<p>I just got the catalog from my local community college on Friday.
$90 a credit, 30 credits a year = $2700
Course fees = $30 (any humanities/social science) - $200 (any science) per course = 10 courses a year x $60 = $600</p>
<p>That gives a total of $3300 for a year, not including books. I stand corrected. I forgot that since I attend school out of state, they want me to pay out of state, and therefore mine is much higher.</p>
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<p>In my state WIC comes on checks, but they are essentially the same - you can only get certain items.</p>
<p>The EFC that the FAFSA calculates must be according to rules laid down by some people who are outdated, who are unrealistic and divested from real life.</p>
I disagree. This country was created when people started immigrating to practice their religion freely. For those people, the American dream was independence and for many of us it still is. I’m a 2nd generation American and my grandparents came here to escape unjust laws in their own country - independence was the dream for us and we came to the right place. :)</p>
<p>When my grandmother was growing up, she did well in school but couldn’t attend college because women weren’t allowed to attend university in her country (except for Women’s colleges where you learn home-making skills like cooking), plus they were poor and financial aid doesn’t exist there. College was only for the upper-class there.</p>
<p>I think I could’ve paid for college on my own if I really wanted to…I go to a good private college on a scholarship that covers most of my tuition. I could’ve gone to a lower-ranked college that would have given me a better scholarship.</p>
<p>And force everyone else who came to also practice their religion. Nothing against the country; it’s just that the idea of religious tolerance wasn’t common at all until the Revolutionary era.</p>
<p>Applicanot, are you sure they want you, a county resident, to pay the OOS rate just because you’re a student in another state? That seems very odd to me as your permanent residence should determine your status for tuition purposes! Sometimes you have to ask twice about these things though, or just look up the regs yourself, just to make sure you didn’t get the new employee or off the top of the head answer! </p>
<p>My D is taking two classes online from her full-time college this summer and one from our local CC. She’s at the in-county rate for the CC but would have paid the out of area rate at the CC near her regular school. Both were much cheaper than the tuition charged at her university:) Her friends report that they were able to get refunds of the cost difference between the out of county and in county rates from their own counties…idk how that works as it hasn’t affected us but have seen other parents post about it here on CC.</p>
<p>Yeah, that’s one of those things that varied from place to place. Often, the “oppressed” back in England became the “oppressors” over in New England. Not every religious group did this, of course! </p>
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<p>That’s why all colleges interpret it differently. FAFSA is only used for eligibility for Pell grants and certain unsubsidized loans. It was never meant to be the actual expectation that a family should pay. The college and not the Department of Education determines that, and they rely on the assumption that people will save for college, use their current incomes, and borrow (if necessary) to meet the costs. This is often an unrealistic assumption depending on the person, but you can hardly blame this all on the FAFSA.</p>
<p>A lot of parents think that their excellent student and the fact that they are not well to do by their definition, means that the student will get financial aid/ merit money. They still the believe the “full scholarship” to Harvard myth. They also don’t have any idea that they have to fill out forms like FAFSA and PROFILE detailing what they consider their private situations. Even fewer are aware of how FAFSA and PROFILE/college’s own fin aid apps work and that they are two separate processes with different criterion. What is especially surprising to many folks is how low your income and how little your financial have to be to get that PELL grant which is really all your FAFSA EFC guarantees if low enough. A zero EFC really only guarantees you the PELL grant and subsidies on the STAFFORD loans up to COA at the chosen college. Some states and colleges do have automatic grants and loan subsidies and/or deals that are also available at certain EFC threshholds, and there are some automatic merit awards out there, but that may not be pertain to the college on your child’s list. </p>
<p>The whole trick is to make sure that you have covered as many of the bases as possible if you need financial aid. You need to check out the merit route, the 100% need met route, and the inexpensive schools. It is wise to cast a wide net, because you don’t know where the catch will be. I’ve known many different outcomes over the years. I know kids who got their best offer from expensive private schools, some for whom the state flagship was the best bet and for some commuting was the most inexpensive way to go.</p>