<p>Guys I really need ur help on this. I just got a financial aid award and both the sub and unsubed loans offered aren't enough to pay my tuition at all. This is beause my EFC is high, but my parents are not paying for my college. Could I do anything to change this. Would it help if I redo my FAFSA and say I'm an independent ; however I'm living with my parents. This really sucks. I'm so dissapointed I'm offered loans that can't even pay half of my tuition. Please help!!!!</p>
<p>How is it that you’re only discovering this NOW???</p>
<p>Anyway, to answer your question, no, you cannot just declare yourself independent . . . unless you’re willing to wait until you’re 24 years old to start college!</p>
<p>Federal student loans should be more than enough to cover the cost of community college, but, no, you’re right, they’re not enough to cover the cost of tuition at most other schools. Time for a change of plans.</p>
<p>I just got back home and found out about this. I’m not sure what I should do now. Would it help at all if I put “live off campus” next time I do Fafsa?? And for this time, u think I should talk to my parents about this problem? There’s actually also parent loan, but they wont do it for sure! This really sucks!!</p>
<p>Are you an incoming freshman or transfer student?</p>
<p>How did you make your college decision w/o knowing what your aid would be?</p>
<p>You can’t put that you’re independent unless you’re married, a vet, or over 24. </p>
<p>What state are you in? What is your EFC?</p>
<p>What schools did you apply to?</p>
<p>Is this for Uminn? Are you instate for UMinn? </p>
<p>How did you expect to pay for this if your parents wouldn’t pay??? </p>
<p>YOU can’t borrow much. YOU can only borrow $6500 as a sophomore which you say that you are in another post. </p>
<p>You may have to return to your CC until you’re a junior and apply to schools that you can afford.</p>
<p>Are there any schools that you can commute to?</p>
<p>Hey Lynacc, believe me I know the feeling of dread that comes when you realize you can’t afford your choice college and may not even have a school to go to come fall. If your gap is like $18,000 then I wouldn’t even bother appealing, it’s time consuming and my school already told me that most freshman appeals get $500-$1000 which is just crap. PLEASE consider satellite or smaller colleges is your state. I’m fight my school hard to get more funds if just for this year but I’m also trying to have a fall back plan. A rather small far less prestigious and STILL enrolling students college. Find those schools now and start applying that way you aren’t left empty handed. I know community college is always and option but I really don’t think you want to be there after 4 years of hard work.</p>
<p>I’m transferring from a community college. This is my dream school, and its the only one that offers the program I want to do. I’m in MN. My EFC is higher than 10 grands. I applied to only one, because I was set to go to that school. I can’t go to any other schools unless I decide to do OOS, which is not likely. I was hoping to get some sort of scholarship, but as a transfer student, there arent a lot of scholarships out there!</p>
<p>
Your parents are the primary source to pay for your college education. Your parent could get “parent PLUS loans” to finance your education (up to the COA.)</p>
<p>I live with them. They pay for everything in the house and that’s why I’m supposed to take care of my college life. I will of course commute to the U of MN. But the big problem is the tuition and books and everything. I actually should have been categorized as a junior but since I’ve already spent 2 years at CC. I just wanna cry right now!!!</p>
<p>$6,500 is all anyone gets for federal loans as a sophomore. You should have known this. What is plan B?</p>
<p>And no, you can’t be declared independent until you are 24, married, a veteran, or have a dependent. Even if you were the federal direct loan limit is still $6,500. </p>
<p>Either you have to pay the balance or your parents do. That’s how it works.</p>
<p>I’m sorry you’re so disappointed, but you chose to not investigate the financial aid situation at all when making your plans, and in this case, ignorance is not bliss. The maximum amount of federal loans for a junior is very clear and can be found easily. You’re an adult, and have to approach life in an adult fashion. Sending in an application and then going wherever it was you just got back from without paying any attention to financial aid issues was foolish (and unless you were on the moon, wherever you went, you could have logged in to your college account and gotten the details of your financial aid at any time). The only possible solution at this point (other than taking off a few years to work and save tuition money) is for your parents to co-sign some private loans, if they are willing to do so and creditworthy, but you really need to consider whether the total amount of loans you are considering makes sense in light of your expected future earnings.</p>
