azwestcoastdad

My wife and I did a FASFA app back @ the beginning of the year. Our student is her son, I have not adpoted him. She filled out our FASFA with both of our income. We have three kids two more of which are still in high school. We have been married 11 years, no kids together. have a mortgage etc....Should we have completed on her income only? or did we do it correctly with both incomes?

What is a Pell Grant?

time is running out, do we have other realistic affordable options?

All replies are welcome. thanks

thumper1

You did the FAFSA correctly. As a married couple, the income and assets of both the parent and step parent are required on the FAFSA for the student. It does not matter if you adopted this child...or not.

cptofthehouse

As Thumper said, your wife filled out the form correctly.

A PELL grant is a federal grant for college for those who are very low income. The maximum amount of the grant is $5550, That and Stafford loans are the only thing that the FAFSA results can guarantee. ANything else depends on the college, your state and any private options.

mom2collegekids

You're probably shocked by how high your EFC is. Welcome to the world of college. Colleges believe that the FAMILY has the primary responsibility to pay for college. And in your case, the FAMILY is the household the student lives in....Stepdad, mom and siblings.

If you both work, then you probably earn too much for a Pell Grant. Those are for low/lowish income families.

When you say "time is running out"....what do you mean?

Do you mean that your child is starting college in the fall and didn't get much aid?

What is your EFC?

how much can the family contribute each year?

If the family can't pay as much as needed, then the student may have to go to a community college or nearby state school and commute, or take a gap year and apply to schools that will work.

thumper1

Are you saying that the college choice your child has made is not affordable with the current aid package? It sounds like you were hoping that your income didn't belong on the FAFSA form. BUT it is required.

As mom2collegekids pointed out, more affordable options would be a local community college with the student as a commuter, or taking a gap year and having the student apply to colleges that ARE affordable with perhaps guaranteed merit aid.

jym626

Is the student an entering college freshman? Are you saying that the EFC is higher than you can manage? Have you spoken to them? Not quite understanding what your question is

azwestcoastdad

WOW you guys are great!!! thank you all for your replies.

Our son is will be a transfer student. He did all the classes that would transfer to ASU toward his major, at the community college. He is scheduled to start in the fall mid August.

I asked about the Pell Grant because iv'e heard the phrase but did not know what it was. We probably are not very low income.

I have seen EFC alot, what is EFC?

We had a financial aid company make a list of schools private and state, and it seemed to make the most sense for him to stay instate however will need campus living. We are appx. 250 miles from the school.

My wife and are are not throwing in the towel, however we really did not know what to expect with the whole process. we will be having a sit down with our child and explain whats is happening.

I really appreciate all comments provided.

AHSTeacher

If money is the issue, prepare yourselves. Help him find the cheapest place to live, figure out cheap meals, have him forgo a car and ride a bike. Also, extra part time jobs for all adults could help out too! It all sounds so difficult, but you/he will do fine if you plan ahead!

mom2collegekids

You said that you filled out FAFSA. That would have given you an EFC ...expected family contribution. What was it?

The name EFC is a MISNOMER. It doesn't mean what it sounds like. It is only used to determine FEDERAL aid, which isn't much.

What was in your son's FA pkg from Arizona State?

Did your son qualify for merit for his high school stats? The state of Arizona gives merit to students with good stats for college.

You went to a "FA company"?? Sorry, but that sounds like a total waste of money. I've yet to see those actually work unless the family is prepared to pay a good bit towards college.

however we really did not know what to expect with the whole process.

Further proof that going to a FA company was a waste. The fact that you don't know what to expect means these people didn't do their job. Who the heck accepts money to be FA advisors and then doesn't fully explain the process to clients? I'd get my money back.

At a minimum you should have been told what EFC is, Pell Grant, and other basic stuff. These people sound like crooks.
How much can your family pay each year?

thumper1

If you did your FAFSA already, you should get something called a SAR...Student Aid Report. Your EFC...Expected Family Contribution...is on that. The ONLY thing this is used for is to determine your eligibility for federally funded grants like the Pell. Your EFC would need to be below $5000 to receive any Pell money at all.

Did your son receive his financial aid package from ASU already? If so, at the very least, he would be eligible to take out a Stafford loan...if he's a junior it would be $7500 I believe for the year. Any additional aid would be listed on there.

There is precious little grant money available at most schools for transfer students.

If ASU is your instate option, it might be the best deal for you. Did your son apply to other AZ public colleges? Just curious if maybe others had aid for transfer students. Did he work with the advisor at his community college in terms of looking for schools whereby his credits were guaranteed to transfer? And did they have any information about schools with scholarships for transfers from the community college system?

I know it's too late to go back...but I hope you didn't pay much to this "financial aid company" for the list they prepared for you. ANY information about financial aid at colleges is readily available for FREE on the college websites.