How much should I expect?

Question

I was recently reviewing the estimated financial aid calculator on the A.C.T. student website and I see that they expect my parents to contribute $14,000 a year for me to attend college. I don't think my parents can afford that so I was wondering if anybody could give me a rough estimate oh how much scholarship money I might be able to receive. I live in New Mexico and would like to attend college in Texas. I have a 4.0 GPA, scored a 30 on the ACT, lettered in Basketball, Track, and Cross Country multiple times. I am in student council and teachers have described me as a top-notch student. Anybody give me an estimate on how much I might be able to receive?

Answer 1

An EFC is just a code the Dept of Education uses to calculate how much and what kinds of aid you will receive.  It is not really a good estimate of how much you or your folks will have to pay for school.  The best way to determine this is to go to your schools website and look up tuition, room and board costs.  An out of state school will be a lot more than a state school or a community college.

So depending on the school you choose, you and your folks may have to pay a lot more than the EFC code. If you have not done so already, and are starting college in the fall, you need to do your fafsa application at http://fafsa.ed.gov

The thing about scholarships is, you aren't going to get a dime unless you apply.  And they won't come and find you... YOU have to find them.  How many scholarships have you applied for?  How many positive responses have you received?

If you are going to be a senior this year, I would recommend you go to this website to give you a better estimate of your EFC for when you start college.  http://www.fafsa4caster.ed.gov/

Good Luck!!!

Answer 2

I would say that you should get a substantial amount in scholarships because of your grades and ACT scores, but I would suggest that you contact the school you are interested in to see what scholarships are offered to out of state students.