Just checked the Financial Aid portal on Howdy and it looks like I’m going to have to pay the full sticker price. My family makes around 90k a year and that’s only because 80k comes from my estranged step dad. My mom doesn’t have enough money to help me out and my dad says it’s a no go.
TAMU has only offered Federal Direct Student Loans which I will have to pay off later so it’s pretty much sticker price.
If I’m going to pay sticker price, I might just end up with over $100,000 in student debt if I choose to attend TAMU.
The future looks bleak to me. Anyone wanna tell me I’m wrong?
Talk to your school counselor. There are many private scholarships out there you can apply for to help with school but you have to be willing to put in the work and time to seek them out and apply. Every year it seems the counselors at the HS are practically begging kids to apply for some of these scholarships. Good luck!!
What other schools have you applied to and what are they offering you in scholarships? You have to decide what your willing to sacrifice in order to go to TAMU. If I were in your shoes I would look for another school to attend, but that is just me.
Is your dad willing to pay for you to attend any college at all? If so, what is your budget?
Did you apply anywhere else? Are your stats high enough for an automatic full tuition scholarship?
Other options might be community college or the military (ROTC or GI Bill money).
Ignore post #1, finding 100,000 in private scholarships is very unlikely.
Even if you wanted 100,000 in student loans, who would consign them for you? All you can get without a consigner is that federal direct loan.
Have you considered the Corps and a ROTC scholarship? Of course, that would require that you serve time in the Army, but it’s possible you could get a 4 year scholarship.
@AroundHere You are correct that private scholarships are not going to stack to meet the full $100K price tag but it could be a path to lowering the costs some and every little bit matters. Full ride, all expenses paid scholarships are very very rare and only for those with the highest of stats or need.
The advice provided by others to look into more affordable schools or schools that offer easier access to merit aid is sound advice that should be considered.
Not sure what major you wanted to do, but personally, this is the mindset I had when I chose to apply to A&M and actually go (before getting accepted).
Keep in mind, I am probably in the minority with this way of thinking.
I knew that I wanted to go to A&M long before I applied, and I knew I wanted to do engineering. With those two in mind, I did not know how much I was going to be offered in scholarships/grants/loans, but I fully expected to be willing to go deep into debt, as long as I was able to attend A&M. The engineering at this school is amazing, and I knew that I would be able to find a job, and succeed, and eventually pay off any accumulated debt.
You can file an appeal with Financial Aid. You’ll have to submit copies of your mother’s taxes and a letter explaining why you won’t get any money from your step-dad. My S first year my husband was laid off the day after we submitted our financial data. We filed an appeal. Money dribbled in from various places to help cover the year. I can’t promise this will happen for you, but at least call Financial Aid and talk to them. We accepted some federal loans, too. The subsidized are worth it.
@TexasAtHome I’m pretty sure this is a different thing. Estranged father is not absent, they were being supported all along. This is not a job loss, this is a parent is within their rights to say they are not paying.
@BluePinkerton Btw, not sure if anyone knew, but if your step dad and your mom AREN’T married, then you don’t have to put him on your financial aid. I know step dad means they are married but sometimes people give mother’s significant other that title despite not being married. My step dad makes around $100k a year and my mom doesn’t work, but legally, financial aid told me that unless they were married, that I did not have to put his income. So my EFC was 0, and I was able to afford college because I was offered many grants/scholarships. I was in the same situation that my step dad didn’t want to pay anything.
^no so. Unless he pays bills in your name, the kid wouldn’t have anything to report. Mom might have to explain how she supports herself and kid on 0, but a bf income is not reported.
@AlbionGirl Well, I’m not sure, I am going off of what I was personally told over the phone, and I have yet to be affected by not including any of his income. I have yet to put any of his information in my FASFA, and I have been receiving aid without a problem.