I am going to be attending a community college that costs around $2000 yearly but I didn't get one dime of fin. aid. My parents info was taken into account because I don't work, but they don't make that much money. Would it be better for me to apply to a university that costs more so that maybe I would get some sort of assistance ?? How would changing to a more expensive school affect my EFC ?? :?
As far as I know, your EFC is the same no matter what school you go to. Your familiy's ability to pay for your school doesnt change depending on where you go.
Private schools are sometimes very well endowed. I go to a school that costs ~$40,000/year, and pay maybe $1200 a year. Community colleges and state schools just dont have enough money to go around.
I know a lot of moms here go to school and don't work, and their parent's info is not taken into account, I think. Erika comes to mind for this, but I know there are plenty of others.
Like Erin said, your EFC will not change by changing schools, sorry hun. I know you are having difficulties with financial aid but I think your best bet is to go with the plan you have now. A community college is just as good as a university, and you can always transfer to a university in a couple of years once you are on your own (in an apartment or whatever) and will be able to be independent for financial aid purposes. When I have time, I will try to find more information for you and in the mean time, you should try to apply for any scholarships that you can find!
Good luck, mama!
yeah your efc doesn't change b/c of the school you attend,
UNT and TWU are hella expensive compared to NCTC, TCC, and DCCD, I would suggest going to one of the cc,
What university were you considering if you don't mind me asking and what community college are you going to?
I go to nctc, and while it's kinda high, and i don't work i got around the fin aid thing by getting a pt job, one day a week, and then claiming that on fafsa, it worked and i got 4,250 in grants per year, :)
it payed for my entire nursing program at nctc which i finish this month, it's something to consider....
in texas 1 in 4 is flagged for verification, i was lucky and wasn't so everything went through with out too much hasle,
anyways if you want to talk, pm me, i know alot about the area schools and stuff,
good luck to you
I am going to TCC but I would prefer anywhere else. :lol: I have been looking for a part time job but it seems that once I start they end up wanting me to be full time. I just quit a job that started out part time and ended up from 7am to 6pm !! I'm not wonderwoman.
if you have a kid, yr generally considered INDEPENDENT student & you don't have to report yr mom/dads income.
of course if yr family *does* help you out, then you prolly ethically should report their income.
so basically if yr the standard single poor mom, you should have an EFE as zero...
That isn't really the case for me though. I live with my parents but they can't afford to pay for me to go to school and I can't work because I have to go to school. So I'm going to take the advice of alot of GM's and get a part time job just one or two days a week so I can get my independent student status.
if you have yr own "home" (ie rent a room from yr folks, cook yr own food...) yr still independent.
Im having the same problem. My mom claims me and i live with her, so they go off of her income. Therefore, i cant qualify for fin aid or anything! It is very frustrating!!! I am just going to community and then transferring to a state school after...i dont know if its cheaper than other options but it works for me right now. Good luck!
have you tried talking to yr folks about this? like go over the plusses and minusses of being Officially Independent. Figure out if yr moms would ever not claim you on her taxes, if you could pay her some nominal fee for renting a room. would it be worth it to find yr own place to live, if that'd be a significant reduction in tutition? Maybe say, "Mom if you claim me on yr taxes I lose X$ in financial aid, so unless you can help me make up that $, i need to be independent."
I don't know about Jessie's Mom's situation but it's almost worth it to move out and get a job financially speaking. The trouble that it would cause(for some) emotionally(stress) and maybe academically(lower grades) might be counter-active to any financial gain. KWIM ?? I have talked to my mom about this and it isn't really lawful for her to stop claiming me because she technically(sp?) does provide my support somewhat and the IRS says that anyone living in your household that you provide for financially you must claim. I have heard conflicting things about whether a student who is claimed on their parents taxes has to be labeled dependent or not because some say that if you are independent then the school would never need to see your parents tax return. I think that something should be done about the way government grants and other financial aid is given to single parenting students. Whether you live with your 'rents or not you still need fin. aid in most cases. Something !! Anything !! It's so strange that I can get help with sending my son to daycare so I can go to school and get an education but I can't afford that education and I get no help whatsoever for that.