Hi, I wanted to ask about financial aid opportunities for a student in NYC with an EFC of 0?
I’m a first generation student so I’m just very lost and overwhelmed in the college process right now, and want to make sure I can get into a school I can afford.
Although my top choices are private, out-of-state schools, SUNYs & CUNYs are obviously financial safeties.
Problem is I’m just very unfamiliar with financial aid opportunities for me. I’m trying to research further into it, but I was wondering if anyone familiar with new york state aid can inform me of what options are available for me?
I want to major in computer science or information technology. (Binghamton & stony brook are my top choices, but what other schools are good for this?)
My SAT is 1460 & ACT is 33 (Do i submit both test scores or choose one?) . GPA 91%
I know there’s now free SUNY/CUNY tuition for income under $125,000.
I’ve also heard of things like TAP, SEEK, and EOP although I’m still unfamiliar with them. (???)
There’s the STEM incentive program for SUNY schools but I’m not sure if I qualify?
I’m also thinking of applying to the Macauley honors program. What could I be offered under that?
What other grants or scholarships could I qualify for?
Lastly what are my options for schools other than SUNYs & CUNYs? Do I still get the $5500 (I believe) federal pell grant? Any school suggestions?
Sorry for the excess of questions, I’m completely alone in this whole process and am still confused about a lot.
TAP is our state tuition grant. It’s awarded if our residents attend a NYS college, but not if they attend an OOS one. Pell can be used in any state.
The STEM grant is open to kids in the top 10% of their class who are majoring in STEM. They get SUNY tuition (I don’t know if they can use it at other colleges in NYS). The free tuition program at SUNY schools is open to kids whose families earn less than $125k. I think for both programs students have to work in NY for 5 years after college or the grants convert to loans. TAP is like Pell – it’s income based. You have to take a certain amount of credits per semester, but you don’t have to take a specific major or agree to stay in NYS. You’ll only be eligible for one. I’d take regular TAP because there are fewer strings attached to it.
With a $0 EFC, I think the TAP award is ~$5k/year. Pell is a federal grant students get if they fill out the FAFSA. The max is ~$5800. You can also take the federal student lian ~$5500/year). That gives you ~$15k/year. If you work summers you can probably earn ~$2-3k. That gives you ~$18k/year to work with for NYS schools.
Can your parents contribute anything? If they can help at all and you can get merit aid, you’ll have more options.
Do not discard private schools just because of cost! Many of the top schools offer generous scholarships which cover almost full cost of tuition. I don’t think you can get NYS TAP grant, though, if you go out of state. I would send your ACT score because on the conversion of new SAT score to ACT, 1,460 converts to 32, so 33 is higher, but do check the requirements for the private schools because although for the most part, they now accept either test, there could be an outlier who only takes one or the other. Macaulay Honors is definitely a great choice, but extremely competitive-does not hurt to apply, though. Also, look into Stony Brook and Binghamton and Buffalo honors programs, I believe, you qualify for full ride at these schools with your credentials. For the private schools, each of them has a net price calculator where you enter your financial info and academic data and they will tell you what to expect. You will be surprised at how generous some of the schools are. There is also SEOG grant, can’t remember whether it’s federal or state, but it’s given in extreme economic circumstances, with an EFC of zero, yours sounds like such, so look into that, this is additional 4K or so. Also, I don’t believe that you can get both Excelsior scholarship and NYS award, not sure, though. Also, look into Pace University-I would normally not recommend it but the exceptions are their computer science and accounting programs-with strong ties to Wall Street and major banks, everyone I know who went into either of these programs is doing extremely well and they are very generous with aid, you will most likely have a free ride there as a combination of merit aid and grants. In terms of other schools that are good in computer science, check US News website or simply google “Top US schools for computer science”. Stanford will most likely come up, Harvey Mudd, these are in California, MIT is in Boston, Drexel in Philly is pretty decent for comp sci.
@bibliophile123 A good resource for first generation students is I’m First. The website is imfirst.org They have partner colleges who are actively interested in first generation schools so look at them and click on each link for information on programs for first gens like bridge programs or diversity fly-ins. I’m First also has essay help and other help for applying to colleges. I’m First sells a guide that is pretty helpful which I recommend. https://store.imfirst.org/products/im-first-guide-to-college The private colleges that are partners to I’m First would be good places to start for looking for additional colleges on your list. However not every college provides 100% of a student’s financial need. You want to check to see what percentage of need the college meets. Read up on the concept at the college solution website I talk about in the next paragraph. This article does a good job of explaining how to search for the colleges that will provide you the most financial aid. http://www.thecollegesolution.com/9-steps-to-finding-the-most-generous-colleges/
From the money perspective, I like the book, “The College Solution” and the website by the same name, thecollegesolution.com The author also answers questions on the college solution facebook page. You can learn a lot by reading the book and the entries on the website. I used all that information with my own children and students. Be sure to reach her use of the website collegedata.com I really like that website and you can gain a lot of information especially whether a college is need-blind or need-aware and the percent of need the college meets.
I find applying early action (which is non-binding) has really helped my first gen students’ admission chances and made the process less stressful. Those deadlines start around Oct. 15 through Nov. 15 (or later) so be sure to get working on those applications now. A good website for essay help is ■■■■■■■■■■■■■ Lots of info on the prompts and sample essays can be found online on that website. Admissionpossible.com has good examples of resumes for college applications, checklists to stay organize and explains the process well.
EOP is the “Equal Opportunity Program”. For some colleges it is a way of admission into a certain college taking into consideration the student is first gen and for other colleges it is an avenue of extra support like tutoring and counseling. Some colleges require a separate application for the EOP program so be sure to check with the colleges on your list.
Also if you are Hispanic or AA, there are separate forums here on CC under speciality admission topics.
Don’t forget about diversity fly-ins which are opportunities for certain first gen students to received paid trips to visit certain colleges. Pitzer and Occidental College offer them and both schools have been generous with financial aid to my first gen students. Also do not apply to any UC-they will not give you any financial aid.