<p>I just filled out my D's FAFSA today. Based on our estimated 2008 income our efc was 28K which is absurd bc we could never afford to pay anywhere near that. On top of it I was laid off and just started receiving unemployment benefits. we lost 1/2 of income now. So will this matter for financial aid purposes? I can provide documentation of my unemployment benefits...will my D be able to get any need based aid? I dont know what to do now...</p>
<p>You might be able to get some aid, though they usually will base it on last year's income as they expect you have saved and will borrow in addition to current income.</p>
<p>But the issue is even if they work with you now, if you get an equal job you will face that EFC again. If that won't work for you merit aid schools or one more affordable are probably better choices.</p>
<p>they expect you have saved based on what. The Fafsa doesnt ask our expenses like mortgage, car payments, bills, other taxes we pay etc...we cant save anything bc after the bill collectors and the govt gets thru with us there isnt much left...I think they should overhaul the system..its really ridiculous...</p>
<p>oh and even our state schools cost 15K a year...there is no such thing as affordable anymore...</p>
<p>I would look into going to a state school for a year, where your daughter should at least get half of the tuition covered.</p>
<p>Really, most state schools are fairly liberal at giving aid. 15k? No biggie. I'm sure you can get at least 7k from the school, then private loan the rest, if you really need to.</p>
<p>well we will see she doesnt wanna go to a state school. The cost of attendance at the schools she is looking at is more than our EFC so maybe she can get some aid anyway..will have to wait and see I guess what they say..I will call the financial ad offices and find out what the deal is..They must be able to make adjustments for special circumstances. why ask on the fafsa if you are a dislocated worker if it wont be considered?</p>
<p>What do you base the claim on that most state schools are liberal with aid? It seems to me that private schools are more liberal with aid. With the OP's EFC, I would think only loans will be offered by state schools. Private schools can be very generous with merit aid based on scores and grades - hopefully OP's kid qualifies.</p>
<p>yeah my D wont get any aid from the state schools here..they dont give squat...espcially with an efc that high..</p>
<p>Is the school your daughter wants one that meets 100% of need? You also want to look at how much in loans they'll want her to take. For many who find the EFC unreasonable, paying it for 4 years becomes tremendous burden on the family. There are a lot of good colleges out there, your daughter needs to work with what you can comfortably afford.</p>
<p>You can talk to the school about the loss of the job and they may make an adjustment to reflect your change in circumstances. This is something you would have to talk to the financial aid departments of each school about. The Higher Education Act allows adjustments in these situations but it is at the discretion of the financial aid officer and they have the final say at their own institution. It may still not lower the EFC enough to help much at a State school but it is worth asking.</p>
<p>FinAid</a> | Professional Judgment | Special Circumstances</p>
<p>none of her schools meet 100% need..I will call the ones at the top of her list and see what they say...thanks</p>
<p>I just spoke to one of them and they told me after the award letter comes out I can just do an appeal and fill out some changed circumstances form and they can reevaluate it..</p>
<p>Our EFC was a fraction of the OP's and our state school gave us no aid at all. Our out-of-pocket costs this year will be around $25K, including on-campus housing which is mandatory for freshmen. As someone else said, I think private schools are much more generous with aid. However, our school will consider an adjustment based on special circumstances, although I don't personally know of anyone who has ever gotten one.</p>
<p>Look, no one really wants to go to state schools. If you're not in a great financial situation your daughter needs to be less picky and take what she can get. Most in-state tuition is about $10,000, plus about $5k for room and board. Most financial service counselors are indifferent and will just confirm her classes and give you more aid, if you appeal early.</p>
<p>If you decide on an expensive $30k private school, set everything up, send your kid off, then can't cough up the bucks, you're in trouble. Private loans aren't cheap. At worst with a state school your daughter graduates with $30k or so in federal loans. </p>
<p>If you can't send her to a school within your means, tell her tough luck and she's going to a state school. If you dilly-dally around with private school financial aid offices too long, she's going to miss out on housing for state school, then eventually not be able to go at all.</p>
<p>MomfromPa, I am a PA resident and I go to Temple University in Philadelphia. It is a state school.</p>
<p>As I said, tuition is $10,000 plus $5k room and board for freshmen. I get $1000/year from Temple as an academic scholarship, $4000 from Pheaa as a grant, and a small $1000 Pell grant. That leaves about $9000 unpaid as a freshman. I also got $5000 in Stafford loans, and so just room and board is unpaid. You can bargain with the school for room and board money, or, if you must, seek private loans.</p>
<p>Pennsylvania will give your daughter enough money to attend school, period.</p>
<p>I'm sorry to be frank, but you're just not in the financial situation to be sending your daughter to an expensive private school, especially when you have bill collectors after you. And, yes, they might give you some more aid, but they can also take away the aid just as easily.</p>
<p>How would you feel, as a parent, sending your kid to a school, then have them crying to you because their aid got taken away?</p>
<p>cartera45 -- I base my claim on the fact that it is FAR better a situation to be stuck with a few thousand dollars in federal loans per year, which are reliable, than to be at the mercy of a private university's endowment. What would you rather have -- the possibility of being kicked out of a private school and thousands of dollars in debt because they dropped your funding, or putting thousands in private loans -- or knowing safely that you'll only have a few thousand (well less than $30k) in lenient federal and state loans after graduation?</p>
<p>State school financial offices are perhaps less grant-happy, but at least they can give you a solid financial landscape.</p>
<p>hmom5 -- thanks for agreeing.</p>
<p>cewillm - Those are two different issues. I agree that it is best to graduate with as little debt as possible. I don't believe that parents and kids should take on an enormous amount of debt in order to choose a private school. There may be exceptions depending on the major. I disagreed with your statement that state schools are liberal with aide and that the OP would probably get half of the in state tuition. My D was accepted at 2 private schools, 3 OOS public schools and one in state public. The merit and talent scholarships she received at the private schools put them in the same range as the OOS publics. There was very little offered from any of the state schools.</p>
<p>On a numbers basis, you are certainly correct and it is probably anecdotally true that private schools can give more money than publics. You are certainly not wrong.</p>
<p>My point was that when you have bill collectors coming after you, it's not a wise choice to rely on that private school's money for your education. If endowment goes down, you're out of luck. They can also change the amount of aid at any time, it is not a legally binding contract.</p>
<p>With state schools, at least, you might be offered loans rather than grants from an endowment, but at least they are going to be reliable federal loans. They won't get dropped mid-year, and as long as your income doesn't change, your FAFSA will stay about the same every year, and you can expect to get the same amount yearly. </p>
<p>In MomfromPa's case, it seems much more wise to suck it up, tell her daughter she's going to a state school at least for now, and take some low-interest federal loans, rather than rely on a private school giving her money. I think we can both agree on that.</p>
<p>problem is it doesnt matter where she goes..she can only borrow a small amount in stafford loans...the rest have to come from alternative sources..even at a state university, the stafford wont even cover 1/3 the tuition...we have to take from retirement fund to pay the rest...at least thats how its looking right now..</p>
<p>wait a minute I dont have bill collectors after me..Perhaps I worded it wrong...I have bills yes but they all get paid every month and when that is said and done, i dont have 28K left as the govt thinks I do to pay for tuition. I never said my D was going to a private school..she is goingto a public school its just a matter of in state and out of state. I know all about Temple bc I went there...and she will not be getting pell grants and whatnot with a 28K EFC...so again she will get an unsubsidized stafford loan at temple..and thats about it..We dont even know i she got accepted there yet...</p>
<p>all i wanted to know is will the schools make adjustments based on changed circumstances and it appears from speaking to some today, they will..which is all I really needed to know..</p>