<p>You have received the Pell, Stafford loans and the work study award for a total of $13,500. Everything beyond that will be loans that your family needs to secure (a Plus loan is a parent loan). You are eligible for the full Pell which indicates you are from a low income family. Your screenname says “southern California”. There are tons of state schools in CA and with the full Pell, and Cal Grant and Stafford loans, you should be able to pay for college IN California. I’m not completely familiar with Blue and Gold, but are you eligible for that too?</p>
<p>The OOS school will leave you with a ton of debt…$100,000 of Plus loans (four years) plus the $27,000 in Stafford loans. Personally I think that is too much debt.</p>
<p>You have a lot of good instate options in CA which will likely be affordable for you and your family.</p>
<p>Everything you listed is from federal aid programs and you basically only have $5550 in grant aid…that’s the Pell. The work study award should be discounted as a.) it’s pretty high for a freshman to earn within the academic year by working at $7.25 an hour, and b.) there’s no guarantee that you’ll even be able to find a work study job your first year on campus. </p>
<p>I think you know what loans are…you would have to repay the sub/unsub Stafford loans of $5500 starting 6 months after you graduate or drop below half time attendance. Subsidized simply means that interest doesn’t build up while you’re in school. Parent Plus loans are loans in your parent’s name that he/she will have to apply and qualify for (there’s a simple credit check). Imho, very few parents with an EFC of 0 should even consider a $24K loan for one year.</p>
<p>My recommendation would be to stay instate for your undergrad education. Your instate schools would likely be significantly less expensive and your state may offer additional grants (free aid) to help you. You can move OOS later and, hopefully, not have huge loans to pay off. If at all possible, find a way to stay within the Stafford loan limits for your undergrad degree since it doesn’t sound like your family is in a position to help you out if financial difficulties arise.</p>
<p>The only free money you got was Pell Grant.</p>
<p>The rest is all loans and a little bit of work study.</p>
<p>You can’t really accept the Parent Plus loans…those are for your parents to qualify for and borrow. </p>
<p>Since you’re low income, it’s highly unlikely that your parents are going to agree (or qualify) to borrow $24k in loans each year. That would mean that your parents would have to borrow $100k for you to go to this school. Usually low income parents have better things to do with their money…such as providing a roof over their families’ heads and putting food on the table.</p>
<p>From his other thread, it appears that CSU Chico is his instate choice but he only got a Cal Grant B award for $1551 for freshman year that would rise to cover tuition/fees in subsequent years and he needs to live on campus (still far less of a gap than going OOS). Mom2, do you know of any other CA aid programs that should be offered to a 0 EFC kid at a CSU?</p>
<p>I don’t know a speck about the Cal Grant but why would a student with an EFC of $0 get only a Cal B and not more? Is it tied to GPA? What is Blue and Gold (mom2, you’ve mentioned that before).</p>
<p>Well, if it’s any consolation, you’re in a better position than most low-income kids are in (and even many middle-income kids, since they won’t get the aid and many parents can’t afford their EFCs). At least your state has good schools, reasonable costs, and hasn’t completely cut their student aid programs. Many 0 EFC kids really have no options other than living at home and commuting to their local public or CC…but that doesn’t prevent them from earning a degree and pursuing their chosen careers! Do the best you can to make the most of the opportunities you have…perhaps things will improve or you’ll be able to transfer to a school that you like more for your last two years. If not, you can always move after you graduate!</p>
<p>I would certainly recommend you get a job if you can find one! I know very few HS seniors and college kids that can’t manage to work part-time and keep their grades up and it’s far better to pay as you go than to borrow needlessly.</p>
<p>I can’t just live close or commute OR go to a CC. It’s impossible in my situation.</p>
<p>It’s not that we’re poor. We live in Beverly Hills, my mother gets extra money from our grandparents.
Its just that I’m getting kicked out without any tuition support from my parents.</p>
<p>That’s why I’m outta options really.</p>
<p>So I kinda HAVE to live in a dorm and figure out how I can manage the tuition and everything.</p>
<p>Do your grandparents or any other relatives live near one of your instate options? What is your plan if you need more money to cover room and board expenses the first year?</p>
<p>*It’s not that we’re poor. We live in Beverly Hills, my mother gets extra money from our grandparents.
Its just that I’m getting kicked out without any tuition support from my parents.</p>
<p>*</p>
<p>???</p>
<p>Why are you getting kicked out? do your parents not want you to go to college?</p>
<p>*Also the dorms are about $9,000. So I’m guessing another 9,000 for loans? Or maybe getting a job? *</p>
<p>you can’t borrow more than what’s in your aid package. to borrow more money, you’d need your parents cooperation.</p>
<p>what are your stats? </p>
<p>Will your grandparents help with college costs…or can they help solve the issues with your parents?</p>
<p>How did you qualify for Pell without being low income?</p>
<p>I believe Ellie Mae Clampett and Jethro Bodine also qualified for Pell Grants back when the program first started, the latter as a member of his uncle’s household.</p>
<p>Long story not gonna get into details. Bad relationship with my parents. It’s something I have to deal with.</p>
<p>And no I don’t get any support whatsoever. From my grandparents nor my parents. So yes thats why this whole financial aid thing is important. </p>
<p>And @kelsmom how is it strange?? some people just end up in bad situations.</p>
<p>@m2ck I qualified cause my dad is the only one that works and he gets a low income. My mother doesn’t. My grandparents help us out with our needs. If that clears things up lol.</p>
<p>You answered the “strange” issue with your last explanation. Your family probably falls into auto 0 EFC so the money from your grandparents is ignored.</p>
<p>Your EFC is 0. That is as good as it gets. Even if your parents were willing to give you money, their EFC indicates that they don’t have it to give to you. Your aid package is based on the lowest EFC available. The reality is that many colleges will not give you all the money you need. You really must find a school that will cost you less. You are not going to have enough money for this school.</p>
<p>You cannot go to these out of state publics. It is simply not even close to possible on a Pell grant and a $5,500 loan and $2k work study (which you may or may not actually get).</p>
<p>If your parents are kicking you out and won’t help with college then why would they take out a $24,000 Plus loan every year? That is their loan not yours. You can’t take it out. </p>
<p>Forget about OOS schools. Go to the least expensive local school that has your major and get a full-time job. It can be done. Or take a gap year and work full-time. Then go to the closest inexpensive school. </p>
<p>What we want and what we can actually have are often two very different things.</p>
<p>Unless you are awarded a decent merit scholarship or something like that, you’re not going to find a quick, easy solution to your first year shortfall for CSU Chico. But you can take other opportunities to increase your ability to pay the difference and reduce the amount you actually need.</p>
<p>I think the best thing you can do to help yourself out next year would be to get a job right away and save every dime that you possibly can. Talk to your GC about any local scholarships that may be offered - many high schools give out packets of applications around this time and they’re the easiest to apply to and win. Although the awards are often $500 or less, it’ll add up quickly if you can win several of them (and who knows, the average award may be much higher in Beverly Hills;) ). </p>
<p>When you do your housing registration, select the cheapest room your CSU offers and take a meal plan that is less than the usual 19-21 meal/week gold plan. Or, see if you can live off campus and, if so, if the school has a message board for students looking for roommates. Then you’ll have a place to stay during breaks and summers if necessary. Plan on buying your books from online sources (all schools are required to post textbook info online) or rent them, which is often the cheapest alternative. Find out when/where work study job openings are posted and apply early and often.</p>