<p>How much would you get if you’re a junior? My university website doesn’t say anything about this at all!</p>
<p>A junior is able to borrow $7500, as is a senior. That’s it.</p>
<p>It sure is my fault not doing enough research about all of these stuff but I really didn’t expect this. What do people like me do? People with high EFC and parents not contributing anything? I have some savings that might get me through the first semester but I don’t know what I should do next year.</p>
<p>Make an appointment with the community college transfer office. The counselors there should be able to go through your options. Most folks that I know who are going to a community college because their parents are not paying anything for their college, or very little of the college costs, but are allowing them to live at home,eat and share home resources, do have to continue their education at a local 4 year public school. Many have to get a job and finish up part time. </p>
<p>The way the financial aid system is set up is that you basically have to be age 24 before you can be independent of your parents. Do review the requirement for independence for financial aid. Married, a veteran, have a dependent, officially homeless, was a ward of the state before age 18, are some of the requirements. Makes no difference even if you weren’t living with them and you were totally and completely paying for every cent of your costs yourself. Them’s the rules.</p>
<p>So you need to present this situation with your counselor and see if there is any thing out there in terms of funding, outside of the $6500 of loans you can take, if there are any schools that will be willing to help out transfers from the CC. The counselor can tell you what most people do in such circumstances. </p>
<p>You are likely to have to change your major and your plans to be in line with what you can afford. I want to make it clear to you, however, before you get too upset about this, that even if your parents qualified for you to get some need, unless they were truly low income, like close to poverty level, it’s not as though the money would be gushing out. THere is a big difference between qualifying for the PELL Grant which does require very low income and getting other financial aid, enough to meet the gap. UMn and every single other state school in MN give out zero guarantees to meet full need, and usually transfers don’t get the best aid even at schools that do make that guarantee; often that guarantee does not apply to transfers. So even if your parents’ incomes qualified you for some more aid, what it might mean is maybe you still get that same $6500 but some of it is subsidized (no interest accruing on it while in college), but that still isn’t going to get you more money. The vast, vast majority of schools in the country gap, and gap heavily. So it’'s not as though because your family has need, a college will come up with all or any of the money you need. There is the PELL for the lowest income families up to $5600, and then the Direct loans up to $6500 for sophomores, and then the next step is subidy of the Direct loans if there is need. After that are often more loans IF the colllege even has any, or they tell you to get your parents to borrow thorugh PLUS, or work study, which if you are already working could be an issue since it would take away from the hours you are already putting in to work. It’s likely you could find employment of sorts on your own at most schools anyways. </p>
<p>Sit down and talk to your parents about this and see if there is any way they can help you work this out. If you have just two more years to go, and you’ve done well so far, they might be amenable to helping you make this happen. Otherwise, look for a change in major so that you can stay local, and work part time to make ends meet. Plan on getting a job near where you can find a grad program with the field you want, and apply for a master’s in the field. You’ll be able to borrow for that, as a grad student.</p>
<p>Yeah… that’s hard, I’m don’t know much myself but best of luck and keep trying there might just be a solution somewhere out there.</p>
<p>thanks everyone, especially cptofthehouse, for your input. If moving out would just make the situation worse, i guess I can’t do too much about it. I thought maybe living on your own would indicate that you’re not receiving much aid from your parents but I guess I’m wrong. And yeah, I have only like 2 or 2 and a half years, so I might be able to do it. And no, I can’t just change my major. I might really have to work really hard trying to find any scholarships possible. And like you said, I’ll definitely have to talk to my parents about this even if they might not like it! Doesn’t make sense how you go to a big school and still just receive 6500.</p>
