UF Financial Aid Package Help Please

Paying for College
1

<p>Can anyone help me break down my financial aid package? I turned in my FAFSA late, and this is what I received. How can I receive loans, etc.? Something isn't right. </p>

<p>Cost of Attendance from 8/22/2012 to 5/ 6/2013 $ 20,910.00
Expected Parental Contribution 1,455.00
Expected Student/Spouse Contribution 0.00
Gross Financial Need $ 19,455.00
Total Awards $ 7,130.00</p>

<p>Award Details Fall Spring Total
PREDICTED FEDERAL PELL GRANT Awarded 2,050.00 2,050.00 $ 4,100.00
Accepted
. Accepted
.<br>
Disbursed 0.00 0.00 $ 0.00
PREDICTED FL ACADEMIC SCHOLAR Awarded 1,515.00 1,515.00 $ 3,030.00
Accepted
. Accepted
.<br>
Disbursed 0.00 0.00 $ 0.00
Award Totals 3,565.00 3,565.00 $ 7,130.00</p>

2

<p>

What do you think is not right, other than no loans being included? When you completed FAFSA, did you make sure to check yes to the box asking about whether you wanted to be offered loans? Whether you did or not, just contact the school and tell them you want loans included. Filing FAFSA late makes no difference to your eligibility for loans. As a freshman, you are eligible for $5500 in direct loans of which up to $3500 may be subsidized if there is unmet need. </p>

<p>The $5500 would not meet your full COA. Any other loans would have to be taken out by your parent or cosigned for by them. If their income is low enough for you to qualify for $4,100 in Pell grants , then $8,000+ a year in loans sounds like too much for them to take on. Did you apply to any less costly schools? You would be eligible for the same amount of Pell at a cheaper school. Is the academic scholarship related to bright futures? Would it be the same at a regional U or a CC?</p>

3

<p>Yeah, I’ll call them on Tuesday (work Monday, don’t have time). But I’m pretty sure I checked that box, after all, my predicted FAFSA results included a $4,100 Pell Grant and a $5,500 or something Direct Stafford Loan. Yeah, I was accepted to USF, but really don’t want to go there.</p>

4

<p>What they have listed here are the federal and state grants which you are to receive… These total $7130.00 for the year if you are a full time student. You also may borrow $5500… in a Stafford loan (assuming you are an entering freshman) in your name. A portion of this will be subsidized. </p>

<p>This means that you will have $12,630 covered in grants and loans. </p>

<p>I assume that you are in instate student… The tuition, fees, room,and board for UF are $15,870. This does not include the estimated costs for books, travel,and additional expenses that they have put in the cost of attendance. Only the tuition, room, board, and fees are direct billed. </p>

<p>You and your family will be required to come up with an additional $3240.00 for tuition, room, and board that is not covered by grants or the loans you can take in your name. PLUS you will need funds for books, travel, and additional expenses. </p>

<p>If you live at home and commute (assuming you live within commuting distance) The amount you have received in grants and the Stafford loan you can take in your own name will cover your cost of attendance as a commuting student. </p>

<p>I do not know if FL has any state loan programs where a student may take out additional loans in their own name.</p>

<p>Your parents can apply for a federal PLUS loan. If they are denied than you will be able to take additional loan money in your own name.</p>

<p>A less costly school might be a better choice for undergrad. You could always do 2 years at a less costly school (possibly living at home and commuting) and then transfer to UF for junior and senior year.</p>

5

<p>No, I’ll be living om campus. Other students on this site received many more loans and grants than I did. I don’t understand why.</p>

6

<p>“Other students on this site received many more loans and grants than I did.”</p>

<p>To UF, or in general? </p>

<p>What loans did they receive? If it a a Parent PLUS loan that is something that has to be applied for, and is not guaranteed if your family does not qualify. I do not know if the state of FL offers loans to residents of the state, or if UF offers its own loans. </p>

<p>In terms of grants… is your FL grant Bright Futures? Do you qualify for Bright Futures? Your Pell grant eligibility is based upon your FAFSA EFC. If a family had a smaller EFC they would receive a larger Pell grant. UF does not appear to have many scholarships available to incoming students. Some that they do have are for NMF, graduates of specific high schools, or require a separate application.</p>

