later.</p>
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<p>But now, shes back to letting the Lord handle it. And I know with our high income, we wont get much need aid, </p>
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<p>You won’t get any aid. You don’t have the stats for HYPS (which gives super-aid), and the other full-need schools will expect your parents to pay all costs (or nearly all costs with a sibling in college).</p>
<p>How much will your parents be paying for your sibling’s college this next year (now that he/she has graduated from a CC and will be attending a 4-year college)? </p>
<p>You won’t get any need based aid from USC. If you have the money for the application fee, you can apply and roll the dice on getting one of the approx 200 full-tuition Trustee scholarships that they offer (not all accept the offer so the yield is less.) USC is big on meeting their specific institutional needs and enrollment management goals, so your best chance is if their is something atypical about you that stands out to them, and happens to be what they’re looking for in scholarship offers that year.</p>
<p>If that is your “biggest fear” than you need to be proactive and take steps to prevent that possibility. Depending on what your M+CR score is (and you need to RETEST and ALSO take the ACT), you need to apply to some schools where you would get large merit for your stats.</p>
<p>What is your M+CR? Are you retesting? Are you also taking the ACT?</p>
<p>There is a good chance you won’t get accepted to USC with a 2020 SAT, so you need to consider other schools anyway. USC likes high test scores. One of my nephews got into UCLA and Berkeley, but was rejected by USC because his SAT was sub 2100. He had a high rank, tough HS curriculum, but his M+CR was a 1390.</p>
<p>@thumper1 I know it is over budget. BUT, you said that it’s unlikely that someone with a $210,000 household would get financial aid anywhere. That simply isn’t true. I know the OP doesn’t have the stats for Harvard, but provided they did and got in, they would get substantial aid-- just not enough for their parent’s budget.</p>
<p>Annie…we also don’t know the status of the family assets. The generous aid is for families with “typical assets”. For all we know, this student’s family has high assets as well.</p>
<p>This student has a sibling who will also be attending a four year college next year. It would be smart to find out how the parents are paying that bill. In addition, that sibling attended a community college for two years, and there is likely a reason for that as well. Plus, since the family saved substantial tuition and room/board money for the sibling for two years, it is very possible that they are willing to spend additional money for the final two years…which is where the sib’s bachelors will be awarded.</p>
<p>Maybe they are expecting child number 2 to do the same…conserve money for the first two years, and then matriculate at a four year school to finish their bachelors degree. </p>
<p>Having two kids in college at the same time on $200,000 of income isn’t a cakewalk. </p>
<p>I live in Buffalo. My sibling will be attending UBuffalo for two years, but he has a part time job that pays pretty well. So he will be covering a lot of the costs himself. He will also be staying at home, so no room and board. I am using it as my safety and I am also using SUNY Albany because I am pretty confident I will get into those schools. </p>
<p>I spoke to my college counselor about the SUNYs and she said that no one in the history of our school was able to bring the total cost at any SUNY below $10,000 per year. With my family income, I know that we wont get any aid from them either. So our state flagship will end up being too expensive for my family anyway.</p>
<p>For my stats, I made a typo above. Sorry, I have a 2120 on my SAT. My GPA is the same though.</p>
<p>As you can see, math isnt my strong suit. I want to be an English or Creative Writing major. Lucky for me, a lot of universities have strong writing programs.</p>
<p>I have looked up some schools with merit aid, but the problem is, it applies to only tuition. So the cost of room and board may very well be over $10,000 total. </p>
<p>thumper1- Thanks for responding! I just read your post. My brother was at community college because he tanked in high school and couldnt get in anywhere else. He was also living at home. As far as I am aware, my parents didnt use from their savings to send him to CC. They paid with their paychecks. </p>
<p>So basically you are saying that you school caters to crowd who based on their income and assets have no financial need when it comes to attending SUNY (income cutoff for TAP is 80k/year) as there are no low income students who attend your school (making them eligible for Pell, EOP which definitely brings the out of pocket cost under 10K)</p>
<p>you should definitely look into the Mt. Emmons scholarship at SUNY Potsdam, why BTW has a writing program</p>
