Are you a Florida resident for tuition purposes? If so, you have many public universities in Florida that would come in with a price tag that is affordable.
Are you eligible for Bright Futures? If so, at what level?
Add $5500 Direct Loan onto whatever your parents can pay…and you have nearly $30,000 each year to pay for college.
This is very doable.
You need to start with the Florida public universities…and yes, they have theater programs.
https://www.sfa.ufl.edu/cost/undergraduate/
Cost of attendance on campus…under $22,000.
Sure apply to those pricey OOS schools and private schools…but understand that you have a yearly budget…and you need to discuss this with your parents. If colleges don’t give you sufficient funds…you will have to decline their acceptances.
your parents’ other children (even if they do not live with your parents) if (a) your parents will provide more than half of their support between July 1, 2020 and June 30, 2021, or (b) the children could answer “No” to every question in Step Three on page 5 of this form, and
The 20 y/o does not fall under A, but she does fall under B since she is still considered a dependent student.
Do you mean more aid than just with your father’s income? No…you don’t get more aid because your non-custodial parent isn’t working.
I do not plan on commuting as there are no colleges in my area with my intended major. My parents are willing to assist with/pay for room and board.
I am a resident for tuition purposes. Since my SAT was cancelled due to school closures, I am unsure what level I would qualify for yet.
The colleges which require the CSS were CMU and BU, which are reaches for me. On the chance I was academically admitted, I would need a sizeable scholarship to attend either.
My mom and dad live in different school districts. I am at magnet school in my dad’s district. This school allows students from other districts to attend, so even if I were to live with my mom, I could remain in the same school.
I could not switch custody to living with my mom full time since she struggles with her own finances and mental health issues. My dad’s house is a far more stable place to be.
I do have a few in-state schools on my list.
My parents and I are hoping I’ll be able to receive a decent scholarship to an out-of-state or private school, but if that does not happen, I will most likely attend in-state.
CMU apparently does not guarantee to meet full need for all accepted students.
BU recently started meeting full need for all using BUs calculation of your need. BUT BU is a very costly university. VERY. And BU is also located in Boston which is a very costly place to live. One of my kids graduated from BU, so I do really like the college…but…I would suggest you apply and see what happens. If it’s too costly…it might need to be jettisoned.
Your parent income would need to be pretty low to qualify for significant need based aid at BU. They consider all financials…including your mom. If she has $0 income, they very well could ask how she is paying her day to day expenses…so she needs to be prepared to document that. And yes, that’s even for non-custodial parents. BU does require the non-custodial parent Profile.
You are fortunate to have many, many instate options in Florida that will come in under your family price point.
If your parents can pay $20-25/year, you should be able to find a suitable school that you can afford. It may not be one you would “really” like to attend, but there should be some options. Try to look past what you think you want to what you can afford. You will be much happier in the long run if you do that.
We were in Florida when my kids graduated from hs. Theater daughter went to Wyoming with a small merit scholarship and a small theater scholarship. Even if she had been full pay, it would have been under $25k.
A good option for theater is Flagler College. Private, inexpensive, can use all the Florida aid like BF and resident grant. It would be under $25k. Florida Southern also has a great theater program and lots of merit options.
A friend’s son went to Santa Fe for 2 years and now is at UCF. Great opportunities for him. Daughter’s friend went to UCF and was immediate cast as the lead in a musical and at the time she wasn’t even a theater major. It’s a huge school, but they have multiple productions going on all the time so many opportunities.
Florida schools, even the private ones, will probably come in under $20k. You can use BF, the resident grant, all local scholarships (start applying to them or at least preparing art or essay submissions).
https://arts.ufl.edu/academics/theatre-and-dance/programs/scene-design/
Happykid’s BFF is an MFA candidate in lighting at U of FL. Let me know if you’d like to communicate directly with anyone in Scenic Design there.
No, you don’t need to bust your budget for a degree in Scenic Design. Yes, you can get that degree right in FL.
Thanks!
I reached out to the UCF theatre department about a week ago with some questions but haven’t heard back yet. They are one of my top choices in-state. I will definitely look into Florida Southern.
@happymomof1
That would be awesome!
Thank you.
It’s important that you get a good idea how much money your family cs. And are willing to pay for your college Thst is the crux of the matter, rather than your “complex” family. Plenty of families line yours out there with college students in them applying for financial aid.
There are basically no schools that guarantee to meet full need based on the FAFSA EFC. Getting a full ride to college, particularly when for residential students needing room and board is extremely rare. The FAFSA EFC does establish eligibility for Federal and some state funds, but there isn’t much out there. Unless you qualify for the PELL grant (Max about $6k a year with a zero EFC, and reduced downward from there , it’s pretty much self help. Loans and Workstudy. First year student loans max out at about $5500 most of the time.
So even if you have need, the schools do not guarantee to meet that need most of the time. So it’s important to know how much your parents will pay, calculate what you can add to that,and look at schools that fall in that price range.
It’s all well and good to add lottery ticket schools that are not only selective admissions wise but also need to come up with money for you to attend. But do understand the chances of getting what you need in awards if accepted. Both CMU and BU define need more stringently than FAFSA does, with CSS PROFILE. Cover yourself by having affordable options likely to accept you. In order to find those schools, you need to know what “affordable” is in your situation. The FAFSA EFC may well be meaningless in your situation.