Unless the net price calculator specifically asks about self employed income, the results will not be reliable. I don’t believe either of these NPCs have that question.
It sounds like this student’s parents are expecting that she will receive a LOT of need based aid.
This didn’t happen in this round of applications. At all.
I do agree that the new list the OP made is not a good one…with most schools being unaffordable, extremely competitive for admissions…or both.
This poster has already gone through one round of applications with results that aren’t working financially. If she takes a gap year, she needs to look for a much better list of schools…and she needs to fully clarify with her parents exactly how much they CAN pay for each of her years in undergrad school.
I agree but the student didn’t really look at need base schools. The majority of OP schools are OOS publics. The need base school OP did look at IMO was a reach considering her grades and scores. She really doesn’t know what she would receive from need base schools. I would have also suggested UA for merit but someone already beat me to it. For all we know OP parents are planning to use plus loans to pay the $20,000 or maybe a 529. OP never answer the question on how her parents planned to pay.
I only mention Syracuse and Bucknell because OP said something about wanting big sports school. Which in my opinion shouldn’t even be a deciding factor when affordability is in question. But to each their own.
Schools that give the best aid, including Umich, use CSS Profile. They will not calculate the parent income at $30k. They will add back in many of the business deductions.
@blourring What kind of business do your parents have? There are some businesses that are prone to having more deductions added back in by the nature of their expenses, assets, etc.
OP, did you get a full Pell grant in your financial package for this year? If so, and things don’t change, I assume you’ll get the same next year, plus the maximum federal loan. That should make Alabama affordable, as you’d get full tuition for your stats and an additional $2500 as a computer science major from the engineering school. Between that and a summer job, I’d think you could swing Bama. I see nothing else on your list (other than probably Rutgers) that will definitely be affordable.
The OP presumably filed the FAFSA for,the 2016-2017 school year. That used the 2015 tax year information.
The 2017-2018 FAFSA will also use the 2015 tax year information as ff said is moving to prior prior year. So…if assets remain the same…the income will be the same for the 2017-2018 school year…and the FAA EFC will be the same.
Wat WAS your FAFSA EFC this year, and how much Pell grant money did you receive?
Ok…help me understand this statement you posted in February about applying to public universities in your state:
Sounds like you DID get accepted at some of your instate public universities. So what’s the deal? February acceptance was certainly early enough to be in the running for merit aid at these schools. Did you get any? What aid DID you receive from these schools?
None of the better NJ schools have Instant Decision Day.
Rutgers requires to apply before Dec.1 to be eligible for merit scholarships. TCNJ requires CSS Profile for some of their scholarships (need-based merit scholarships!)
Also, my dad has a photography company and my mom does real estate and to answer the FAFSA question, I got the full Pell Grant.
Also, I got full rides for Instant Decision Day to four in-state schools but I never considered going to any of them and just am not a fan of any of them.
Maybe you should have considered going to one of those undesirable NJ schools. Other states are going to cost more, and many do not give a lot of financial aid to OOS students. Some have merit aid.
If you don’t have enough money to start school in September, don’t. Regroup, decide what you can afford. Don’t think that MSU will have enough money for you to go there next year, as they probably won’t. Look for guaranteed merit (Alabama, Temple, Oklahoma), or the guaranteed merit in NJ.
So which four schools did you receive full rides at? I know not Rutgers…they don’t have that in stand decision thing.
Right now…you don’t have enough money to pay for MSU. You don’t. And as an OOS student, you are not likely to get the net cost to under $10,000 a year.
It seems both the parents and HS counselor dropped the ball.
When my son told me that he would do all application process himself and mentioned other irrational things I told him that I needed to see all his application materials for 2 instate financial safeties and 1 out-of-state potential safety. After that he could apply wherever he wants.
It was Ramapo, Kean, Caldwell and FDU. Also, @CCDD14 I wish someone would’ve told me that… Both my parents went to college in a different country and I basically got no helpful guidance from ANYONE. I wish I got into the gap year program that I applied to because I improved my gpa by a whole 0.1 points this year and actually have a good idea of how the college application process works. I’m honestly so upset with myself for over-estimating my own ability to get into a good school and schools’ abilities to give out enough money for me to go there. Like at this point, I wish I could turn back time and go to the 8th grade and give myself and my parents tons of advice and just re-do all of high school again. I messed up so badly the first time around but of course, second chances like that just don’t exist in life.
IDK I probably just sound like I’m complaining at this point but I’m so stressed out and I’m one of those stubborn people who are CONSTANTLY wondering “what if (I did this instead of that)” and there are some small things that if I believe it affected the way something big turned out, I will literally regret it for an entire lifetime and that just really kills me.
I was honestly so sure that I would get into one of the schools I applied to because I was invited to one of their most prestigious high school summer programs and basically everyone who gets into that program gets into the school unless there was a drastic change in grades. And then, when that didn’t work out, I feel like I have been living my entire life since then in limbo. It felt to me like literally, everyone else’s hard work was paying off and nothing I did was ever enough anymore. It hurt to ever think about anything or talk about my future and my parents never agree or are willing to listen when I try to reason with them about what I should do next. Just typing this right now is bringing me to the verge of tears. My entire life, my parents stressed to me how important education is and I just can’t help but feel like a complete failure and that my entire life has been thrown into the trash. At this point, I can’t even push myself to try anymore.
Your hard work will pay off. There are always second chances.
Nobody can take your accomplishments from you. Things didn’t work out the way you hoped, but you can reapply next year. Your parents probably feel bad that they can’t afford just any school.
But that doesn’t mean you can’t get a great education somewhere.
If you don’t want to take any of the NJ full rides, apply to Alabama next year.
And you don’t need a gap year program, just get a job. I think Walmart, Starbucks and not sure what other companies might have tuition benefits for employees.
Both my parents went to college in a different country and I basically got no helpful guidance from ANYONE. I wish I got into the gap year program that I applied to because I improved my gpa by a whole 0.1 points this year and actually have a good idea of how the college application process works. I’m honestly so upset with myself for over-estimating my own ability to get into a good school and schools’ abilities to give out enough money for me to go there. Like at this point, I wish I could turn back time and go to the 8th grade and give myself and my parents tons of advice and just re-do all of high school again. I messed up so badly the first time around but of course, second chances like that just don’t exist in life.