Is there a way to estimate on how much FA reward I might receive? My goal to have FA pay for tuition and apt?

Question

I need to live on my own by August. I'm 24. I temp. live with my parents in Ohio. I go to school in KY. My parents cannot help financially at all. I filed my taxes as an independent. So, i'm not on their's anymore. I want to live in n.ky. so i get in-state tuition (bc right now i don't). Is there a way to find an estimate on how much FA reward or aid I can get so I can look for apts?

Right now FAFSA sees i live in OH and looking to live off campus. So they might assume that means i'll live in OH with the out-of-state tuition?? So i MIGHT recieve more??? Where in fact I'd like to live in n.ky. so I can have in-state tuition. And it will be cheaper over all.

My goal is to have FAFSA pay for tuition and living expenses. *crosses fingers*

Does anyone have any ideas? Help please!

Much thanks in advance!

Answer 1

Well I got the highest Fed Pell Grant that you can get with Financial Aid, and it was for $4738 (something like that) and that was for the Fall and Spring semester, and whatever was left I could use towards summer or get left over....Now I go to a community college, and i'll have enough left over to take a few summer classes not full time.  So I doubt you'll be able to get enough to cover your classes, books, rent and all of that.  Your prob going to have to get a job.

Answer 2

I would just like to give you my two cents...- For this past school year I was pell and loan eligible with an EFC (I am on my own)  that was not a lot. However, the pell and the loan was NOT enough to cover rent, bills, tuition, books etc. It barely covered tuition and books! And, like the girl stated above, you do NOT get more for out of state tuition on FA- and you have residency rules (I had to live in city limits for 12 months to become in district!) So, you will have to have a job and possibly a FULL time one!

Answer 3

i can't give you an exact estimate- but i can tell you that both my sisters used financial aid and it helped a lot with rent and other expenses. one used fafsa for tuition and then paid her rent- and she worked 30 hours a week just to have money for random spending and to save and invest. My other sister uses each fafsa payment to pay for tuition,books, and make 6months of car payments on a brand new car. so, i'm thinking that if you are working atleast part time as an independent student that financial aid will pay most of your rent- but just remember you have to pay all of this back! so if you end up working try to save as much as possible and think about investing.

Answer 4

As long as you are going to school in KY you will be considered out of state.  Simply moving there does not nec make you qualify for in-state tuition.  You actually have to be a resident and meet other certain requirements of the school to qualify, and you can't count time living in KY towards residency as long as you are a college student there.

It's usually a "once an out of state student, always an out of state student" when calculating your tuition.

Unfortunately, you don't get more financial aid because you choose to attend the more expensive out of state school.  Prob the best guest on how much fin aid you will get would be to look at the max amounts for Stafford loans.  I'm attaching a good book as a reference.  

As an independent student you can borrow up to 7,500 a year as a freshman, 8,500 as a Soph, and 10,500 per year as a Jr and Sr.  (See page 11)  Remember, if you don't have additional scholarships or grants, your tuition, fees, and books would come out of these amounts first.  Any remaining money (if any) would go to you.

I usually had some money left over after every semester, but sure not enough to pay all my rent and all my expenses.  I worked part time and was paying in state tuition.

Good luck