Pitt is matching Pell grants starting with this class entering for Fall of 2019. Have you called them?
Yes I did call them and it was a mistake on their part and I received $5k more a year than what Penn State offered me. I’m still trying to figure out where to go and if the ranking of PSU would be worth the extra cost…
Are you instate for Pitt and Penn State?
What is your financial aid package at each of the schools? How will you afford a $30,000 a year school? And how will your family be able to make ends meet with you off at college, and not able to work much?
Penn State offers some students the summer start where they can get 6 credits of classes done before the fall semester starts. It is not free, there will be extra costs.
I agree, for your situation, it makes more sense to work as much as possible this summer.
Pitt is a fine school.
Do you have a Pitt or Penn State branch nearby, where you could commute to for the first two years?
That would save money.
I hope you filed the FAFSA and PHEAA grant form if you are a PA student. PHEAA application has to be done before May 1 and there is a signature form to mail into Harrisburg.
I think Pitt starts mailing out financial aid award letters in February.
Make sure the school hasn’t contacted you by email about FA.
If you qualify for a Pell grant (what is your FAFSA EFC?), Pitt is starting a Pell grant match program.
Yes I live in Erie PA and there is a Penn State branch nearby (Behrend). In terms of family finances, I work merely to support myself with any additional money I have going to help my parents out. They told me not to worry about helping them while in college and to focus on my studies to try to get a good paying job coming out. They were expecting a debt of over $100k and with Pitts award the debt wouldn’t be as big of an issue. I’m still waiting to hear back from the private schools I applied to, which usually are more generous, but I doubt I will get into any of them.
With your EFC I think you can get a PHEAA grant of around $3,700 at Pitt, and around $3,500 at a PASSHE school.
Then a Pell grant of around $6,000 possibly, and then the Pell match at Pitt of another $6,000.
Was the $2,000 a merit scholarship?
Then you can borrow $5,500 for the year.
You might get federal work study, but that is earned at a work-study job as you go ($70 a week or so during the semester).
That’s $23,200
Not nearly enough.
Alone you cannot even afford Pitt. Tuition for CBA is over $20,000.
Then fees and room and board are another $12,000.
You need another $8k or so.
Penn State is going to be $5k more, plus the extra cost for summer, plus the money you will lose by not working in the summer.
What about private loans? I am also considering taking a gap year to save up some extra money and maybe take some additional classes locally.
Have you applied to PHEAA grants?
Penn State is unaffordable (you can contact them but they’re unlikely to offer anything).
So, can you list your exact package from Pitt, including
tuition, fees, room, board = $…
- grants = $…
- scholarships = $…
(etc)
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Behrend is an excellent PSU branch.
You might get a scholarship there.
You might be able to save up your student loans from the first two years for the last two years at PSU main.
^ has OP even applied to Behrend? And is Behrend cheaper than Pitt?
Yes I originally got into Behrend with the 2+2 program, and I have applied for the PHEAA grants.
For Pitt,
Federal Pell Grant - 6,045.00
Federal Subsidized Loan 01 - 3,500.00
Federal UnSubsidized Loan 01 - 2,000.00
Est. PHEAA State Grant FT Fall Grant - 1,479.00
Est. PHEAA State Grant FT Sprg - 1,479.00
Pitt Success Pell Match Grant - 6,045.00
Justus H.W. Mulert Loan - 1,500.00
Aid Year Totals - 22,048.00
Tuition CBA: $20,250
Fees: $950
Room&board: $11,850
= 33,050
- Pell Grant: $6,045 PHEAA: $ 2,960 Pitt Success Match Grant: $6,045 = 15,050 in scholarship => NET COST: 18,000
Federal Loans: $5,500
Pitt Loan: $1,500
= $7,000
Cost: $11,000 => how are you going to find this money?
Well what about private loans? Or external scholarships? I apologize for being so unknowledgable on the matter as neither of my parents have been to college and we haven’t lived in America long enough to understand it all.
I would have thought it would be cheaper to go to the other campuses plus you don’t need to stay on campus… isn’t that correct?
The state grant is an estimate. Last year the maximum state grant per semester for state related schools was $1,886 a semester I believe. But that doesn’t help much.
You will have about $23,000 of aid. But it costs at least $32,000 at Pitt.
Behrend tuition and fees should be closer to $15,000. If you could commute there for the first two years (possibly less with AP credits), then you might be able to save up money for transferring to he main campus for the last two years.
Branch campuses might have some need based scholarships available.
You would get a Pell Grant, a smaller state grant (maybe around $3,000), and maybe merit. You should be able to work on weekends.
Business might be a 4 year degree at Behrend.
You might win some local scholarships but they are often only for one year.
Your parents can take on 10K in Parent PLUS loans for you (I hope you’d work and earn enough to cover the 1K gap + the rest of the money for books and incidentals).
But since you’re low income that’s really unkind of you to do that to them - if they don’t have the money now, how will they have it in 4 years?
Is Behrend affordable since you don’t have matching grants there?