Did your parents claim a foreign income tax exclusion on their U.S. federal tax form? If so, did they report the amount as untaxed income on the FAFSA?
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Everything was reported on the FAFSA including foreign income. It was processed and said an SAI of 0.
Basically, as of right now, my family can contribute around 30k. My maternal grandparents, who I was banking on bailing me out, are contributing 10k. My paternal grandparents will match it, and my parents should contribute 10k. If I get the Pell Grant and the work-study loans, that should put me at around 40k cash. I could go to UMN, most likely graduating with around 10k in student loans. My first choice is Holy Cross, but itās not currently affordable. Iām continuing to discuss this with my family. I also got into FSU rolling admissions the other day, which was surprising, but Iām not interested in basically being a FAMU student. I could go to FSU and graduate loans free, though.
In that case, it sounds like the SAI is correct.
So - first off, FSU is not FAMU - itās a shared school. But it is off campus.
You said no to the South.
If youāre going to go to FSU, why wouldnāt you go to Bama - which frankly is more geographically diverse - and youād get $30.5K off and youād be out for $18K a year.
But I suggested that and you said no to the South. Frankly, FSU and Bama - not much difference there - other than one has the major on campus with facilities as nice as any in America. And I love FSU - but as you noted, itās shared with FAMU but itās not FAMUās school.
UMN with $10K in debt seems reasonable and itās highly rated for ChemE.
Donāt forget, Holy Cross would cost you a 5th year to achieve the same goal and thatās more $$.
What is it about about Holy Cross you like?
If a Bama or FSU are too big, you could get into equally great UAH at a $20K or so cost - and jobs abound - although thatās more aero/mech E - but not sure about Chem.
Iām glad youāre finally facing the options now - and frankly, for your career, they are great.
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UMN at $10K in debt
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FSU - did you get the out of state waiver? Otherwise itās not really cheaper.
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Iāll continue to suggest a Bama or I can throw in MS State or UAH for smaller- not only would you not have debt, but youād have savings of $20K a year that maybe you can use for further schooling if desired laterā¦ You initially said no South but then just added FSU. Perhaps thereās a NW or MW school that can come in at a similar price. I donāt think so but I donāt know. The other place this would help you - what if Grandparents 1 or 2 back out and donāt give you $10K after all in year 2, 3 or 4 - youād have downside protection.
If you really want an LAC with a 5th year engineering, my guess is they are still out there taking apps - and you can get to a $40K price - but again, now youāre adding a 5th year. But LACs with a 5 year program abound.
We all wish every student can attend their school of choice but unfortunately itās not reality - and itās ok - thereās so many great options and that you have one is awesome. So many canāt attend college (affordability) and youāre very fortunate that you can.
Good luck.
Well, FSU is a stretch since my parents wouldnāt be super happy to pay. They also said they would never visit me 
I like Holy Cross cause of the location, class sizes, flexibility, sports, no Greek life, etc. The issue with Bama and MS is that they donāt accept the March SAT for scholarships, so it wouldnāt matter anyway. FSU COA for OOS is 40k a year. Their OOS tuition is only 18k. One of my grandparents said they have a āfinancing ideaā for Holy Cross, so Iāll have to see what that means.
But how are you factoring in the 5th year?
You had earlier SAT / ACT, didnāt you? You need by December.
You had Arizona as a choice too - right?
As for your parents not visiting you, thatās their loss, not yours. Listen, you are trying to go to college and I donāt want to say you are between a rock and a hard place - because you have affordable options. But you can have even more affordable.
But whatās troubling me a bit is - you have options (UMN) but you donāt seem to want them.
I personally donāt see how Holy Cross gets you to your goals but itās your education and not mine.
So why not find an LAC still taking apps that can get there.
Look at SUNY Geneseo - they have rolling admission. Contact others - to see if theyāre still taking apps. Schools known to give big merit - Muhlenberg, Juniata, Kalamazoo, and more. I donāt know if theyāre taking apps -
but you really need a plan - so you have a few choices:
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Go to where you got in that you can afford. UMN with $10K debt - is reasonable but donāt forget annual inflation. And donāt forget, if you havenāt accounted for it, UMN charges an extra $2.6K a year for engineering. Or Arizona - or you can find another but doesnāt seem like you want that.
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Find an LAC still taking apps - with a 3-2.
Iāve come across a bit heavy handed before - not to be mean - but youāve needed a plan and it was evident (to me) from early on.
If you choose to go to #2 (LAC), then itās time to do some research. Some on the board likely know whoās still looking for applicants - and who gives great merit, etc. Iām confident you can still make it happen.
