Will I honestly get ANY FAFSA?

Paying for College
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You can only borrow ~$5500/year on your own (a TOTAL of $27k). UCSD is too expensive for you and it’s not worth your parents cosigning $120k worth of loans even if they would do it.

The FAFSA is used to determine if students have financial need. Your parents’ refusal to pay for the school you want doesn’t constitute “need.” If you fill it out, you can take the yearly ~$5500 student loan, but I think that’s all it will get you. It certainly won’t cover a $30k/year gap.

You need to find schools that fit your budget – $18k from dad + $7k from mom + $5500 federal student loan + $3k from your savings – that’s ~$33k/year. If your 30 ACT and 3.56 GPA qualify you for merit anywhere, that will increase your budget.

Did you apply to any safeties?

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@goldenbear2020 Let’s hope the parents aren’t foolish enough to cosign any loans…

This student needs to deal with reality.

no aid to ANY UC.

She can only borrow $5500 as a frosh

I don’t know how long your mom was married to your dad, but likely she got some sizeable assets in the divorce. Those might also be an issue.

Did your dad actually say that he will pay $18k per year? or are you hoping he will? Of course, with his income, he can easily afford to pay the whole shebang, but…

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What Erin’s Dad means is that no parent on this forum would advise you or your parents to take out $120k of PLUS loans to attend an OOS college.

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OP- you need to refocus. Falling in love with a college which you cannot afford (UCSD) is a waste of time and energy.

I think you need to clarify the dollar amounts- as I mentioned before- because this percentage business is going to leave you holding the bag- or admitted to a bunch of schools you can’t go to because you don’t have the money to attend.

Then lay out in a spreadsheet your colleges, the proposed financing plan, and get both parents to sign off on it.

You are putting the cart before the horse wondering how you are getting enough aid or loans to afford UCSD since the quick answer is- 'you’re not". And “a third” means different things to different people… a third of COA? A third of tuition? A third of all costs NOT covered by the other parent? A third of all costs once your federal loan has covered part of it?

You need a dollar amount- real dollars, not percentages. I know so many kids who had a plan for “half from one parent, half from the other” only to discover a 15K gap per year-- since the parents definition of “half” differed from the kids.

I don’t know what your mom does- but your dad is a highly trained and highly educated professional. He will likely have opinions on your college search that go beyond how much dough he’s kicking in. Make him part of the process and you’ve got a greater shot at him going beyond what he’s required by the court to do (and it’s a nice thing to maintain a good relationship with him anyway- he’s your dad).

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<<<<
So my mom just recently remarried and is moving to Minnesota this upcoming summer, and tonight she asked me to apply to the U of M (I’m a senior).I strongly disagreed, stating that the University of Iowa (where I was directly admitted to their undergraduate business program) is a much better school. She claims that all state schools are the same, but I don’t believe this.

My question is, is that true? Is there any significant difference between the two? Would I be able to get in-state at Minnesota?

I feel really guilty, I don’t want to really go to either schools, but if I had to choose, I would go to Iowa because in my mind, it’s more logical and it’s an overall better program.


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You would not get instate rates at UMinn, so your mom’s choice would be too expensive for you.

Both schools are public flagships, so they will be similar in quality, but each might have some stronger programs than the other. UMinn is known for its ChemE and other programs. Iowa has its own strong programs

WHAT is your major???


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From her assorted Chance Me threads, she has a 30 ACT, 3.56 GPA and is interested in NYU Stern, George Washington University, UC Berkeley, UCSD (the ‘dream school’), and UCLA.


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Forget the UCs…not only is your GPA likely too low for those UCs, but you can’t afford them.

Why haven’t you applied to ANY schools where your stats could get you some decent sized merit scholarships???

What is your major and career goal?

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@austinmshauri @mom2collegekids my dad can easily afford a UC, but we have a “deal”. I take out the loans myself, and if I get the GPA and degree he wants me to, he will pay off the loans himself. He just wants me to take them out for initiative, but I wasn’t sure how much FAFSA would give me, if any. And I would apply to be in-state after a year in California, as my uncle and aunt live there and I could work for their company in San Diego, if I were to go.

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@mom2collegekids @blossom I can afford any school I want to go to! My father makes half of a million dollars or more per year. He is willing to cover my third if I get stuff done the way he wants. I just want to take the initiative of getting financial aid in case. And my UC GPA is a 3.92. Just an additional comment.

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@austinmshauri ^^^

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@Lilrussian, You can’t take out more than $5500/year in loans. If your dad doesn’t take them (meaning he’s liable whether you pass or not), you won’t get them. You shouldn’t be considering it anyway.

I don’t believe you can get state residency in CA if you moved there to attend school. You’ll be OOS, and pay OOS rates, all 4 years.

What are you going to do if he does cosign loans, you major in economics, but don’t get the GPA he wants and he quits paying? You’ll have loans, no degree, and no money to attend another school.

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You could apply to be in-state working for a company in San Diego but the taxpayers of CA will see your situation differently. Check the fine print on that.

And does your dad understand that you cannot borrow more than the federal limit without HIM co-signing?

