<p>Thanks for checking my $$ figures. When saying that Pell + Tap + Staffords could come close to covering COA, I was thinking of commuting students since I’m a prof at Buffalo State, which is a SUNY with a very large number of commuting students. You’re right that if a student lives on campus, they’ll still be several thousand short.</p>
<p>As you noted, fees vary wildly. At some SUNYs (including Buffalo State) mandatory fees are over $1000/year, which is a significant cost above and beyond the in-state tuition rates. Buffalo State College students who cannot provide documentation of outside health insurance are also required to pay an additional $1,436/year in mandatory health insurance on top of the other $1000 mandatory fees. At other SUNYs, the fees are said to be less. The size of these fees is part of why commuting students with max aid still have to be quite frugal to get by without additional money sources.</p>
<p>I know (first hand from my own students) that the Pell-eligible commuter students at Buffalo State have to still worry about their finances in spite of the fact that Pell + Tap + some Stafford should be able to cover their COA. Serious issues arise for such students at Buffalo State when life interferes by throwing them nasty, unplanned for curves that require money.</p>
<p>The OP is a Texas resident with average stats. She wants to go to UT. She may get in because it appears that she goes to a low income school where her stats are high for the school that she’s in the top percent.</p>
<p>However, I don’t know if UT is a full need school. If it’s not, then that’s the issue that the OP needs to know. She really doesn’t care whether Harvard or others give full need because she wouldn’t get accepted there.</p>
<p>:) Thanks mom2. She’s right i don’t really care about ANY of those other schools. just UT schools. Basically I need to know what their need based FA looks like. you know for; Texas State, UT, UTSA, Rice…</p>
<p>“Are you still going to transfer to a normal HS? If so, then you may not be in the top 10% anymore.”</p>
<p>that’s exactly what I’m worried about. I want to transfer but if i do i’m screwed. i know i wont get into any school. My school says the same rules apply here at the Non traditional.</p>
<p>My GPA Is probably a little higher by now. i’ll find out</p>
<p>For those of us with an EFC of 0, it’s extremely difficult for your children to get into top notch schools when you do not have the money for the best education possible in high school (or before) Do not have the money for SAT prep courses, etc. I am so fortunate to have two daughters that worked their butts off in a horrible school district, excelled at everything they attempted and even then, it took supplementary scholarships for D2 to have COA covered. D1 was accepted to UVA and WM and they do have full ride programs for low income students.</p>
<p>For NYers, if you commute, the PELL, TAP, loans and other goodies will cover the tuition and required fees nicely. So it is with most state schools. IF you have transportation. I know a woman who owns a hair cuttery. Lives modestly in a 2 BR apartment here. Just has the one car between her husband and herself. When her kids were in college and the one transitioned from comm college to a 4 year SUNY, they were hit with the crisis of transportation. Car, upkeep of car, gasoline, insurance is expensive here. With winters in the NE the way they are, and young, inexperienced drivers, you want a safe car and for sanity’s sake one that has decent maintenance records. You’re talking another $8K in expenses per year. </p>
<p>I don’t know what Texas charges for state tuition at its colleges. If the OP gets into UT and is entitled to all of the PELL related goodies, can she afford to live in Austin within what a reasonable loan amount to be taken? She needs to do the numbers. UT does not meet 100% of need, as most state unis do not. </p>
<p>But Momfromtexas is from the Lone Star State and she does have answers for those who absoutely need full ride scholarships. It looks to me that with the OP’s stats, if she casts a wide net and has s few financial safeties, she will find some affordable options.</p>
<p>Longhorn, I don’t know if this would work for you, but here’s something our family did with NYU. We went for a visit and made an appointment with the Financial Aid office during once of their “visit” days. I brought my tax return and a rough calculation from FINAID.org of my Fafsa (I am the parent so I have this info at my disposal. It would not hurt for you to get your mom to give you LAST year’s documents now, in case you need them for estimating.) I sat down with the fin aid person and my son and said “Here’s my info. Here’s my son’s stats. Please give me a sense of best case/worst case and I won’t hold you to it!” They felt he could quite conceivably get a substantial scholarship based on his profile, but that would still have gapped us (meaning, leaving us short by 10s of thousands of dollars) more than we could afford. We decided NYU might be a better graduate option than undergrad.</p>
<p>By the same token, a very prestigious state flagship offered him two scholarships and met ALL of his demonstrated need, and turned out to be his first choice after visiting anyway. In his case, it wasn’t his stats per se, (he was in the school’s mid 50th percentile in terms of actual GPA and Stats) but his portfolio in part, his essays, incredible recommendations and some unusual features of his academic background which included overcoming some major obstacles.</p>
<p>So, if you’ve excelled in your current environment, or DESPITE it, sometimes that is taken into consideration at schools that use a more holistic approach. If you want UT and they take the top 10%, then I would not leave the program provided you can get everything you need and excel where you are. But whatever you do, put your best foot forward in telling your story (authentically, in your own voice, and with passion!) and getting recommendations if you want to distinguish yourself for non-stats-based scholarships. Best wishes.</p>
<p>*I don’t know what Texas charges for state tuition at its colleges. If the OP gets into UT and is entitled to all of the PELL related goodies, can she afford to live in Austin within what a reasonable loan amount to be taken? She needs to do the numbers. UT does not meet 100% of need, as most state unis do not. *</p>
<p>I don’t think she lives close enough to UT to commute. The COA for instate at UT is about $24k per year (it will be higher when she actually is in college). Even with Pell, other small fed aid, and a Stafford loan, she’ll be about $12k short. </p>
<p>So…her best safeties will be a state U that she can commute to.</p>
<p>I haven’t read any of OP’s other posts, but if she graduates from a public HS under the recommended or distinguished program, has an EFC under $4000, and submits the FAFSA early, she could qualify for the TEXAS Grant. The 1011 award is $6780. If she graduates in the top 10% of her HS, she’d also qualify for the Top 10% grant of $2000.</p>
<p>FYI -there are several state college systems in Tx besides the UT system -the Texas State System, The Texas Tech system, and the A&M System. UT Austin is the least generous with aid (and has the highest housing costs). Tech is very generous. </p>
<p>All of the state colleges have some sort of a financial access program. Students with AGIs under a certain number (varies by institution) who are admitted and submit the FAFSA by March are guaranteed enough gift aid (including the grants listed above) to cover T&F.</p>
<p>My rec to the OP is for here to apply to UT and hope to get one of those awards to make it affordable. Also to other options that may give her merit/financial aid according to her numbers and those schools’ policies. Then for a safety, pick a state school to which she could commute. See what pans out to how much where.</p>
<p>I haven’t read any of OP’s other posts, but if she graduates from a public HS under the recommended or distinguished program, has an EFC under $4000, and submits the FAFSA early, she could qualify for the TEXAS Grant. The 1011 award is $6780. If she graduates in the top 10% of her HS, she’d also qualify for the Top 10% grant of $2000.</p>
<p>How does one graduate under the “recommended” or “distinguished” program? It says a student must "Complete the Recommended High School Program or Distinguished Achievement Program in high school:. What does that mean?</p>
<p>In a nutshell, all the plans require 4 years of English.
The minimum plan requires only 3 years of math, 2 years of science, and 2 1/2 years of social studies.
The recommended plan require 4 years of math, 4 years of science, 3 1/2 years of social studies, and 2 years of foreign language.
The distinguished plan requires a 3rd year of foreign language and limits math and science choices to the more advanced courses.</p>
<p>The requirements are constantly tweaked. Requirements for health and technology were recently dropped.</p>