<p>As a dependent student (under the age of 24 for financial aid, unless you meet other specific criteria… veteran, ward of the court until age 18, married, or supporting legal dependents yourself) the only loans you will be able to take in your name without a co-signer are the Stafford (and Perkins if you qualify and the school awards it to you.) The freshman Stafford loan limit is $5500. This goes up to $6500 for sophomore year and $7500 for junior and senior years. In order to take out these loans your family will need to complete the FAFSA. If your EFC is low enough you may also qualify for a Pell grant of up to $5500. Your state may also have aid programs that you may qualify for… although you mention you do not think you will qualify for much aid. </p>
<p>In order to take out more than the Stafford loan limits you will either need an adult to co-sign a private loan, or your Parents can apply for a Parent PLUS loan. This is a loan in their name, not yours. </p>
<p>How much can you afford to pay for school? </p>
<p>Is there state school with a theatre or musical theatre program that you can commute to from home? The Stafford loan plus some earnings from a job can often come close to covering tuition at many state schools (depending on the state that you are in). </p>
<p>Are any of the schools you have been accepted to ED schools? Or are they all EA or Rolling Admission? If any of them are ED, you will have to make a decision quickly about whether or not you can accept the admissions offer.</p>
<p>In terms of attending CC for a year, that could be an option, but you are correct that a lot of BFA programs will require you to spend four years at the program anyway. You could explore schools that accept sophomore transfers and allow them to complete the program in three years. This may be possible if you end up at a BA or BFA program that would accept the CC courses to meet a general education requirement. </p>
<p>Do you have a chance of academic merit or talent aid at any of the schools you have been accepted to or have applied to?</p>