" We would like to keep our contribution (loans and cash) at 15k max."
I think it would be wise to get a hard commitment from her as to what kind of help she can afford to offer, in order for you to only have to contribute 15K max.
otherwise, when acceptance letters arrive, and you find out how much it WILL cost, tears may result.
Remember, the fact that have your own business and own the building could greatly reduce FA awards.
"Plus can’t he also do a work study? "
ONLY if its OFFERED by the college as part of the Financial Aid package.
Work-study means a preference for some on-campus jobs. A student without work-study could still work a part-time job, though the availability of jobs may not be as great if many of the on-campus jobs giving priority to those with work-study. For both work-study and non-work-study jobs, students and parents need to be realistic about the amounts that can be earned.
Lets break down USF’s OOS COA (living on campus):
Full-time Tuition and Fees (assuming 30 credits): $17,324
Housing/Meals: $10,808
Books/Supplies: 1,200
Other Expenses*: $4,100
Total: $33,432
*other expenses includes transportation and miscellaneous personal expenses (laundry, toiletries, healthcare, clothing, entertainment, etc)
Note, that living off campus, the total COA is $32,324, it’s about $1K cheaper
The Housing/Meals cost includes a meal plan. It’s cheaper to pass on a meal plan, pick up a cheap fridge, and cook your own meals (which is what my daughter did, as she’s a picky eater, while we went with a meal plan for my son).
You can also get creative with your “other expenses”, based on how you plan on handling travel.
He could get offered work study, you have to see if that’s part of the financial aid package (as well as Pell). Even if he’s not offered work study, you can find other part time jobs around campus.
http://www.usf.edu/work-at-usf/student-employment/browse-job-openings.aspx
He may be more interested in a Co-op, than an internship, since they do pay better, and can often start them a bit sooner (most internships are offered after junior year).
Many jobs at many colleges say work study applicants only.
Oh great that was my next question…does USF offer a co op? That is great news because he is very interested in a Co op.
PS we have our own health insurance so can’t he use that?
Just curious- is he doing his own research for colleges?
Oh also…how will his AP credits come in to play?
USF might certainly be the best choice. For planning, you just need to know targets for what kiddo needs to earn. How often kiddo can come home. Maybe he stays for Thanksgiving and/or Winter break. How much you need grandma to help. How much pocket money he needs to budget so he can have the most successful experience.
@jym626 a little bit. Right now he is more focused on SAT and AP exams coming up.
How many APs does he have? For engineering, it will be doubtful that he can accelerate his program since it is sequential. APs could provide a less stressful experience or allow he to explore more engineering classes. Won’t be cheaper.
You’ll have to check with your insurance plan and see if it covers the Tampa area, but yes, it’s common for the parent’s plan to cover the student.
USF (as are all of the Florida public universities, including FSU and UF) is very generous on AP credits.
http://www.usf.edu/admissions/international/documents/advanced-placement-equivalencies.pdf
On AP credits, we’ve used them (both kids are in engineering at UF) to skip Calculus, English and general ed (social sciences and humanities) classes. Note that you’ll need a score of a 4 or better to skip the chemistry class, and would need to do well on the Physics C AP test to skill the physics classes required for engineering.
Here is the USF BS in Civil Engineering flowchart that shows which classes are required (and which classes are preq’s for other classes). Compare his AP classes/credits to this flow chart.
http://www.usf.edu/engineering/student-services/documents/flowchart-bsce.pdf
"we have our own health insurance so can’t he use that? "
It TOTALLY depends on the college.
"how will his AP credits come in to play? "
It TOTALLY depends on the college.
If, for example, you have. Medicaid in your state or some restrictive coverage in your area only that no Drs are on in the college’s locale, the insurance may not work. Most general insurances do, but YMMV.
The OP keeps bringing up Pell grants and other need based grants, but is there any confirmation that there will be a Pell grant? Sometimes it is a good thing to qualify for ANY amount as a Pell grant because it can open the gate to other need based aid, but most of the time a $1000 Pell grant is $1000, and just doesn’t go that far.
The FSU/FAMU might offer cheaper rates than USF. I think it is more common at FSU to get the instate tuition grant.
We were able to make a Florida (private) school come in at a very low price for civil engineering, but that’s because we had several types of aid the OP isn’t eligible for, including FL bright futures, FRAG (resident grant for private schools). She also qualified for Pell, SEOG, and FL- EOG. She had an athletic scholarship so wasn’t eligible for need based aid from the school, but did get merit aid. She became very good at finding books for pennies, but did spend $522 last year (just did the taxes!) so you do have to spend something. I think a couple were codes so there is no way around paying for those. She came home at Christmas and for the summer.
When I was at orientation for my other daughter (at Wyo) I met a nice kid who told me his story. He was one of seven kids, and their parents agreed to pay for one year of college for each kid. That pretty much limited them to the U of Wyoming, and one year to get the lay of the land. First, the tuition is very low ($4500 for instate) and there are a lot of scholarships to pay for that. The housing isn’t too bad. He was in ROTC (trying to talk my daughter into it), his siblings had also been in ROTC, dorm RAs, had work study jobs, applied for department scholarships, applied for more FA. Basically, they just hustled which is possible at an inexpensive school.
Sometimes you have to go to the school you can afford, not to MIT or Olin. Good engineers come out of cheaper schools in the area too.
OP- with all due respect your posts are all over the place, and not sticking to your topic. Many of the questions you are asking (insurance coverage, work study, AP credits, Co-ops, etc) have been addressed many times on CC and can be easily found by researching the forum. It would be beneficial for you to look at the many helpful subjects on these matters so you can stay on your topic.
Part time Work is available at many colleges, and student does not need the work/study designation at many schools to get very good paying jobs, for instance, grader, TA for mathematics, or Resident assistant. All those jobs do not care about whether the student qualifies for financial aid. Work-study is a guaranteed amount, my sons made way way more than a typical work/study hourly coffee house job, at Case Western and GaTech by landing TA jobs. The TA job requires an A in math, and an interview. Other students we know are resident assistant, and that cuts ALL the room and board fees after freshman year. Its an enormous cut in the cost of college.
See this job program at GaTech for instance-- (nothing to do with need based work/study)
https://housing.gatech.edu/sites/default/files/documents/student-staff/2018-2019_resident_advisor_job_description.pdf
Ways to save money including cooking, moving off campus to less expensive housing, and doing a five year co op degree.
Students can and should work while studying to avoid too much debt. I did and both my sons did that too, in today’s world. My nephews at U of Central Florida, one worked at UPS and was able to earn almost all the tuition and lived and home and commuted. My husband commuted to Rollins College in Florida and also was able to save money.
Consider commuting from home if OP is in Boston area and finds an affordable choice in Boston. Saves a ton of money.
I haven’t read all the answers, but look at Clarkson. A friend of mine submitted an application for her son last year. Apparently they offered a phenomenal package for him. They also have great job placement.