Appealing USC financial aid

alamemom
Tue, 10 Jun 2014 20:57:38 +0000

USC meets USC-determined need for all domestic undergraduates who submit the CSS/Profile, the FAFSA, tax return information and other requested documents. To answer other posters’ questions, the UC’s come up with a “parent contribution” and a “student contribution” on their aid awards - OP, UCLA’s award statement has absolutely NOTHING to do with USC’s financial aid calculations.

USC uses the FAFSA to distribute federal aid, including Pell Grants, Stafford loans, Perkins loans and Federal work/study. Those items, at most, add up to $12,000-$14,000. USC’s cost of attendance is approximately $64,000.

CalGrants are distributed by the California Student Aid Commission. USC incorporates them into financial aid packages, however USC does not leave a “CalGrant sized hole” in packages for students who do not qualify for CalGrant - USC meets USC-determined need regardless.

USC uses the CSS/Profile to determine USC-determined need and to distribute USC grants, which comprise the bulk of USC aid. The CSS/Profile considers assets the FAFSA does not, including home equity, so the amount you are expected to contribute at USC will likely differ from your FAFSA EFC (and by “differ,” I mean it will likely be more).

Please note that it appears this student has been awarded gift aid in the range of $50,000 or more of USC’s own funds.

Yes, you can appeal, however if there were no errors and you have no special circumstances any adjustment would likely be small. Even a small adjustment is always helpful, so do appeal - the worst they can do is say, “no.”

Strategies to pay the $11,000 (yes, USC expects that you use all of your summer earnings toward college expenses - their summer earnings expectation is approximately $3,000):


Choose a less-expensive housing option. Your aid is distributed based on a housing cost estimate and will not be adjusted down if you manage to find a less-expensive option. Choosing a less-than-luxurious apartment (okay… crappy) and eating very cheaply (shopping and cooking for yourself rather than a meal plan or fast food) can save a big chunk of money.


-Get your insurance information from your parents and have the mandatory health insurance waived. As discussed in an earlier thread, USC’s health insurance is not covered by financial aid at this time, so that would be an ADDITIONAL ~$2,000/year if you do not have it waived.

-Buy used books online. Use the ISBN numbers available in the course catalog to be sure you get the correct edition. You can save as much as half over the USC bookstore.

-Work during the school year. You should be able to work 15 hours a week without negative effect on your grades if you stay organized. Working off-campus is fine - you do not have to use work/study if you have a better-paying job off campus, however, work/study employers are much more sensitive to scheduling issues and changes at finals time.

-Sign up for the payment plan if you will be unable to pay billed costs at the start of the semester and must use earnings. It appears to me that your tuition is covered by your grants, so it may be that you will not have billed costs very much in excess of your grants - you may not have to worry.

Good luck.