Hello everyone! I was admitted into UF for Fall 2019. It’s always been my dream school, but I am not entirely sure how I am going to pay for it. Is there anyone willing to help me figure out how financial aid works? I don’t know how I can choose to go without knowing how to pay (I’ve applied to scholarships already, but, assuming I win all of them + my FAFSA) still is not enough to pay. Any and all help is greatly appreciated!
@dgarc298 did you check out the UF website to see if they offer something? http://www.admissions.ufl.edu/payingforcollege.html
Honestly, the best bet is applying like crazy for scholarships. I don’t know if there is a local Gator Club in your area, but I know sometimes they give out scholarships. Every little bit helps!
First,
Work your way through UF’s Net Price Calculator.
https://npc.collegeboard.org/student/app/ufl
It will provide info on what you’re likely to get from financial aid.
UF cost of attendance (COA) for an in-state student is about $19,100 (estimated):
In-State Tuition and Fees: $6,200
Books and supplies: %1,080
Room and Board: $9,500
Other Cost: $2,240
Bright Futures (at the highest level) is about $3,000 a year. That brings your cost down to $16,000 a year.
Based on your family income/assets, you may qualify for Pell Grants, federal student loans and work study. After these, you likely will still have a substantial gap. It’s possible for your parents to get a Parent Plus loans, but then we may be looking at taking on more debt than is wise. Any other scholarships/grants could also help close that gap.
You can always look at ways to reduce your cost, such as living off campus in an inexpensive apartment (with several roommates) and cooking your own meals.
Otherwise, at some point you may find it’s simply isn’t affordable, even with the debt. This is the case for a lot of students. Instead they go to another school that offered substantial merit/need based aid, or go to a local CC (or local Florida public 4-year university, like UNF, UWF, FAU, ext.). After completing two years at the CC (and working to save $ for college), you could then transfer to UF.
Last year UF had 9,188 transfer applicants, accepted 3,515 and enrolled 2,862. Compare this to the 6,500 enrolled freshman and you can see that a bit less than 1/3 of UF undergrads are transfer students. It’s a very common path to a UF degree.
Good Luck
EDIT: Don’t forget to ask any questions to UF financial aid department and read up on the subject at the website.