<p>FAFSA Is ALL loan right? As in no gift? I'm just wondering b/c my mother is my primary caretaker and makes less than 30k a year and is a single parent so much fiscal options are limited.</p>
<p>Also I suffer from a chronic medical problem so certain types of learning environments work better for me than other (no I'm not talking about ADHD or any other learning disability).</p>
<p>Right now I'm looking at a school called Cornell (I'm from Iowa so I know a lot about it and know people who attend). It's a pretty expensive and known school so I was going to see what my financial options permit me to do. Speaking of which (and I know this is the incorrect forum to ask this question) but does anyone know of any similar schools that would be, perhaps, less famous and cheaper?</p>
<p>EDIT: Just for clarification I'm talking about Cornell College not Cornell University. Cornell College is located in Mt. Vernon Iowa.</p>
<p>There is a plethora of information here and I'm just wondering if anyone knows a general FAQ they could point me to and answer my question at the beginning of this post.</p>
<p>FAFSA is not financial aid. FAFSA is a collection of your financial information from which colleges can determine your need. Depending on your need and the college's resources, your financial aid package can include grants, scholarships, and/or loans. After looking at the 05-06 common data set for Cornell College (which in part shows the amounts and types of assistance given, I'd be surprised if your financial aid package was all loans. It looks like the average need-based package includes less than $4000 in loans per year.</p>
<p>Welcome to CC! </p>
<p>your package will contain both grants (free money that does not have to be paid back) and loans. You want to apply to a good group of schools so that you can compare the aid packages after you are admitted and can attend the one that is the best fit -- both what you are looking for in a school and one you can afford.</p>
<p>To find out how the financial aid is at a particular school, you can go to the college board website and look at the information on that school.</p>
<p>since it seems like you are just starting on college applications, I am hoping you are a Junior (since it would be too late for a senior). I would suggest you read two books (they may be available in the library). </p>
<p>Colleges that Change Lives by Pope and Paying for College without Going Broke. make sure you read the newer editions.</p>
<p>these books will help you understand the process of applying and financial aid, plus the book by Pope will suggest many schools that may be just as good, if not a better, fit than Cornell.</p>
<p>good luck!</p>
<p>Nope not a jr, I've actually already attended a semester at the University of Iowa... I got straight A's on a full time schedule with some pretty intensive classes but that enviroment just wasn't working for me...Something about it being a top 10 party school may have had something to do with it.</p>
<p>Issue here is: I'm a couple credits short of being officially considered a "Transfer" student at most colleges so I basically just have to re-apply.</p>
<p>ATM I'm just on a leave more or less to figure out a better fit for me...that and finances are tight and I didn't want to dive head first into loans 2nd semester without exploring options.</p>
<p>you are in a difficult position -- the majority of schools will not allow you to apply as a freshman if you have attended college elsewhere and many do have requirements of a certain number of credits in order to apply as a transfer.</p>
<p>Have you contacted Cornell and asked them if you could apply? You can't just "start over" because you are required to submit your previous college transcripts. If you are required to apply as a transfer, you will need to have the requisite number of credits to do that. It looks to me like you would apply as a transfer student, but you would still need to include high school information for the admissions decision: "Transfer students need to complete the following information to be considered for admission to Cornell College:</p>
<ul>
<li> Application for Admission <a href="http://applyweb.com/apply/cornia/menu.html%5B/url%5D">http://applyweb.com/apply/cornia/menu.html</a> </li>
<li> College Transcripts</li>
<li> High School transcripts (only if you have less then 24 college credits)</li>
<li> Essay (can be a paper written for a college class)</li>
<li> Dean's Reference form"</li>
</ul>
<p>also -- financial aid is notoriously less for transfer students and heavier on the loans, so keep that in mind when applying.</p>
<p>also -- cornell has a financial aid estimator -- put your numbers in and see what comes back: <a href="http://www.cornellcollege.edu/financial_assistance/estimator.shtml%5B/url%5D">http://www.cornellcollege.edu/financial_assistance/estimator.shtml</a></p>
<p>finally -- you do know that it is too late to apply for Cornell for next year, correct? That is why I assumed you were a high school junior. you could still apply for admission during the january term: <a href="http://www.cornellcollege.edu/admissions/apply/plans2.shtml%5B/url%5D">http://www.cornellcollege.edu/admissions/apply/plans2.shtml</a></p>
<p>Hi, TenTilFour. I'm a Cornell alum (from the mid-70's). If you haven't already applied, I would contact admissions and find out if you can apply as a transfer or if they would still accept a 1st year app. They may still be looking for strong students.<br>
The FAFSA will be used to determine your eligibility for low-interest loans, as well as Pell Grants and if you are an Iowa resident, Iowa tuition grants. Cornell also has several types of scholarships listed on their webpage, and may use financial need as one basis for deciding how much to award, so do be sure to fill out the form. The Iowa tuition grant requires that it be filed by July 1, so be sure to do it by then even if you are applying for mid-year admission.</p>