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<p>If you know that your family is working with 10k, then you need to look at schools where you are candidates for automatic tuition scholarships including attending some of the SUNY schools), so with you working over the school year and summer you can help your parents bring the expenses with in the 10k range. There are 64 SUNY schools, you need to put your finger to the keyboard and begin researching.</p>
<p>If you don’t have to pay room and board at SUNY Buffalo, you should be able to be under the $10,000 criteria…adding in your Direct Loan.</p>
<p>If you get a full tuition scholarship elsewhere, your parent contribution of $10,000 plus the direct loan, and earnings from your job should cover your costs.</p>
<p>What you want is someone to cover the cost of a $60,000 a year plus college. I stand by my first response. You are not going to get the aid you need anywhere with your family income…and even two In college…to bring the costs down to $10,000 a year.</p>
<p>Ok…for merit purposes, you have a 1400. Most schools ignore the W score for merit and for admittance.</p>
<p>There is no way that USC is only going to cost your family $10k…or even $15k (with a student loan). AND you will have transportation costs to consider. USC is going to expect your family to pay AT LEAST $30k per year with 2 in college.</p>
<p>@USChopeful </p>
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<p>This is true…but you are forgetting that YOU can borrow $5500. So, you would have $15,500 to put towards room, board, books, fees, travel, and personal expenses…that should be enough. You can work summers to earn some pocket money.</p>
<p>You need to apply to some of those schools that FOR SURE will give you full tuition for your stats so that you have some safeties. You fear that you won’t be able to pay for college…well, that’s not true if you apply to a few schools that will FOR SURE will give you full tuition.</p>
<p>Your parents have given you very specific information on their finances. They have told you they would pay about $10K a year for your college, and would discuss anything else when the time comes. </p>
<p>You live in an are with a number of universities within commuting distance. The SUNYs would be a great choice. Affordable and good, solid schools. Also ask your GC about any private schools that have been good to kids from your high school in terms of merit awards and for which you stats would make you competitive.</p>
<p>Also look at some other schools where you might qualify for merit. Temple, Alabama, any number of catholic colleges, the smaller one might be interested in that 1400 2 part SAT1 and willing to give some awards.</p>
<p>How about YOUR finances? What have YOU saved, what are YOU earning towards college? My kids worked every summer and some during the year for college. Doing it now too. One was in Buffalo and was working all of the time at this and that during the worst days of unemployment. The way families pay for college is with past (savings), present (current income) and future (loans) on part of the parents and THE STUDENT, namely YOU. Your parents have said they would give $10K a year and the use of their home for commuting. What are you coming up with? Any savings? Any job? You can take out Direct loans when you get there. </p>
<p>If parents will contribute $10k, then the student can work as much as you can during the summer and part-time during the school year and contribute about $5k per year towards your college costs. Along with your parents’ money, you would have plenty to put towards college if you opt for a full tuition award. No loans even needed.</p>
<p>cptofthehouse I do not have much saved. I worked part time at my local grocery this summer, but I dont have much left over. The money I earned has gone towards school supplies, my own laptop (because I will need to be online a lot for college apps), and transportation. I have about $300 left over. Unfortunately, that is hardly enough to make a dent in the price of college.</p>
<p>Your parents have given you info. They have told you they will pay $10,000 a year in costs. </p>
<p>You can work during the school year too. Money you earn most likely would be used for things like personal expenses.</p>
<p>What is your intended major? The SUNY schools are very good. And lots of variety. If you commute to the one near your home, the cost would be within your family budget, especially of you add in the Direct Loan you can take.</p>
<p>Absolutely, apply to USC. But be very prepared to walk away from the school if you get accepted with insufficient aid to support your attendance.</p>
<p>And as noted many times already on this thread…if you can get a full tuition scholarship someplace…that $10,000 plus the Direct Loan will likely fund the remaining costs…along with earnings from your continued employment.</p>
