<p>I am referring to colleges. I looked up those funds and can find only generalities. Which colleges offer those funds? For a kid with a zero EFC, FSEOG can provide another $4K in grant money which with the Pell can be a<br>
nice $8k. The Perkins can give up to another $4K in low interest rate loans. Combining those three with the Stafford, does come up with enough money for someone with a zero or low EFC to have some more college alternatives than the Stafford and Pell alone., especially if the state has some low income grants and loans as well. Does anyone know where to find a list of colleges that have these funds, and the availability to students?</p>
<p>I know two who do, but that is not as efficient as getting a comprehensive list from somwhere authoritative. Good luck on that. Google is your friend.</p>
<p>If you know what colleges you are interested in, go to their website and look in their financial aid section. That SHOULD tell you what they offer.</p>
<p>BUT, those are usually distributed on a first come basis. Once the funds are gone, they're gone.</p>
<p>I googled already. Could not find a list Actually have done quite a bit of research, but found little in the way of specifics. I know not all colleges have these funds. I know they are distributed pretty much on a first come basis, and that Pell grant recipients are first in line. But what colleges have them, how does the govt decide what colleges get them and how much they get, how much is available at given schools in those monies? There must be some rhyme or reason for how the govt gives out this money to the colleges that then dispense them to their students on what appears to be a discretionary way short of Pell kids first.</p>
<p>they are govt funds- the colleges decide who gets them- and how much they get- usually for low income but not always- as someone whose EFC was quite high on CC, apparently got them.
( which suprised me- as their EFC was more than double ours, and D only received a $1,000 Perkins)
from finaid.org</p>
<p>
[quote]
Perkins Loan</p>
<p>The Perkins Loan is awarded to undergraduate and graduate students with exceptional financial need. This is a campus-based loan program, with the school acting as the lender using a limited pool of funds provided by the federal government. (The Perkins Loan is the best student loan available. It is a subsidized loan, with the interest being paid by the federal government during the in-school and 9-month grace periods. There are no origination or guarantee fees, and the interest rate is 5%. There is a 10-year repayment period.</p>
<p>The amount of Perkins Loan you receive is determined by your school's financial aid office. The program limits are $4,000 per year for undergraduate students and $6,000 per year for graduate students, with cumulative limits of $20,000 for undergraduate loans and $40,000 for undergraduate and graduate loans combined.</p>
<p>The Perkins Loan also offers better cancellation provisions than the Stafford or PLUS loans. See the section on loan forgiveness for more details.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Emerald, what I did find on these funds is that not all colleges have them, those that do have a limited amount of these funds. They only specific rule I saw was that Pell grant kids are offered these funds first. Though the words "exceptional financial need" are used to describe recipients, I know that is not true, because I know people who got money from both of these programs that do not fall into that category. The school decides who gets the money. It appears that Perkins is paid out by the school's funds and the government subsidizes. The FSEOG I know even less about though both of my friends' kids got this money. Can't find specifics anywhere.</p>
<p>FSEOG is, as indicated, supposed to go primarily to Pell grant recipients with exceptional need, and then to other students with very low EFCs.</p>
<p>The school gets a certain amount based on a formula I don't know the details of, but I believe it's based on the income levels of the students in general, then distributes it according to the above guidelines, the amount each student gets depending on need plus what's available. This is unlike Pell which is given out on a strict need-based formula, with no availability restriction. If you qualify, you get it.</p>
<p>A school which is receving FSEOG funds and distributing to non-high-needs students seems to be playing fast and loose with the guidelines.</p>
<p>I know my daughters school lists FSEOG under financial aid but the maximum a student can get with SEOG there is $1000. You have to fill out your FAFSA early and have a low EFC (I don't know how low low is). They have more limited funds for this compared to Pell where, I think, if you qualify you get it.</p>
<p>You probably already looked on this site</p>
<p>I did find that while students who qualified for PELL should qualify for FSEOG & that colleges pay 25% of the amount awarded.</p>
<p>1,900 schools participate in Perkins- but I couldn't find a list of the schools that do either.</p>
<p>The thing is, there seems to be no rhyme or reason with this SEOG funding.</p>
<p>2 years ago, the EFC for my D was about $1,600. D received $400 in SEOG. This past year, EFC was about $3,800. She got $4,000 in SEOG. </p>
<p>Pell both years. Stafford both years. Was offered Perkins 1st year, though she got some other scholarship that came through late from an outside source and we applied that and turned down the Perkins. Wasn't offered Perkins this year, but didn't need it.</p>
<p>the school I attend (University of Colorado at Colorado Springs) has both perkins and seog. Although I have an EFC of $0, I did not qualify for a Perkins loan (I filed the FAFSA on January 7th last year -- so time was not an issue).</p>
<p>I was advised that at UCCS, Perkins loans are granted for student with exceptional expenses over and above the normal (childcare expenses, medical issues, disability, etc). Our school has alot of non-traditional students like me (I have two kids).</p>
<p>I did get at SEOG -- I think about $3,000 or so. I am guessing that it was time and need that factored into that. I was told that they look at more than just the EFC. They also consider how far along in school you are (juniors and seniors tend to get these more) and what your personal circumstances are -- like a family to support, living in the dorms or in a house, etc.</p>
<p>My understanding (which others have said) is that each school makes the determination on awarding the funds. You will not know what you get until the letter comes in the mail -- and I would not count on it.</p>
<p>my brother is an alum of Co springs ( so is his wife) I went to his graduation- beautiful area.
( he was in the military when he attended)
My D private school gave her a $1,000 Perkins loan for 4 years.
Most of her aid package was from the school- didn't qualify for Pell but she did get subsidized Stafford loan
Perkins are even better than Stafford though- since they can be forgiven :)</p>
<p>My son was not offered one dollar of grant money at one private college. They did offer a subsidized stafford and 1,000 in a Perkins loan. We did not have the issues that you listed to qualify our son for this loan (disability, medical expenses, child care needs). They loaded him up with loans as an incoming freshman, rather than offering grants, and needless to say he does not attend this school.</p>
<p>northeastmom -- each school makes the determination on who to give the perkins loans to, so that is just what my school does.</p>
<p>Thank you for explaining this. I did not realize that they would have this much discretion.</p>