<p>Hey everyone,</p>
<p>Admitted Transfer here for Computer Engineering & Computer Science. I woke up this morning and saw my financial aid packet came in. I received almost 50k all together in aid and loans from USC. My USC EFC is around 12k. I noticed there was a petition to lower my EFC and probably get more loans, but what would quality as evidence to get that reduction? The fact of the matter is, my parents were not able to help me at all at the school I am currently at because they simply are too much in debt. In fact, since I have been working and do not have any loans, I have had to help them pay for bills. I simply can’t see any way that my parents will be able to help me in any way if they could not help me at a CSU. If I don’t have the option of getting a reduction, what other options are there for me to make up the difference? Besides getting loans from private institutions, are there any other federal loans I can receive? Note: I was awarded work study, Perkins, subsidized, and subsidized loans.</p>
<p>I am guessing they have already packaged the full amount of federal loans for which you are eligible ($3,500 subs and $2,000 unsubs) and that is all you are eligible for through USC. You can submit an appeal and detail why your family cannot contribute the amount expected - it can’t hurt to ask. Consumer debt is not considered in financial aid calculations, but if any of the debt was for medical expenses or to help support another family member, be sure to detail that.</p>
<p>In addition to appealing, your parents can apply for parent plus loans (which are offered to help with the expected contribution) and if they do not qualify you become eligible for an additional $4,000 in Stafford unsubs. You might talk to USC and see if your parents can apply in hopes they are denied (it seems a strange concept, but there are MANY strange concepts in college financial aid 
) and then cancel the loan application if they are approved for the loan.</p>
<p>You also can choose less expensive housing options, cook for yourself, buy used textbooks online, and overall live cheaply to reduce your personal and book expenses - you may find you can shave $2,000-ish off the estimated cost of attendance.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>@alamemom, Thank you so much for the advice! You are right I have gotten the full amount of awards I am eligible for. My parents did have some medical bills last year that I think I might have forgotten to put on my css appliation. I do not think my parents will be approved for parent plus loans because they are in a bankruptcy. Could the fact that we have refinanced our house multiple times have any effect on my aid? In addition, when does all this aid come in? From what I understand, we are billed for everything after I register for classes? So this would be after orientation? </p>
<p>Thank you again for the information. The whole process is very nerve wrecking considering I haven’t had to get loans for college yet.</p>
<p>
Then having them apply for the Parent Plus now might be a good idea - that way you will know if you will be eligible for the extra $4,000 Stafford earlier in the process.
It does have an effect, but that has already been accounted for on the CSS/Profile. Any mortgages you have on the house are subtracted from the value of the house for an equity figure. If the mortgages equal or exceed the value then there is no equity and no contribution for college would be expected from the value of the house. Double-check your CSS/Profile numbers to be sure you have listed ALL mortgages against the house including first, second and any active equity lines of credit.
</p>
<p>-You will be billed as soon as you register for classes, but the bill will not be due until August 23rd (classes begin on August 26th). If you are concerned that you will not have the entire amount available at that time, be sure to sign up for the payment plan which allows you to pay in 5 monthly installments rather than in full at the start of the semester. [USC-FBS</a> - sfs - Payment Plan](<a href=“Student Financial Services”>Student Financial Services)</p>
<p>-USC Scholarships and grants appear in early August. Federal aid, including Stafford and Perkins loans cannot be applied until within 10 days of the start of the semester, so they will be credited on or around August 16th-18th. Work study is paid as wages as you work, so you will not have that available in advance - you must apply for and secure employment. The work/study job fair will be Friday, August 23rd.</p>
