They are divorced, filled out all fafsa/css w moms tax report, obviously added some information of my dad when required but even css surprisingly didn’t ask much of anything about his income. Even putting child support on USC fin aid calc I got an estimated 53k in ‘gift aid’, not exactly sure the amount of loans this may include
[QUOTE=""]
even css surprisingly didn’t ask much of anything about his income<<<<<<<<<"filled out all fafsa/css w moms tax report,<<<<<
[/QUOTE]
Your NCP (dad) fills out his own paperwork. your mum's paperwork is just hers. Can you clarify you have this done?
How many profile schools do you have? Personally I doubt USC is of consequence, you need big FA and it is so very competitive, but the question is how you will pay for your default Texas schools. CU won’t give you money, ASU, is that assuming merit?
Again LOL, are you in at TAMU?
We did not try any net price calculators at any colleges or universities. We simply waited to see what their financial aid offerings were. And despite the fact that all schools had the same financial info at their disposal, the range of FA offerings, in our case, was staggering. They ranged from rather generous in terms of Emory, Princeton and USC to horrible in terms of UTexas and UMiami.
And yes… the financial aid package included loans and student work study as options. Most FA packages identify the total costs (tuition, fees, room/board - based on averages, and not you specifically) and then first apply any university and federal grants, if applicable. That then leaves an amount left over via expected family contribution. And finally, as a means to pay such, they will offer some federally-backed work study and student loan options. Whatever is left over would need to come from direct payments via the family or possibly extra loans taken out by the family separately.
Despite your parents being divorced, do not make the mistake of thinking that any of these colleges or universities are going to base their FA decision on one parent’s income alone. While the FAFSA only asks for one… your primary custodian… each school will require a review of both parents’ tax returns plus yours, if you filed… plus extra filings related to income/expenses declarations for the combined family, asset statements, etc. And it does not matter to them if one parent, for example, even refuses to help out. Colleges and universities are going to base their FA decisions on the total available family income pie… including the incomes of both divorced parents… and even their new spouses, if one or both of your parents are re-married and filing jointly. All of that is likely why so many get shocked by EFC #s higher than expected. Almost every college and university is going to come back with a much higher EFC than your FAFSA one. Often by many times over.
But good luck with it… getting in and gaining an FA package that works for you…
“Dream schools” are a big misconception anyway. If I have a “dream” of owning a Ford SUV, I’m going to buy a Ford SUV. That doesn’t mean a Ford, or even an SUV is the right car for me. Chances are, it’s going to be a lousy fit. Getting in is only half the battle. Your parents have to be able to afford it too.
Keep an open mind when you’re searching for schools.
Yes, your dad is probably supposed to do his own non-custodial parent form for CSS. You may not get as much aid as you think you would.
@Sybylla my dad filled out the css, and i’m now aware this will affect my FA, hopefully not too greatly. My parents are aware of the costs OOS brings, and cutting the cost in half is probably how much we’ll go. don’t necessarily need amazing FA, but good enough for a reasonable price, as stated earlier my parents will spend around 25k if they have to, and at the worse taking out some loans shouldn’t hurt too bad w salary expectations coming out of USC CS.
UT cost is no problem. If I get in, and don’t end up lucky with USC, it’s easily affordable. At this point, getting in seems relatively safe but i really don’t know yet.
ASU, with the 25k merit i will most likely get is an option, but I feel like I am capable of more and rank it under all my other choices. Might not even be worth the cost after merit.
Education should be top priority, but TAMU culture as a whole just doesn’t seem where I belong. I know too many people going there, and want a “fresh start” in my college experience
With a CU presidential and fafsa grant/loans it may be reasonable.
Ultimately at this point between UT, CU, and USC, whichever school gives the best/any offer. If i could restart my
application process, Id add more target schools, but i choked and luck is all i can really rely on now.
If all fails, i’m considering a gap semester, figuring out more of where I want to/can go, then re apply. This isn’t too appealing tho, so I’m hopeful one school will be nice to me
To give you an idea, I have a 0 EFC and am really poor, but USC would still expect me to pay about 10k/year if I got in. USC has financial aid alright, but they do not cover everything.