Age 24 = Independent?

Paying for College
8

@Joy_N please learn to use the standard verbiage with regard to financial aid since it avoids confusion and we will all know what each other is talking about. Do not use the word ‘discounted’ or ‘discounted rate’ any longer since that is not one of the real cost and financial aid terms. You might like to browse the pinned threads at the top. In one thread is a Financial Aid 101 FAQ which defines terms and how basic aid works. I think it is well worth working through that link because you and your family don’t have a good grasp on how it works.

But for your purpose, understand that it doesn’t ‘get cheaper’, the cost is the same but you get ‘more aid’ if it is available and that aid is applied against the cost. So yes in the end it is cheaper for you, maybe, but that is because you are getting some financial aid, NOT KNOWN AS A DISCOUNT. However you may not get ‘free money’ which is grants, you may only get loans, also a form of financial aid, but has to be paid back after you graduate.

It seems you may not be considered Independent until the Fall term 2017 because you are saying you weren’t born before Jan 1 1993. Therefore you would have to wait until the 2017-18 academic year to qualify, as an Independent. That is how it works.

So you are in CA and I see 3 options for you

  1. Transfer to a CSU with cheap instate tuition. You will get federal aid only. Pell Grant if you qualify based on low income. Also up to a 12,000 federal loan. They give no other aid. Apply in November for fall 2017.
  2. Transfer to a UC if you qualify. UC will give their own aid even for transfers and you would qualify for a good amount if you are a low income independent. Apply in November for fall 2017.
  3. Transfer to a private. Privates do not give you all the aid you need, especially for a transfer. Only freshmen get their best aid. Transfers don't get good aid except at the very tippy top schools. I don't know where you are coming up with the numbers above. If they charge 30k tuition they are allowed to give you ZERO financial aid except what you qualify for federal aid. If you got into Stanford, then yes they will give you all the aid you need, but USD, SCU, USF,Mills Bible Colleges like APU, PUC, they are not going to give you enough to attend, it is very unlikely just because you are Independent and have low income. They might give you a little. Where are you looking/applying before?

Also if you filed a FAFSA before did you get/use any grant or loans?