<p>Good luck, and feel FREE to ask as many questions as you want! The ones who’s nerves will frazzle will be those who didn’t think of all this in advance :)</p>
<p>@alamemom, Thank you again for the information. Regarding the Direct PLUS loan, even though I doubt it will, if I request the loan and it is approved it does not mean I have to accept it, correct? Similarly, am I obligated to anything once I sign the Master Promissory Note? I have to check still if all the mortgages have been accounted for. I plan to call the financial aid office to see what I should do. </p>
<p>Do all charges such as housing, tuition, meal plans, etc, appear on the account? In other words, can I view everything I need to pay on one account?</p>
<p>NOTE: Your PARENTS must request the Parent PLUS loan, not you. You will be requesting your own Stafford subs & unsubs and your Perkins, but they must request the parent PLUS.</p>
<p>Definitely talk to the financial aid office - tell them you are hoping for the extra $4,000 unsubs Stafford when/if your parents are turned down for the Parent PLUS, and be sure they can change their mind about the loan if it happens to be approved - a suggestion I have is for them to request the maximum they can request to boost chances it will be denied.</p>
<p>The master promissory note will apply to all of your loans at USC - you will have to request each year’s loans in addition to filling out the master promissory note. Again, I suggest you talk to financial aid about when the latest date to change your mind about the loans will be. </p>
<p>Only USC billed costs will appear on your statement, so if you live in USC housing and choose a USC meal plan yes, they will appear on your USC bill. If you choose to live in non-USC housing or live in housing that does not require a meal plan then those costs will not appear on your bill - you will pay them separately.</p>
<p>I’m a transfer student. Just got the financial estimate , my EFC is around 25,000 and I dont think my family can afford this much. I found that my University Grant is only $700 fall 2013 and $400 spring 2014, all of my friends got much much greater than me and I’m wondering if I can appeal ?? If it does not work, is there any possibility that I can receive more aid from next year ?? Thanks in advance ^^</p>
<p>Anyone can appeal. It can’t hurt to ask.</p>
<p>Aid is calculated each year, but if your financial information next year is similar to your financial information this year, the aid package would be similar. The amount your friends received is irrelevant, because your aid is calculated based on your financial information, not theirs.</p>
<p>I am not sure I understand your post - you say that your expected contribution is $25,000, but your grant is $700 + $400? Is the $1,100 in grants the only aid you received?</p>
<p>Is the $25,000 your FAFSA EFC or the amount USC expects you to contribute after considering the CSS/Profile (remember that the FAFSA information is used only to distribute Federal aid such as Stafford loans and work/study)?</p>
<p>Thanks for replying ,great appreciation
Actly my EFC was evaluated after considering all available aids from school , ie grants+loans+work study etc. Last year I had two part time jobs and I quit recently, and also my mom quit her job few months ago … Donno if its gonna make any difference in the future(next year hopefully). I’m wondering what factors would effect my University Grant , cause everyone says mine seems too little based on my Financial situation. Really hope the appeal can work for me !</p>
<p>The factor that impacts the University grant is your USC-determined need. The cost of attendance is $62,000, and you have reported that USC expects $25,000 from you. I still am not understanding you, because if those figures are accurate, what is the rest of your package comprised of? I would expect something like,</p>
<p>$62,000 COA
- $25,000 expected from family
- $3,000 Summer earnings expectation
- $7,500 Stafford Loans
- $3,500 work/study
- and approximately $20,000 to $23,000 in gift aid including scholarships, state grants and USC grants.</p>
<p>But you say you only received $1,100 in grants? Where is the other $22,000+ coming from?</p>
<p>I’m sorry to confuse you, let me just show u what I’ve gotten until now.
