Parents have to pay for college....RIGHT?

<p>I just got accepted to a few schools that are going to cost around 25k. However my mom doesn't want to pay for my education. Is she right or wrong? How will I have pay for my college education?</p>

<p>Uh......No</p>

<p>No your parents don't have to pay for college. Most parents want to help pay if they can. Some can pay for it all. Many (most?) cannot. Some will pay for part and expect their student to contribute through loans or work. It really depends on what your Mom's financial situation is. $25k a year is a lot of money. </p>

<p>Have you applied for financial aid to see if you qualify for any need based aid?</p>

<p>Well, some kids who can't afford college stay home and go to a community college (working part-time) and then finish up their last two years at a local four year college. Some people work & go to school part-time. </p>

<p>Is there any reason specifically your mother doesn't want to help you? Did you ask her how much she could contribute before you applied to the schools? Not everyone is in great financial shape and are just surviving without the additional cost of college. </p>

<p>Good luck.</p>

<p>You're asking this NOW?</p>

<p>In my mind, the only obligation a parent has is to deliver that child to his/her 18th birthday alive and with a high school diploma.</p>

<p>College is NOT something a parent is or should be responsible for providing. If parents agree to assist, it is a great gift they are giving the child to help give them an extra advantage that others may not have: graduating with less debt.</p>

<p>The financial aid system is set up assuming that parents are generous enough to pay what they are able for their children's college educations. (These rules were designed back in the days when young people didn't become adults until age twenty-one.) But in all generations, some parents are not that generous. A lot of the highest SAT-scoring classmates I had in my school district went into the military before finishing their college degrees. They included the son of an engineering professor at a community college.</p>

<p>
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Parents have to pay for college....RIGHT?

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</p>

<p>Can you cite any constitution, law, regulation, religious text to that effect?</p>

<p>
[quote]
Is she right or wrong?

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Not enough info. Is your mom a waitress earning $20k/yr? Is she a CEO of a company earning $5 million/yr?</p>

<p>Once you turn 18 your parents legally have to do nothing for you. </p>

<p>It's Feb 28 and you are just having this conversation now? And no, if your parents refuse to contribute $ to college it does NOT mean you get more aid or can be declared independent.</p>

<p>You'd almost think that parents are required by some of the threads you read on CC. Other forums I post on, in my opinion, are more typical of parents in the US. Many parents do not pay anything for their kids to go to college and many help minimally, because that is all they CAN do. </p>

<p>Your mom isn't right or wrong. Everyone has different situations. No parent is required to do anything for their children for college.</p>

<p>check boston<em>man</em>2009 other posts. he/she got a 40K scholarship to ohio wesleyan.... so what's up w/ wanting mom to pay?</p>

<p>^^^If that is true, take the deal and take out loans for the rest.</p>

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<p>The schools compute an amount that the family is EXPECTED to contribute. Whether the family does so is up to the FAMILY. There is no law saying parents MUST contribute to college expenses.</p>

<p>To the OP...did you REALLY get a $40K scholarship to Ohio Wes?</p>

<p>I think we have us a troll here that is unless Ohio Wesleyan costs $65K per year...</p>

<p>Yes, he has the $40K scholarship.</p>

<p><a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-admissions/612735-college-class-2013-acceptances-h-s-09-a-22.html#post1061825803%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-admissions/612735-college-class-2013-acceptances-h-s-09-a-22.html#post1061825803&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>
[quote]
boston<em>man</em>2009- Ohio Wesleyan University (40k scholarship), Bradley University and Wentworth!!!!

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</p>

<p>And to boot, he advises that people take a full-ride when offered.</p>

<p><a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/engineering-majors/639486-full-ride-vs-partial-money.html#post1061678919%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/engineering-majors/639486-full-ride-vs-partial-money.html#post1061678919&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>
[quote]
Take the full ride man. Anytime you get free money,TAKE IT. Use that money for grad school instead.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Hey boston<em>man</em>2009, you got some 'splainin to do!</p>

<p>I think he means that he is getting $10k per year. I am not sure how much OWU costs but I would suspect that it probably is around $35k which would mean his need would be $25k per year. </p>

<p>I would wait until you see what your complete financial aid package is. It is possible that they will also give you grant money if you are in a lower income bracket. If you aren't then you might have to choose another option. This is why it is so important to check how much your parents are willing or able to help out.</p>

<p>I think he meant $40K for 4 yrs, so only $10K/yr</p>

<p><a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/ohio-wesleyan-university/624936-owu-class-2013-a-3.html#post1061838333%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/ohio-wesleyan-university/624936-owu-class-2013-a-3.html#post1061838333&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>cross-posted :)</p>

<p>BM, as the others have stated no parent ever has an "obligation" to pay for college. But you will want to note that whether or not your mom WANTS to contribute, her income will be calculated and will form part of your Expected Family Contribution. So, if FAFSA decides your expected family contribution is, say $12,000. and your mom says "I don't have it" or "I won't pay it" your choices will be to find the money elsewhere, take loans, etc. At no point will Fin Aid "accept" that a parent refused to contribute and adjust your EFC accordingly (although you can talk to them if there are other changes in circumstances). Refusal is not an "out" or a way to run a racket on fin aid. She's not allowed to "disown" you.
Years ago in a different country folks used to try to exploit a law that said if they refused to contribute to college education the student could be declared independent. So many people took advantage of that situation that different rules had to be created around what constitutes an "independent" student.</p>

<p>Good luck.
K</p>

<p>Uhh..seriously? Where did you get that idea?</p>

<p>Sorry, it took me forever to reply on my own thread. But anyways, I have noticed a few things and I would like to clear the air.
1.) Now thinking about it, I shouldn't expect my parents to pay for MY education. However they told me this 3 days ago! They should have told me before my senior year or earlier. They made it seem like they could pay for some of it (I asked my mom once how much she could pay a year and she said 15k-20k). I doesn't make that much of a difference now, but it would have been less "shocking".
2. I did get a 10k per year scholarship from OWU (ohio wesleyan university). However I still have to pay 30k!Plus I plan to do their 3-2 engineering program if I attend.
3. This is more to goaliedad, of course I would take a full ride. I mean we are in a rescission.
4. I'm sorry if I came out as a big brat. Im not a brat but I was just confused about a lot of things and had high expectations.</p>