Donāt count on the grandparents coming up with an idea - because you donāt know if it will happen.
Give it a day to think about what you want - choose UMN or Arizona and you can be done.
Or you can look for a Holy Cross substitute. If thatās what you truly want.
As for your parents - they should want an affordable and excellent education for you. Truth is, parents donāt come that much if you go far away. I think weāve been 1x per year.
But in the end, youāre their kid - if they donāt make effort to see you (and I think they would), itād be their loss.
Keep the task in mind and donāt dwell on whatās not happening.
Look to find what can happen!!!
Good luck.
Well, for the 4th and 5th years at HC, if everything goes according to plan, I would be at Columbia. Columbia is tuition-free for under 150k income, and they meet 100% demonstrated financial aid for 3-2 students, so Iād have to assume thereās potential for the cost to net out.
But you have to get in (not assured - hence if everything goes to plan) - and donāt forget, when they say tuition free under x income, that assumes normal assets. And then what about the fact that you want to leave your classmates after three years.
It seems like you have significant need - but then the schools say you donāt - so thereās assets there or something else.
Those tables are never as simple as they state - if a family has assets.
And UMN is a top 12 program, according to US News. I donāt love rankings but Columbia is not even listed for ChemE in the programs they consider.
And Columbia is a year of lost income - say $80K+ when you graduate - and you might ask the schools, how many 3-2 actually exist - i.e. how many follow through? If you truly want to be a chemical engineer, short of the LACs that have the major, thereās a huge risk in going to an LAC.
Nonetheless, you canāt wait around for your grandparents plan. Youāre already waited too long - so itās time to act if you want an LAC. Holy Cross is a solid school but far from the only LAC with a 3-2.
Look at all these affiliated with Columbia - maybe one of them is still taking apps and can get you to the price you need. If it were me, and others can chime in, schools like Augustana in Sioux Falls, Beloit, Carroll, College of Idaho, Earlham, Hendrix (meets in state tuition - not sure how it works with you), Juniata, Lewis & Clark, Pacific Lutheran, SUNY Fredonia and Geneseo, Pugent Sound, Ursinsus, and Washington College in Maryland - I know you can still apply to Geneseo and Iām guessing at least a couple of these are still seeking folks - and maybe they can meet your price point. Theyāre not Holy Cross - but theyāre also not the big public you seek to avoid.
The longer you wait to make a decision and again, you donāt need to - you have options now - but the longer you wait, the harder it will be to get an LAC at a potentially affordable price.
Thereās others too - but may not be affiliated with Columbia. I mentioned Kalamazoo b4 - they have great merit - but are affiliated with WUSTL - but I think Columbia doesnāt limit in their program, etc.
Anyway, obviously make the best choice for you but if you want that LAC, donāt wait too long - start researching and making phone calls soon.
Good luck.
Adelphi University ^
Garden City, NY
Albion College
Albion, MI
American University
Washington, DC
Augustana College
Rock Island, IL
Augustana University
Sioux Falls, SD
Austin College
Sherman, TX
Bard College
Annandale-on-Hudson, NY
Bard College at Simonās Rock
Great Barrington, MA
Barnard College
New York, NY
Bates College
Lewiston, ME
Beloit College
Beloit, WI
Bowdoin College
Brunswick, ME
Brandeis University
Waltham, MA
Bryn Mawr College
Bryn Mawr, PA
Carroll College
Helena, MT
Centenary College of Louisiana
Shreveport, LA
Claremont McKenna College
Claremont, CA
Clark University
Worcester, MA
Colby College
Waterville, ME
Colgate University
Hamilton, NY
College of Idaho
Caldwell, ID
College of the Holy Cross
Worcester, MA
College of William and Mary
Williamsburg, VA
Colorado College
Colorado Springs, CO
Columbia College, Columbia University
New York, NY
Davidson College
Davidson, NC
Denison University
Granville, OH
DePauw University
Greencastle, IN
Dillard University
New Orleans, LA
Doane University
Crete, NE
Drew University
Madison, NJ
Earlham College
Richmond, IN
Eckerd College
Petersburg, FL
Fordham University
Bronx, NY and New York, NY
Franklin & Marshall College
Lancaster, PA
Georgetown University
Washington, DC
Gettysburg College
Gettysburg, PA
Goucher College
Baltimore, MD
Grinnell College
Grinnell, IA
Hamilton College
Clinton, NY
Hartwick College
Oneonta, NY
Hendrix College
Conway, AR
Hobart and William Smith Colleges
Geneva, NY
Illinois Wesleyan University
Bloomington, IL
Juniata College
Huntingdon, PA
Knox College
Galesburg, IL
Lawrence University
Appleton, WI
Lewis & Clark College
Portland, OR
Loyola University Chicago