Awards are
-Cal Grant $9000
-Federal Pell Grant $4000
-Work Study $2600
-University Grant $1100
-Federal Perkins Loans $1000
-Federal Stafford Loans(subsidized) $4500
-Federal Stafford Loans(unsubsidized) $6000</p>
<p>Total awards ~$28,000
Cost of Attendance $52,000
EFC around $24,000</p>
<p>That’s what I’ve gotten so far from my USConnect . Are they gonna send me Financial aid package in mail ? I got my admission package a week ago,though.</p>
<p>Okay, that makes more sense. What USC does is calculate your USC-Determined need and then meet it with a mix of grants, scholarships and loans. USC determined that you qualified for $14,100 in grants, but $13,000 of that was covered by Cal Grant and Pell, so your University grant fills in the amount left, the $1,100.</p>
<p>That said, do you have any FAFSA-only schools as options? Because you are Cal Grant and Pell grant qualified, it is likely that you either have significant home equity or other assets protected by the simplified needs test on the FAFSA. Those assets are considered available for college expenses at schools that use the CSS/Profile. A UC or CSU would be a far more affordable option in your case. With a $4,000 Pell, I am guessing your FAFSA EFC is in the $1,500-$1,600 range. Unless you have access to the additional assets the CSS/Profile considers, contributing $24,000/year may be difficult for your family.</p>
<p>Before submitting your appeal, call the financial aid office and ask what added to your expected contribution (in other words, why is it so much more than the FAFSA EFC) so you can address that in your appeal. In a financial aid appeal, document any large medical expenses not covered by insurance, any additional family members for whom your family provides support, any job loss or income reduction, and be sure the value you have listed for your home is accurate - not an inflated value. </p>
<p>Yes, you should receive a hard copy of your initial package in the mail. Any changes or updates will be online and by email only.</p>
<p>Good luck :)</p>
<p>Thanks a lot for your kindness !! I really appreciate it !
I was also admitted to CSULB and CSUN(did not apply UC for some reason), but I really want to attend Viterbi, So I will definitely appeal and try everything to reduce my EFC. Btw could you tell me what it means by FAFSA EFC ? Is it the amount that deducted my awards from maximum they can offer ? Thank you ^^</p>
<p>The “FAFSA EFC” is the EFC generated when you file the FAFSA. There is a page generated after the FAFSA is processed that states your EFC and the estimated amount of your Pell grant.</p>
<p>The FAFSA does not consider home equity in the primary home, certain small businesses, or other assets such as bank accounts for families below certain income levels. The CSUs use only the FAFSA to determine aid, but many private schools, including USC, also use the CSS/Profile and consider the equity in the primary home, the value of small businesses owned by the family, and assets not reported on the FAFSA as a result of the Simplified Needs Test.</p>
<p>After you locate your FAFSA EFC on your SAR (student aid report - go back to your FAFSA emails and find the one that advises you to log in to see your processed FAFSA) you can compare that number to the amount USC expects - it looks to me like there is an approximate $20,000 difference in the two figures. Ask the financial aid officer to help you understand the difference - they are generally very straightforward with the information. A previous poster, for example, found that the difference was due to IRA funds being listed incorrectly. This will give you a chance to correct any errors and to directly address the items leading to your higher expected contribution in your appeal.</p>
<p>I just checked my FAFSA EFC , it states the number like 02059, don’t excatly know what it means though. Does it mean $2,059 ? If it is, wow, I should definitely call them tomorrow. Hope everything would work greatly
I’ve already made a resv of orientation. So exited these days and it would be PERFECT if the financial problems are resolved 
Don’t know if I could borrow that much of money from government if I have to.
I really appreciate your kindness, Thank you soo much to give me all these details and help ! You’re so NICE !</p>
<p>Technically the FAFSA EFC is an “index” used to determine eligibility for federal aid including Pell, but yes, lower numbers generally mean more aid. It is IMPORTANT to remember that USC uses the CSS/Profile in addition to the FAFSA, so the amount students/families are expected to contribute at USC is nearly always MORE than the FAFSA EFC. Your figures show a significant difference, so it is worth asking to see what increased your contribution so much - remember it could turn out to be several legitimate things including home equity, a small business or assets protected by the simplified needs test and your aid may not change - but it is worth finding out so you can address it if possible.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>@alamemom, just wanted to let you know that I sent my EFC appeal in last night :D. Fingers crossed!! Thank you so much again.</p>
<p>I noticed that there is also a transfer merit scholarship that USC gives out to students. According to the pdf with the list of scholarships, it would have been given out yesterday? Does anyone know if they notify via email or snail mail? I read last night that someone received one and am hoping I would get one Monday.</p>
<p>I know that there ARE transfer merit scholarships, but it seems the activity has often died down on the forum by the time they are awarded because I never seem to see any posts about them actually being awarded. Let me know if you hear more!</p>
<p>*Where did you read about someone getting one???</p>