<p>Why do you need a dorm on campus? Often living off campus with friends, family or roommates is much more economical. </p>
<p>The general process is that you fill out the FAFSA forms in Jan or Feb (7 months before Fall semester! If you are entering at another time, be sure to figure out when to fill out the forms…but as soon as you are allowed you should fill it out). </p>
<p>You are then awarded what is called a Financial Aid Package. It will usually include a few Loans (Federal Sub and Unsub Staffords) and perhaps a Federal Grant if you qualify. The Loans you will need to pay back, any Grants are freebie monies you do not have to pay back. Expect about 3K-5K in Loans offered, and IF you come from a low income family, maybe 1K-5K in Grants. After this, some colleges and some states have other monies available for low income students (based on PARENT info supplied on the FAFSA), but don’t count on it.</p>
<p>So, in short, you will have a few thousand in Loans made available to you, and maybe a few small Grants if your parents are low income… but after that, generally students make up the gap with cash. Cash from parents, cash from the student working. This cash is expected to come from a combo of money saved up and current income. </p>
<p>Many students find they are unable to afford college full-time without a plan–saved money, parental help, etc. In those cases, they often end up going to a community college first (especially if they can live at home and save dorm and other living costs) and/or delay college and/or attend only part-time. </p>
<p>You must pay for each semester/quarter in full, usually within a few weeks of classes beginning. Some colleges offer payment plans spread out over a few months, but in each case, the full tuition MUST be paid off by the end of that semester before being allowed to continue with the next semester (no rolling over of unpaid tuition). These policies will be VERY easy to find on the college’s website, so just go do some footwork and start reading these webpages that were supplied by rachelfran and just keep reading!</p>