<p>I just transfered to UCSB this year (2012-2013), and didn't qualify for any aid last year based on my father's income being slightly over $80,000. All I was able to get upon transfer was a $3000 UC grant and just enough in federal loans to cover tuition. I had to fight hard to get enough money for living expenses and housing from other family members, as my father's salary gets funneled into gambling and bankruptcy payments...</p>
<p>In any case, I'll be a 24 year old senior in the 2013-2014 school year and living on my own, off campus. My community college gpa was a 3.2, while my gpa last quarter at UC was 3.6. I also made less than $4000 in income last year. My question is, how much financial aid (not loans) can I expect for the next school year from the FAFSA?</p>
<p>FAFSA doesn’t give aid. It is a financial aid form that largely helps your college determine your eligibility for federally funded need based aid. How much aid will you get? That is very hard to say. Much depends on the policies of your college regarding how they use their money to award need based aid. It would seem like you would be eligible for the maximum Pell Grant which is just over $5000. I don’t know enough about the Calgrant program to know if you would be eligible for funds as an independent student . Hopefully someone here will know!</p>
<p>You need to visit your financial aid department. Though your FAFSA Expected Family Contribution (EFC) will no longer use your parents’ financial information, the UCs do not guarantee nor do the meet 100% of need for all students. It appears that you will have a zero EFC (if you make sure you file FAFSA on a day when your pockets and bank accounts are empty–20% of every dollar you have goes towards your EFC), so you may get up to $5550 in PELL grants and you will be eligible to borrow about $12K in Staffords, with some of that subsidized (I don’t remember the exact dolllar amount for independent students). The rest is up to the state, the UCs and in particular your own UC. So you should go face to face with a financial aid counselor and see what they can give you. Good luck.</p>