<p>I was on a college's website and since I'm interested in it, I decided to use the net calculator they have on there. It listed $0 for my room and board! I will be living at home during college, so I expected it to be less than they would allow for living in the dorms, but not $0! I pay my parents rent and will have to keep paying them while I'm in college.</p>
<p>Would schools normally change my COA if they knew I had to pay rent? I need my COA to be higher so I can qualify for Stafford loans to pay for school.</p>
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You can always borrow Stafford Loans. COA doesn’t have to be higher for that.</p>
<p>The NPC should have included some kind of number for room and board. Can you link the NPC?</p>
<p>Since parents are considered front line for taking cae of college costs for dependent students, it makes sense that commuters do not get room and board allowances for COA. Since you will working as much when you go to college, you might want to discuss this issue with your parents. </p>
<p>You automatically qualify for Stafford loans to pay for school As a freshman, you can borrow up to $5500 if the COA supports it. You aren’t supposed to be getting loans and financial aid ot pay your parents. IT doesn’t work that way. THey are supposed to be paying into the process. And if you can avoid those loans, do so. They can make your life ever so much more difficult later.</p>
<p>Actually Erin’s dad…some colleges do NOT have a cost included for students who are living at home with their parents. They might have a cost for a student living off campus, and in the dorms…that would include room/board…but not all include a cost for students living at home with their parents.</p>
<p>To the OP, perhaps your parents would “adjust” their expectation for rent while you are a full time student. If the school really doesn’t include an amount for room/board for students living at home, I would discuss this with them. Maybe you can do other chores around the house in exchange for rent while you are a full time student.</p>
<p>And as noted…students can request the Direct Loan (that is what the stafford loan is called now) regardless of where they live or their other financial considerations in MOST cases.</p>
<p>Xposted!</p>
<p>Thanks for the quick responses everyone. Here’s the link to the calculator - [Net</a> Price Calculator](<a href=“http://www.nmjc.edu/NetPrice/npcalc.htm]Net”>http://www.nmjc.edu/NetPrice/npcalc.htm)</p>
<p>I emailed the school just in case they’ve changed their policy or would be able to work with me somehow. Does anyone have a link to anywhere that specifically states whether students can borrow more than their COA or not for Direct Loans? I seem to be getting conflicting opinions on that, and I’m not having much luck with Google (then again, my computer skills leave a lot to be desired, so…)</p>
<p>Not paying my parents (or even having my rent reduced in exchange for chores) isn’t an option. It’s either pay them or get my own place (which would be more expensive).</p>
<p>Typically you cannot receive aid that is in excess of the cost of attendance. How much aid is this school going to give you? Enough to cover tuition and fees? if not, you can take the Direct Loan.</p>
<p>I think I’ll get enough aid for tuition and fees (it’s a cheap school). I guess I over stated it, though. I don’t NEED loans. They would just make life a heck of a lot easier. If I don’t get any aid beyond tuition, I’ll have to work full-time, or very close to full-time, as well as go to school full-time.</p>
<p>Oh well, such is life.</p>
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<p>Since the student living with the parents does consume non-zero amounts of food and utilities, the COA for a commuter student should include some amount for that – although that cost can vary considerably in real life between different families.</p>
<p>While commuting from the parents’ house is usually cheaper than living at the college, the correct comparison is this price difference:</p>
<p>(room and board at the college) - (commuting costs living at home) - (food and utilities at home)</p>
<p>not</p>
<p>(room and board at the college) - (commuting costs living at home)</p>
<p>It is understandable that many do not consider the commuter student’s food and utilities costs at home, since they are “hidden” in other parts of the household budget (grocery bill, utility bill) rather than being written as checks designated for the student’s room and board. But the costs are real, and could constitute a small “hidden discount” for a student who lives at the college.</p>
<p>California public universities and community colleges do list a few thousand dollars of room and board costs for students commuting from their parents’ house.</p>
<p>I’ve seen commuting COAs. The ones I have seen do have allowances for commute and at least one meal at school. But they are a good $10K or so less than the ones that are non commuters. Some schools break it down further for those who are living on campus and those who are in off campus housing but not living with parents. There is a presumption that parents who have been covering some of the kids’ cost will continue to do so.</p>
<p>What if you selected “living off campus”…what is the COA then?</p>
<p>From the listings that I have seen (both list prices and NPCs), “living off campus” (but not at the parents’ house, meaning off-campus apartments, non-school-owned residence halls, fraternity/sorority/co-op houses, etc.) may have a list price the same as, higher than, or lower than in the campus residence halls, but is typically a lot closer to that than for the “commuter living with parents” scenario.</p>
<p>Here is an example listing of different costs for living with relatives, living in the campus residence hall, and living off campus:</p>
<p>[Fees</a>, Tuition, and Estimated Student Budget - UCLA Undergraduate Admissions](<a href=“http://www.admissions.ucla.edu/prospect/budget.htm]Fees”>http://www.admissions.ucla.edu/prospect/budget.htm)</p>
<p>This subject came up a couple of years ago. A student was being charged rent at his parents’ home, so he was able to select “off campus housing”. I’m not sure schools check anyway, but in that case, the student had a signed “lease” with his rent amount on it in case some kind of proof was needed. In effect, he was renting a room while in college. </p>
<p>Erin’s dad…a student can’t take out a student loan if his aid is already at COA.</p>
<p>Schools have a certain amount of leeway when it comes to COA. OP, you can ask the school to increase your COA to include the rent you pay your parents and explain that you may have to take out a loan for that. I have seen schools increase COA but only to allow the students to get loans to pay for it. In other words, I personally have not seen a school increase COA and give a student grants or scholarships for that.</p>
<p>If you will be paying for your room & board anyway, is there any reason why you cant live on campus at least for freshman year?</p>
<p>That NPC produces some strange results IMO. I ran it for a 19 year old student, family of four, $50-60K income living at home and living on his own. The grant amount changes from $3K for living with parents to $2651 living at large, and of course the COA goes up $9500. I don’t know why all COAs don’t include some amount for room and board when it’s allowed in the calculations. Maybe just to make the gap seem smaller?</p>
<p>Maybe just to make the gap seem smaller?</p>
<p>Bingo!</p>
<p>I think that’s why some schools put in a dinky amount in for travel or personal expenses. And some will include the minimum meal plan for R&B…like maybe 10 meals a week.</p>