Can I go to college even though im poor?

Charliesch
Tue, 21 Oct 2014 20:20:37 +0000

Remember that the San Francisco area is an extremely expensive place to live. Even routine items will cost much more. You might be better off financially spending a summer working there (with a room subleased from a student) than trying to spend 4 full years there.

Also, keep transportation costs in mind.

Most low income students are able to go to their local community college using a mix of federal pell grants, state grants and federal loans. My understanding is that you would be able to take out federal Stafford loans to pay towards the typical costs of your food if you are living at home. A freshman can typically take out $3500 of subsidized stafford loans and $2,000 of unsubsidized stafford loans for the year, for a total of $5,500.

Try to stay away from private loans and for-profit colleges (which includes many art schools).

Most community colleges have simplified the process of transferring to in-state 4 year colleges. The community college will allow you to reduce your room and food expenses, and typically offers much smaller intro class sizes than you find at most public 4 year universities.

Make sure you file the required paperwork on time (which is mainly at fafsa.gov, but there may also be state forms, and there will be follow-up loan forms).