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You don’t understand. FAFSA is an app for federal aid. YOU WILL NOT qualify for fed aid except for a small student loan because your mom and stepdad earn too much.

Federal aid from FAFSA will not give you a dime. Fed aid is for LOW INCOME.

Why don’t you try the NPC on the UC website…be sure to indicate that you’re OOS and include your stepdad’s income.

And, no…you CANNOT get instate rates because your uncle lives there. And working in Calif won’t help either.

You need to look at the VERY strict rules that UCs have for getting instate rates. You need to graduate from a Calif high school. You don’t have a parent who lives there.

Please look at the residency req’ts for instate rates…You’ll see that there is nothing you can do to get instate rates unless a parent moves there, you delay enrollment, you join the military, or possibly if you marry a Calif resident.

You can’t just move there, go to school for a year and work for uncle, and get instate rates. Sorry.

@auntbea can probably better explain the issue with why you’ll not be considered instate.

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@blossom @austinmshauri I’ll talk to him about it. Money is not an issue here, I just wanted to see how much I could get, even for Iowa. My dad will pay my third off if I do well, so I’m not worried, I was just asking for precautionary measures.

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You will not be instate for California even after a year. You would be instate for Minnesota after a year (most likely) because your mother lives there or will live there.

I think you should apply to Minn so you will at least have that as an option, and then your mother can see how the finances work out; she may decide Iowa is best for you. Sounds like you are already accepted to Iowa with scholarships.

As to your FAFSA question, it is an application for aid. It is unlikely that you’ll receive a lot of need based aid, unless your mother doesn’t have much income and neither does her husband. You would get the loans, either subsidized or unsubsidized, based on her income/assets.

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<<<
@mom2collegekids @blossom I can afford any school I want to go to! My father makes half of a million dollars or more per year. He is willing to cover my third if I get stuff done the way he wants. I just want to take the initiative of getting financial aid in case. And my UC GPA is a 3.92. Just an additional comment.


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Ok…so does your dad know that he’s have to cosign those loans??? Ask him if he’ll do that. If he will and if he’ll pay the loans off if you maintain a GPA, then ok…as long as the GPA isn’t too high.

What is the GPA that you’re expected to maintain?

What is your major?

You won’t qualify for FA…go ahead and try the UC NPC.
And, you won’t qualify for instate rates after one year, even if you work for your uncle. Please look at the residency req’ts.


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When considering whether or not you can apply as a California resident, you must demonstrate that you, your family, or a parent/legal guardian has a permanent address established in the state of California. Please review these common scenarios to see if one fits your situation:

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You have attended a high school in California but moved to another state or country. If you have attended at least two full years of high school in California, you may apply as a California resident. Be sure to include the information in your application. If you have attended fewer than two years of high school in California, please review scenario 2 to see if you can establish residency through a parent/guardian with a permanent address.

You have a parent who has a permanent address in California, but you live part- or full-time with a parent who lives in another state or country, or you attend boarding school in another state or country. If you can establish that a parent has a permanent address in California, than you may apply as a California resident.
<<<

35

OP-I sympathize. But your dad’s plan is not a plan unless he is prepared to cosign your loans. He likely graduated from college and med school in a different era where his plan was viable. But the gap between what you can borrow and what it will cost to attend the schools on your list is too big for you to handle alone. Like I said- make a spreadsheet showing the costs, how much each parent needs to contribute, how much you are going to borrow for each of the four years (the federal limit) and then demonstrate the gap. Either someone’s got an idea to fill the gap- i.e. a parent loan, or you go back and come up with a list of colleges where you qualify for merit aid. Or live with one parent and commute?

You can move to San Diego today and still not be a California resident for tuition purposes. So prepare to pay out of state at any UC.

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Thank you @twoinanddone! Appreciate it.

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Alright thank you @blossom I’ll discuss the loan-issue with it! @mom2collegekids I am assuming the GPA is supposed to be 3.3-3.5 range. I haven’t been accepted yet, so we haven’t discussed it, but if/when I do I will know. I’m double majoring in Spanish and economics, minoring in Russian. I understand these are majors you can get at ANY school, but I feel as if the UCs offer more than university of Iowa or Minnesota.

Both I will look into the in-state rules. Even if I had to pay OOS all 4 years, which I thought I had to anyway, that’ll be $120k total. So if/when I’m admitted, I’ll have that conversation with my dad. I’m also aware the UCs do not give out scholarships.

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You would be instate for Minnesota after a year (most likely) because your mother lives there or will live there.

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@LilRussian You need to look into this. Some states will not change a student’s “residency for tuition purposes,” once they start at the univ as an OOS student, even if the parent has moved there. So check. If UMinn has that rule, and that ends up being your choice, then you might need to take a gap year and wait until your mom’s residency takes effect and THEN start as an instate student.

here is the info for residency for UMinn-TC
http://admissions.tc.umn.edu/PDFs/ResidencyReciprocity.pdf

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If you look at my threads, I have a U of Iowa vs U of M one. If you know anything about the twin cities I would really appreciate some input!

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@mom2collegekids