For Parents: A question from a student.

@PilotKhyle, many parents here will be willing to help you sort things out. But we will need more information.

Can you explain why your parents have said they will contribute $0 to your college expenses?

Some parents have such a low EFC that they literally cannot help. Sometimes their college kids have to send money to THEM. Other parents take that stance as a matter of principle. For example, your parents may have the view that you ought to enlist and use the GI Bill, because they did. (If they did.)

204 is a good PSAT score, but is it high enough to be a semi-finalist in your state? It is unlikely, but possible. There are schools that offer automatic scholarships for NMFs. Can you tell us what state you live in?

There are students who do much better on the real SAT than the PSAT and who qualify for other significant automatic scholarships. There are student who missed the PSAT cutoff who later get into universities and colleges that truly meet full need and can go to school with maybe a minimum Federal loan and a work-study job.

We can help you. But we need more info about GPA, possible class rank, course rigor, and ECs, as well as the academic areas that potentially interest you…