<p>Well... my family makes a lot of money. As in $600,000 a year. However, i am one of those kids that gets screwed because his parents won't pay for him to go to a private school unless he gets some money or it is prestigious (Ivy league, etc.). I have 3 other siblings in college right now, all in private schools that cost a lot. Do you think that because i will be the 4th kid in college at the same time as my siblings, i'm going to get any need-based money??</p>
<p>thanks!</p>
<p>Well..$600,000 in income is quite a lot. However with 4 students all in college at the same time, you MIGHT get some aid at some places. At 25% of your income, your EFC for the WHOLE family would be $150,000..if you divide that by 4, you get 37,500 per student (it doesn't always come out equal due to student assets etc)...So you should try. THESE NUMBERS ARE GUESSES...no way to know your specific numbers. ALSO those Ivies require the Profile which will ask additional questions about your assets (home equity for your primary home for example). If your family owns a second home, that would need to be reported on both FAFSA and Profile.</p>
<p>But the thing you should be aware of...as your siblings graduate, your EFC will RISE proportionately. What will you do if you get aid your freshman year and it decreases in each subsequent year as your siblings graduate?</p>
<p>To be perfectly honest, most public universities deliver perfectly fine educations - educations that are on a par with all but the very most selective private colleges/universities. Some public universities actually deliver better educations than all but the very most selective private institutions. And depending on the major field of study some public universities are indeed the very best place to go. I expect that your parents are fully aware of this. It is unlikely that they reached the income range that they are in by being fools.</p>
<p>You need to think long and hard about what it is that you want to study in college, what part of the country you would like to be in, whether you would prefer a larger school or a smaller one, the kind of career that you would like to have when you finish college, etc. etc. If you go to your parents with a very clear set of goals, you may find that they are willing to sit down with you and calmly discuss your options. "You make a lot of money so I should be able to study where ever I want to." is just not going to cut it with them.</p>
<p>I can't see you getting a cent. At those incomes the 25% guesstimate would not apply. In addition, it's likely that folks with that income have considerable assets.</p>