<p>I want to go to Alabama. I have a 30 ACT and a 4.0 GPA. I have been accepted into Honors, and I have the presidential scholarship (full tuition). The remaining costs of Alabama are projected to be around $13,000 (Anyone know the cost of an hionors dorm per semester?) . My parents make VERY little money, and I have applied for all of the scholarships Bama has to offer - as well as local ones. Could someone give me a financial breakdown of what I need or how I may make helping pay for anything easier? I’m just scared. No one in my family has ever went to college and I have to do the whole process by myself. It’s pretty much sink or swim from here. I will be doing to FAFSA. By the way, do you have to wait until January the 1st to do the FAFSA? Thanks!</p>
<p>Hi,
You can’t do FAFSA until Jan 1…but you really can’t finalize FAFSA until your parents do their taxes…so have them do those ASAP after Jan 1st.</p>
<p>Since it sounds like you have a 0 EFC and you live in Alabama…</p>
<p>You’ll get:</p>
<p>$5550 Pell Grant
$5500 student loan
full tuition</p>
<p>What is your major? If it’s Eng’g or Comp Sci, then you get another 2500 per year.</p>
<p>Also…you really need to have your parents file their tax return ASAP, so you can complete FAFSA because you’re INSTATE. </p>
<p>As an instate low income student, if you submit FAFSA early, you’re also more likely to get a SEOG grant, work-study, Perkins loan, and anything else Bama has for you as an instate student with a low EFC. </p>
<p>With your Pell Grant and your Stafford Student loan, that’s $11,000. That can cover basic dorm, meal plan, fees. You may have to work a summer job to help pay for books and incidentals IF you’re not given other aid as well.</p>
<p>What is your major?</p>
<p>I think you’re going to be fine, but do get a summer job to build up some extra money.</p>
<p>The honors dorms are really contracted for the YEAR…so about 8200 for the year.</p>
<p>I am majoring in biology. How much more would staying in honors dorms add to the total? Thanks for the reply too btw :)</p>
<p>The regular dorms are about 5100. </p>
<p>the honors dorms are about 8100.</p>
<p>So, the difference is about 3,000 per year. </p>
<p>You don’t need to decide now whether you’ll pick an honors dorm or not. You can wait and see what you’re awarded and can afford. If you can, it’s nice to be in honors housing for at least one year. But, if you can’t, then I recommend choosing Burke.</p>
<p>When you submitted your scholarship app, did you indicate that you’re a first gen college student? that might be worth some extra money.</p>
<p>Well, my mom went to a community college for a few years, so technically I’m not “first” gen. I still have no help with the process except for school officials. Bless them 
and the nice people on here of course haha</p>