Need help making a plan- What to do if my parents cannot afford the EFC?

[ucbalumnus]

@ClassicRockerDad

My concern is missed deadlines and if a big merit scholarship is not an option, the OP should definitely listen to what schools are offering and see if they can make it work.

I don’t think it’s worth a loss of a year’s professional salary to avoid something like $40K of debt in the scheme of things.

However, if the undergraduate debt that can be avoided is considerably more, then that can sway the decision. The other issue that the amount of undergraduate debt that the OP can take without a cosigner is less than $40k anyway.