7

<p>Here’s a link to someone who has a larger award package than me, who is attending UF:</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1137258-help-my-finaid-package.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1137258-help-my-finaid-package.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Yes, they are loans, but I’m wondering why they did not show up on mine. Do they require separate applications? If so, info would be appreciated. I also have a Job at a grocery chain, if that makes any difference regarding eligibility for certain scholarships/grants/loans. </p>

<p>Any info and advice is greatly appreciated, before I can call on Tuesday.</p>

<p>Thanks</p>

8

<p>That is from a year ago, and that student had a 0 EFC but…</p>

<p>Perkins loans are from the federal government, but not guaranteed. They are only offered to some students, generally the most needy at the school based upon the schools criteria that year. When the Perkins money runs out it runs out. You may not have received it because they only offer to 0 EFC students… or maybe because you submitted FAFSA late… or maybe because they offered them to others first and the money is gone. </p>

<p>Work Study is also at the discretion of the university, and is not offered to all. Basically all a work study award gives you is the opportunity to apply for certain on campus jobs. You get paid up to the amount of the award as you work. </p>

<p>You have a higher EFC than the example you posted, and that may be why you were not offered those. Also, since these are awarded first come first served, the fact that you submitted late could have been a factor. </p>

<p>Possibly because of EFC, or possibly because of academics, or possibly because of available funds 2012- 2013, etc… you qualified for slightly less in the FL Academic Scholar amount.</p>

<p>You also were not offered a supplemental grant, but this student’s EFC was 0, yours is 1455, and you submitted your FAFSA late. If you ask the financial aid office, they will be able to let you know if there is a possibility of work study or qualifying for additional aid.</p>

<p>In terms of the job at the grocery chain… you could look of the UF web site and see if any of their scholarships are for people who work there. It is not likely. You also could ask at your work if there are small scholarships you could apply for. Outside scholarships are generally not very big and for one year only. </p>

<p>You are eligible for the Stafford loan up to $5500… everyone who files a FAFSA is eligible… (a portion of which will be subsidized). Call UF on Monday and they will tell you if there is any additional paperwork that needs to be submitted to accept that loan. </p>

<p>If you parents are willing to apply for a Parent PLUS loan this is another loan you could ask the financial aid office about.</p>

<p>Good luck :)!</p>

<p>You say you don’t want to go to USF, but if it is more affordable to you it may be the better choice at least at first. Get the info from UF and then sit down with your family and figure out what will be most feasible.</p>

9

<p>No, loans do not require a separate application. Yo need to ask your school why they were not included and tell them you and to nave them included.</p>

<p>The link for a student who received more aid than you showed this:

There are several reasons why his aid was different to yours.
**Pell grant **yours $4,200 His: $5500: His EFC was 0, yours is not. Therefor he is eligible for the maximum Pell grant of $5500 compared to your Pell grant of $4200.
Work Study $3,000, Perkins $2,615, Federal Supplemental Grant: These are all what is called campus based aid. Schools are given very limited funding for these programs and once the funds are awarded, they have no more. Schools must decide how best to award these funds and set their own criteria for awarding them and the maximums they will award. For instance, many schools only award the Fed supplemental grant to students with 0 EFCs. More students qualify for these programs than the school has funds to award. If you filed FAFSA late, they would have run out of funds even if you were eligible based on their criteria.
FL ASSISTANCE GRANT: I don’t know the criteria for this. It may be that your EFC was too high (our small state grant had a 1300 EFC cut off), or it may be that you missed the cut off date if you filed late. </p>

<p>So, you can’t really compare your aid to someone elses. Your EFC is different, which may mean you are not eligible for some programs the other person is eligible for. You also filed late, meaning you will have missed out on any limited funds you might have been eligible for (my daughter’’ school ran out of WS, Perkins and SEOG very early in the year - only people who filed FAFSA by Jan/feb had a shot - plus their SEOG required a 0 EFC).</p>

<p>You should however be eligible for the direct loans. You need to contact them about that (by email would probably work if you can’t phone). Make sure you file FAFSA early next year to maximize your chance at aid. Though it will still depend on the criteria the school has set for those programs.</p>

10

<p>Do you qualify for Bright Futures? Is the FL academic scholar award Bright Futures??</p>

<p>It looks like you’re going to be gapped even once you get the $5500 in loans. </p>

<p>After you get the $5500 in loans, how are you going to cover the rest of your gap? Once you add the $5500 in loans to your $7130 in aid, you’ll have about $13,630 in aid. The COA is $21,000.</p>

<p>What does your FA pkg from USF contain?</p>