<p>It makes perfect sense. Taxpayers do not have the obligation to make sure you go to a “big school”. The amount of money available is finite. If you want to go to a big school that is expensive then it is up to you to pay for it. Work while going to school, gap year, etc. </p>
<p>You’ll quickly find out I’m afraid that scholarships are for incoming freshman not transfers. Scholarships won’t solve your problem. </p>
<p>It is possible to work a full-time job and go to school full-time if you want it badly enough. I did it.</p>
<p>My opinion about this is that its a frigging disgrace that the situation is this way. If I had my way… (as an old CCer, Mini might say), “if I were Queen”, I’d yank all the government loan guarantees, Pell Money, Perkins, Work Study, from the private schools and work on beefing up the community college to get them more successful in bringing students up to junior year status, making sure there is one within commutabl distance for everyone and aid for those for whom there is not, to board. I’d also fund any transfers like you, including permitting loans if the parents won’t pay, into flag ship or other state schools, once the student has successfully finished two years of college courses and is ready to make that junior year step. I’d do that in a blink of the eye.</p>
<p>I am not for big loans for college, but I do make an exception when a student has successfully completed what is necessary at a cc and wants to make a transition to a four year school. In such cases, i do side with the loans. The kid is no longer a wet behind the ears high school teen, but a young adult who has shown what s/he could do. Though I also have issues about fin aid and the whole college cost thing being up to parents until age 24, I’m not going to go further on that topic now. However, I do beleive that those who have finished half their college should be given some extra opportunites to finish up, not impediments. There are kids I know who live where my MIL does, where after the CC courses, commuting to a college is an ordeal. Not really doable at all without a reliable car, and even then an expensive commute. I believe some commuter buses shoud be run from a CC to that school, and I think that some expanded aid should be availabe to those who need the funds to finish up their next two years. Instead, as you have seen, our system shuts the door on such students. Crazy to say, too bad for another 4 years after a kid has successfully finished two years at a CC. </p>
<p>For the most part, I’m not sympathetic to those feeling that the sleepaway experience is due them. It’s not. The tax payer should not have to be paying anyone’s room and board unless we are talking poverty level or someone who shows s/he is a definitel candidate for programs otherwise unobtainable. But I have a whole other outlook for those who finish community college and want to take the next step. I believe some more opportunities shouel be available. </p>
<p>I am sorry you are in this situation. Bottom line, you are stuck with what your parents are willing to pay, unless there are some transfer situations that a school might help subsidize you. In your case, maybe a co signed loan or a PLUS (parent Direct loan) with you also filling out a private loan repayment agreement to your parents is in order to get those two years done. You shoud work to pay what you can on those loans so that the interest does not mount up in the next two year. But in your case, I would investigate these routes that I would not suggest to a anyone with a kid right out of school. </p>
<p>Another thing you can do, is work this fall and winter, and sign up for courses in the Spring. You can get the full $6500 for the spring semester, but not for the fall. That with what you earn in the next few months just might make it possible if you work part time as well, find a cheap off campus room. Also look into summer courses as they are often cheaper and less expensive sublets might be available for summer month. Maybe take your "summers’ in the fall/winter term, rather than the true summer and get by that way. A problem with this is that a of advanced courses are only offred during the school year. But see what you can do.</p>
<p>You say that you “just got home”…where have you been? How much did you earn/save over the summer to put towards college?</p>
<p>You’ll need to work as much as you can during the school year, and work full time in the summer and put all money towards college…that’s how people do it who don’t have parents who’ll pay.</p>
<p>Since you’re still a soph, do another semester at a CC. Ask UMinn if you can delay enrollment until spring. Then work as much as you can during the next semester.</p>
<p>Minnesota has a lot of very affordable 4-year universities, with annual tuition in the ballpark of stafford loan amount.</p>
<p>What is the major you want that is unique to UMinn?</p>