Chicago, IL
Loyola University Maryland
Baltimore, MD
Middlebury College
Middlebury, VT
Millsaps College Jackson,
MS
Muhlenberg College
Allentown, PA
Notre Dame of Maryland University
Baltimore, MD
Oberlin College
Oberlin, OH
Occidental College
Los Angeles, CA
Pacific Lutheran University
Parkland, WA
Pitzer College
Claremont, CA
Providence College
Providence, RI
Queens College
Flushing, NY
Reed College
Portland, OR
Sacred Heart University
Fairfield, CT
Saint Lawrence University Canton,
NY
Sarah Lawrence College
Bronxville, NY
Scripps College
Claremont, CA
Simmons University
Boston, MA
Spelman College
Atlanta, GA
State University of New York at
Binghamton
Binghamton, NY
State University of New York at Fredonia
Fredonia, NY
State University of New York at Geneseo
Geneseo, NY
Susquehanna University
Selinsgrove, PA
Sweet Briar College
Sweet Briar, VA
University of Puget Sound
Tacoma, WA
University of Redlands
Redlands, CA
University of Richmond
Richmond, VA
Sewanee: The University Of The South
Sewanee, TN
University of the Virgin Islands
St. Thomas, Virgin Islands
Ursinus College
Collegeville, PA
Wabash College
Crawfordsville, IN
Washington College
Chestertown, MD
Washington & Jefferson College
Washington, PA
Wells College
Aurora, NY
Wesleyan University
Middletown, CT
West Chester University of Pennsylvania
West Chester, PA
Whitman College
Walla Walla, WA
Whitworth University
Spokane, WA
Willamette University
Salem, OR
William Jewell College
Liberty, MO
Williams College
Williamstown, MA
Wittenberg University
Springfield, OH
Wofford College
Spartanburg, SC
Yeshiva University
New York, NY
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I recommend attending an affordable university in Canada and try US for grad school.
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I know multiple people who have done exactly this. I know one more who starts graduate school in the US in a few months. 
They have all attended very good universities in the US for their graduate work. Very good graduate programs in the US appear to understand how strong the Canadian universities are.
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Have you talked with your parents about the CSS results and the AGI 26K v.130k income discrepancy? That was the big question to ask and find answers for about 2 or 3 weeks ago. Based on their answer you can provide that information to Holy Cross and other colleges.
Iām not sure why youād want to attend FSU over UMN considering how high ranked for ChemE UMN is and that you donāt want the South. (Except for the Miami area which has tropical weather and its own culture, Florida is South for weather and culture, a more elongated Alabama.)
If you want smaller classes and a LAC with strong STEM and a partnership with Columbia, Kalamazoo may still be accepting apps, and thereās Drew with partnerships in NYC. Knox, Beloit, Hendrix, Lewis&Clark, Hobart&William Smith, st Lawrence are very solid for science and I think were in the list of colleges that miscalculated yield last year so have an incentive to admit a bit more this year.
Grinnell probably isnāt taking apps but you could ask admissions.
Loyola Maryland is another Jesuit university you could look into.
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Absolutely. My fancy PhD program loved to take a few Canadians. I think it was an easy way to feel like it was an international program without any sort of concerns about the students fitting with the educational and cultural norms. Which sounds sort of snooty, but when a given PhD year might have like 6-8 people, it kinda matters.
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Ok, guys, Iāll state my position: Iām not interested in staying in Canada. Iād rather go to UMN or FSU than stay in Canada. I will do everything I can to make HC affordable, and if not, then I will choose from my known affordable options. I hate to sound entitled, but I honestly find it disrespectful when people tell me to consider Canadian schools. I didnāt work this hard to go to school in Canada. All my classmates donāt do any volunteering or leadership, take easy classes, donāt know what itās like even to write more than one college essay, let alone 50, never even heard of the SAT or any standardized test, and donāt understand how a school has an acceptance rate under 20%. I worked too hard to end up in the same place as those people, as bad as this may sound. Itās personal for me.
Oberlin is closer to being affordable than HC and has guaranteed admissions to WUSTL for a 3.25 GPA and CWRU for a 3.0, so Iām keeping that in my back pocket. Kalamazoo isnāt accepting apps as of now.
Good that you checked.
Look at Washington College in Maryland, and some of these - which may give you a better price. Hendrix (fine school but in Arkansas) matches the in state flagship - not sure how itād work with you. Good that you are looking.
