What kind of savings did your student have when applying?

My kids have almost zero savings. That has been fine with us, as they both work very hard, but much of it had been unpaid volunteering or research opportunities.D finally took a job after she finished her college apps.

None. They weren’t lazy -there just weren’t that many job opportunities and transportation was an issue

DD16 had about $6K saved from babysitting, music gigs, birthday/Christmas money/ summer camp job. We don’t qualify for FA so this had no impact on college cost. She uses this money for her own personal expenses (entertainment/gifts/food not on the meal plan). I still have access to her bank account and she’s used less than $200 this semester. DS18 will likely have a bit less but he’s frugal too so I’m not worried.