<p>I just got my financial aid package from UC Irvine today. They estimate the cost of attendance to be $21k, my parents' contribution to be $12k, and my need the difference which is $9k.</p>
<p>I thought people usually get a few thousand in grants if they have more than like $5k need? What use is $9k in loans?! Can I petition for grants/tuition fee waivers?</p>
<p>Yes, you can always ask for your package to be reconsidered. Sometimes colleges even will change aid packages. Good luck!</p>
<p>Well your expectation was a little too high. Most schools will look for ways to give students loans first and save the financial aid/grants for students with severe need. Judging by your numbers, you're not in that category.
You can always ask for your package to be reconsidered. It's best to do so with a strong reason as to why you need reconsideration. "Just bc I don't wanna pay" isn't good enough. Check with your school-most places with allow for you to make an appointment with your financial aid advisor to talk about it...and they're usually very honest and straight forward about the whole thing.
A work study job should get you about $5000 and if you work during the summer that will do you some good too. Cutting down on other items like using the library for textbooks etc. will also help cut down on that 9k. Seriously though, you could be in a much worse situation.</p>
<p>I guess $9k in loans every year isn't going to kill me.. but it's still a lot of money to pay back, and I'll probably have to borrow more than that :(. How large of a difference between need and cost of attendance does there have to be in order to get grants? When I ask for package reconsideration, if I get a bit of grant, are they from like federal Cal/Pell and stuff or is it from the school?</p>
<p>How do I know if I qualify for work study? I did put on my FAFSA that I was interested in work study, and I don't see anything about it on my CalGrant rejection forms.</p>
<p>Whether or not you get any grants is completely up to the college. There's no formula.</p>
<p>Call the college to find out more info. </p>
<p>Meanwhile, even without work study, you could get a part time job, which would help with costs as would working over the summer.</p>
<p>I don't know if a state school is going to reconsider your fin aid package. I got 8,000 in loans from one state school and I have some seriously low EFC.<br>
I think that if you are not a state resident it might be difficult to improve your package.</p>