please help, i don't know how to pay for college?

<p>i'm 21 years old and i'm a community college student. i have about 40 college credits. i didn't go to a university after high school because i had some health problems.</p>

<p>my parents financial situation hasn't been good sense i was 14 years old. they are now divorced. they both can get jobs that pay about $50,000 a year, but in the last 4 or 5 years, they both might of been unemployed for one year and employed the next year because of the economy. they also both have some debt. overall, they can't help pay for college. right now, they are both working at jobs that pay about $50,000.</p>

<p>right now, my goal is to enroll in a university full time. i have a 3.95 GPA at community college and my last 2 years of high school I had mostly As and Bs, so i have good grades. but if i can't get pell grants, how am i supposed to afford going to a university. </p>

<p>i just need some advise or direction. i just want to go to college like my friends from high school.</p>

<p>Please go and talk to an advisor at your community college who is familiar with possible scholarships for community college transfers. There might be something like this in your state.</p>

<p>If your parents are divorced, the only parent income/assets you put on the FAFSA form are for,the parent you reside with the most. So if you live with your mom most of the time, her income and assets would be listed…but not your dad. If you live with your dad most of the time, his income/assets would be listed but not your mom.</p>

<p>However, an income of $50,000 will likely not make you eligible for a Pell grant…or at least not a full Pell grant. The full Pell $5600) is awarded to students with a $0 EFC per FAFSA…and a $50k income would not generate that.</p>

<p>Anyway…talk to that advisor. See what options might be available to you with the grades you have at your CC.</p>

<p>Is there a four year university within commuting distance of either of your parents? I know that isn’t what you really are looking for, but it might be more affordable for you.</p>

<p>i got a full pell grant my first year of community college when my mom was unemployed. this year, she made $50,000, and i didn’t qualify for any grants.</p>

<p>i really don’t want to live with my parents when i’m 22 or 23. i want to live on campus at a college away from my hometown. i want to have a good college experience like everyone else it seems like.</p>

<p>Okay, first of all, what state do you live in?</p>

<p>Is there any chance you could apply for a job on a college campus? Some give tuition breaks to employees,</p>

<p>I know you want to live away from home…but you do need to know that the majority of college students do NOT live away from home to attend college. </p>

<p>My college grad daughter is living at home now to save money for grad school or something like that next year…and she is 25.</p>

<p>washington state</p>

<p>Have you looked at Wazzu? You may be able to earn a scholarship there. What were your SAT scores? Cost of living is cheap too.</p>

<p>At 21, most kids are moving off campus, not on, so if your idea of a good college experience is partying with 18 year olds, then ok, but otherwise, find friends your age, live off campus and enjoy the college experience that way.</p>

<p>ill be a sophomore and its a college dorm there will at least be 19 year olds and some 20/21 year olds, ill at least be 1 year older but i look young for my age so i hope ill blend in.</p>

<p>my SAT score was 1450. i took it the fall of my senior year and i was still in geometry, so i didn’t do well on the math section. i think i could easily do better, should i retake it?</p>

<p>i looked up the transfer scholarships on wazzu and your right, they offer more transfer student scholarships then most colleges.</p>

<p>Most students don’t live on campus. Most people don’t even go to college so you are already ahead of the game.
Your best bet is to complete your AA degree & transfer as a jr.
State universities are not going to give you college credit for courses under 100. You can save a lot of money by taking as many classes as you can at the CC.
There are also several CCs in washington that have dorms, additionally several of the 4yr universities have a presence on the CC campuses including WSU.
[Edmonds</a> Community College, Washington](<a href=“http://www.edcc.edu/]Edmonds”>http://www.edcc.edu/)
Imo the best CC in wa.</p>

<p>Agree that you should first complete you AA degree.</p>

<p>Afterwards, transfer to a state school- you’d be eligible for the Transfer Achievement Award at Washington State University (2,500 a year), and will be able to take out 7,500 in Stafford loans. If you want to live on campus, this will bring the cost of tuition+room+board down to about $13,000. Get a part time job, it’ll maybe bring it down to 10K.</p>

<p>Is either of your parents willing to contribute to the cost?</p>

<p>Evergreen State’s tuition+room+board sticker price is about 18K.</p>

<p>Eastern Washington’s is also about 18K.</p>

<p>Central Washington’s is 20K.</p>

<p>Western Washington’s is about 19K.</p>

<p>University of Washington Bothell is about 23K.</p>

<p>So take out loans, get a job, and see what your parents are willing to pay.</p>

<p>And for the record, you’re only 21. That’s still a very normal age for a college student. If you get your bachelor’s degree by the time you turn 24, consider yourself golden and perfectly normal (though many people go to college even into their thirties).</p>

<p>really don’t want to live with my parents when i’m 22 or 23. i want to live on campus at a college away from my hometown. i want to have a good college experience like everyone else it seems like.</p>

<p>Everyone else does NOT live on campus. Most kids in the US have to commute to college because they don’t have the money to pay for dorm expenses. Most families can’t pay, and most schools don’t give enough aid.</p>

<p>That said, the state of Washington does have state aid, so apply to the WA state schools…including Western Washington, UW, WSU, etc.</p>

<p>I lived on campus until I was about 23.5 loved every minute of it.</p>

<p>right st louisboy, but the point was that most students do not & it is not necessary in order to earn a degree.</p>

<p>Talk to a counselor at your CC, make sure your classes get you an AA and do it in 50 more credits, Washington State colleges should accept them for your entry as a junior. Keep up the great grades, there are scholarships for transfers. What major are you interested in?</p>

<p>Jtmoney, all of OPs college courses were not college level & so wont transfer.
The CC will have distribution & subject requirements for the AA certificate.</p>

<p>i haven’t decided on a major yet. and i have 22 credits worth of college level courses, 10 credits from AP classes, and 10 credits from remedial math courses.</p>

<p>I can understand that you don’ t want to live with a parent. But the problem is finding someone to pay for your living expenses. Students are considered dependent on their parents for financial aid up to age 24 for the most part, so if your parents’ income and assets are going to be used along with yours to determine financial need. It’s rare anyways even with full PELL grant to get enough money to get your expenses paid. Most college students go to school part time, work at least part time, and live with family to defray expenses. Living on one own or in university housing is a luxury for the privileged few.</p>

<p>A good place to check what you need to take is the individual universities you might want to attend, they have direct transfer requirements, and they vary by major or interest. Courses numbered less than 100 won’t count toward the AA requirement of 90 quarter credits. Getting the full AA at your CC is probably the most efficient before you transfer.</p>