How much should I be expected to pay for university?

Question

All the colleges I'm looking at have tution at around $8000 and room and board right around there. But I most of them have will accept you with a 2.whatever GPA and mine is a lot higher. Also, some take you in with a 19-20 on the ACT and I've got higher than that. If I get accepted to any of the 3 or 4 I'm looking for, how much should I expect to get from FAFSA and grants and scholarship? I know there's a good chance that won't cover it all, but my mother's paying and she'd prefer to not get a loan if she didn't absolutely have to because of interest rates and blah blah, but I know I will eventually if I plan on going to grad. school. But anyway, how much should I hope to get?

Answer 1

You don't mention when you're going to college... I'll assume you're a junior.  First, don't wait on applying for scholarships.  Use this summer to your advantage... I know one young lady who worked her entire summer doing nothing but filling out scholarships. Her reward: $35,000 in scholarship money.  Those are not loans... that's money that never has to be paid back.  Try finding a summer job earning that kind of money.  As for FAFSA, get your application in early January... you'll stand to get more before funds are depleted.  Your family's income will certainly come into play.  You can expect a combined grant/loan package of $15,000 based on charts I have seen from several colleges.  Realize this can go up or down dramatically based on your family's income.  As for your mother taking out a loan for YOUR education... well, I feel that if anyone should be taking out a loan, it's YOU.  You will be 18, no longer a minor, and viewed as an adult in the eyes of the law.  How about you thank your mother, but tell her that you plan to cover your own expenses?  What a wonderful gift to give her after she has cared for you all these years.

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Answer 2

First off, find out if your high school offers a post-secondary option.  (Talk to your counselor.)  High schools don't usually advertise it, but it's a program where the h.s. pays for you to take college courses while you're in h.s., and it will count as credit towards graduation AND college credit.  This is a great way to get free classes, but you have to meet the college's GPA/class rank/test score requirements.

It's hard to say how much you'll get from the FAFSA.  It varies by state & school, and how much income you and your mom have.  When I was claiming my mom's income, I got hardly anything from the FAFSA, even though our combined income was only around $40,000.  Now, without hers, I get a pretty good chunk in grants.  (I get the rest in merit-based scholarships.)

Apply for as many scholarships as possible.  Depending upon the school, they may be very competitive, or not much at all.  (Some may even go unclaimed.)  Filling out the FAFSA may automatically apply for some of the school's scholarships for you, but you find more there that require separate applications.  Also, websites like Fastweb will search for you, and there may be other awards available within your community that you'll have to do some digging for.

Don't forget to keep up the good work in school!