<p>Hi Mik,</p>
<p>I recall from the FAQ for USC Financial Aid thread that Fall 2013 you applied to USC and UCI as a transfer and were accepted. Your FAFSA EFC was approximately $18,000 (*Note - I recall you mentioning an income figure higher than $80,000) and USC calculated that your family could pay $56,000 and you were offered a sophomore Stafford loan of $6,500 for the remainder. You appealed based on your mother’s expected job loss and projected medical expenses for a relative who lived out of the country. As policy, USC and other schools do not adjust aid for anticipated job losses or possible medical expenses - only for those that have actually occurred, and only in some circumstances.</p>
<p>If your financial situation has not changed, it is likely your aid award at USC would be consistent with the one you recently received. If the job loss HAS occurred and the medical expenses made, there may be an aid adjustment in only the year following, but medical expenses for elective procedures would likely not have an impact.</p>
<p>The difference in your FAFSA EFC and the amount expected by USC suggests either significant equity in your primary residence and/or other assets not reported on the FAFSA, or income from a non-custodial parent.</p>
<p>You mention in other posts that UCI was also unaffordable - with an $18,000 FAFSA EFC you may have been offered a Stafford of $6,500 and work/study of $3,000 with an approximate $3,000 summer earnings expectation which would mean a grant of between $0 and $2,000. Were your parents unable to afford the FAFSA EFC?</p>
<p>The suggestion to consider a CSU is an excellent one as the total costs range at about $22,000 including room and board. If you live near enough to a CSU to commute you could save on that figure significantly.</p>
<p>Good luck.</p>