If it were me, and others can chime in, schools like Augustana in Sioux Falls, Beloit, Carroll, College of Idaho, Earlham, Hendrix (meets in state tuition - not sure how it works with you), Juniata, Lewis & Clark, Pacific Lutheran, SUNY Fredonia and Geneseo, Pugent Sound, Ursinsus, and Washington College in Maryland
I am puzzled by some of these suggestions of small private liberal arts colleges as a substitute for Holy Cross.
Especially some of these are in rural areas and lacking in diversity. Not sure I would recommend them as an affordable fit over Canadian options.
Washington College is a wonderful place, but COA is $77k with merit up to $36k. Average aid is $39k.
ā Students who file the FAFSA after the printed deadline will be processed in the order received and, if eligible, funded to the extent permitted by the availability of remaining funds.ā
ā Students who wish to be considered for Washington College Need-Based Grants must complete the FAFSA by the annual published deadline date.ā
I was getting confused that these, UMN , FSU, are still of interest and affordable.
If UMN and FSU are not affordable, it appears to me there are still more affordable options in Canada.
My view is at odds with tsbnaās and I donāt mean to offend OP or disregard the OPās preferences.
Washington College has rep for attracting kids from high cost of living areas, prep schools, etc.
Now that FAFSA has been processed, perhaps things will change in the FA package from HC or Oberlin. Perhaps contact Financial Aid rather than Admissions since theyāve not been helpful.
(I hope you discussed the discrepancy between Canadian income&AGI, and any CSS problem or explanation, with your parents.)
I would attend UMN for Chem or ChemE over FSU.
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Fair point.
Iām just noting that while OP wants to study chemical engineering, he is focused on HC or Oberlin (two different schools in their own right).
This thread has confused from the get go - with a Cornell Hotel School application.
But steadfast has been the OP wanted to be a chemical engineer.
So the LACs never made it.
The reason I suggested those is - itās late (too late) and I simply pulled the Columbia list of affiliates and I was looking at - who are likely schools that might still be seeking candidates after all deadlines have passed. I donāt know which but to me they were - if I had to guess, needed a place to start, Iād think those folks might still need butts in seat - at least to some level - or some might still be rolling this late.
OP has been more focused on a big name (hence Bc and Holy Cross) and Columbia than anything - and they have the big name in UMN but donāt see it as such. Or they get into FSU but say - but I donāt want to go to FAMU - guess what, you wouldnāt. Itās a joint school. And itās under $40K. And yet he had other options for cheaper - but wouldnāt apply because they were in the South - yet FSU is about a Southern type school as you can get.
But I put out a big list - if itās jesuit or Catholic they want there can be Loyola (two campuses) or Providence
Obviously, OP has choices:
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UMN or Arizona (which I forget if it was cheaper than UMN, great school) and FSU.
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Canada as you mention but OP is against for some reason. But sometimes, budget forces decisions and it is certainly viable vs. financial strain.
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If he truly wants an LAC, I gave a list and simply was pointing out the ālesser desirableā that likely need butts in seats vs. others. Doesnāt mean theyāre bad btw. It might be location or branding or something else that will keep them on the post May 1 list (if I had to guess).
Issues have been called out a long time and there was a lot of name calling and flagging from posters going back and forth due to the presentation of things.
But frankly, from day one, this was clear to me that there wasnāt a plan - and there needed to be a holistic plan. It was - grandma went to Columbia, theyāll pay to get me wherever, etc. And yet - they in fact are helping (hopefully that stays for four years but can you count on it?) But they are not fully helping.
And this is a case where OPs and family didnāt understand the finances - pure and simple - and werenāt willing to entertain realities - and Iām not sure even is today.
And itās why itās so important that there is a plan. And now time is tight - and there needs to be a reassessment and reaction if the OP wants to be somewhere different than is currently listed.
I suppose another option now if OP wanted - would be - to take a bye year and try again. Or start at a community college.
Frankly, for an aspiring ChemE, an LAC with a 3-2 is fraught with danger because of the unlikeliness of finishing and then you have a chemistry degree which over time will likely hurt you financially vs. the engineering degree.
OP stated that UMN can be done with $10K in loans (made it seem like total). So if thatās the case, thatās reasonable for a cheme degree.
But that was the genesis of my comments vs. which campus is right. At this point, OP just needs a campus - and one they can afford at the school type (LAC or small) - which Iām not sure is out there (other than maybe the SUNYs).
Thank you for bringing up your perspective.
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I just got my financial aid office from Loyola Chicago. I only applied cause I had an extra spot on my CA; I donāt know anything about them. Iām getting over 50k in scholarships and grants per year 
. Total COA would only be about 15k. Does anyone know about this school or its reputation?
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