Should I appeal my financial aid now at UCSB?
They sent me my unofficial letter of financial aid and it is all loans. They won’t give me my official one until I SIR but I’m not sure I want to commit to the school in hopes that my financial aid is adjusted so that it stays the same and I end up racking up a lot in student loans (I know they are inevitable but I don’t want to owe a rediculous amount of money and not be able to pay it). FAFSA also doesn’t show the whole story. Certain circumstances like high medical expenses has not allowed my parents to be able to contribute financially as much as they would like.
UCSB is my dream school and all the hard work since freshman year of high school has been with the goal in mind of attending this amazing institution. I don’t expect to get my college completely paid for, but I would like a little bit of help with grants to ease the financial burden of college on my family and I.
I just don’t know whether to go to the financial aid office and talk to someone now or SIR and risk owing a lot in student loans…
What exactly is in your FA award?
YOU can’t borrow much, so are some of those loans Plus Loans? If so, those would be YOUR parents loans, not yours. They would have to pay those back.
Please provide the exact contents and amounts.
How much will your parents pay each year?
What is your FAFSA EFC?
How much did your parents pay last year (only in 2014) in medical bills (that they can PROVE) that weren’t covered by health insurance?
No, do not SIR a school if the FA pkg isn’t affordable. You can’t just “hope” it will be better later. What you’ve been shown is very likely what you will be offered UNLESS you can show them something concrete that will make them adjust your FAFSA results.
If your parents paid a very large amount of medical bills (not covered by insurance or reimbursed by insurance), then your parents can SHOW proof of actual payment of those bills to a FA officer, then he/she can decide to adjust your FAFSA EFC. But the adjustment is not dollar for dollar. First an income percentage calculation is applied, since everyone has to pay some medical bills. Then the results have a calculation applied, and then an adjustment is made.
How much can they show was paid BY THEM in 2014? (again, not including anything that was paid for or reimbursed by insurance.)
There is no reason it isn’t a final award unless you do appeal. Unusual medical expenses are one reason to adjust awards. But your parents must have high income if you don’t have any award and you are instate.