How do low-income students afford Ivies? Is it possible for me to get scholarships?

Paying for College
1

Hello! I’m a gap year student seeking to attend a state college for my undergraduate degree and I was wondering how low-income students manage to pay off $58k+ in tuition, not counting textbooks, food, and other resources? I’m aware that Financial Aid grants a sole 5.5(?)k+ if extremely poor like myself and that unsubsidized loans reach a peak of 5.5k as well, only making it 11.6k in total. They may receive scholarships which is what I am guessing but 44k in scholarships and other loans sounds a bit unrealistic, unless I am mistaken. If so, then how do they do it?

Another question of mine pertains to my personal chances in achieving one of these “scholarships”. I decided that I am doing a gap year and I was really looking forward to studying abroad or taking courses as a Non-Degree student in a pleasant university, however these programs are extremely expensive and can range from 5-11k USD, can I apply for scholarships to use on summer courses and programs? If so, would a student with 2100 (as of now, retaking in October) and 79.75 average may be able to land something and reach that set? I can probably afford an entire 3k if I work all year but I’m worried since the due dates are as early as February, some of them on August for winter programs. Attending RABS at Cornell has always been a dream of mine for nearly 2-3 years now, would really love attending :frowning:

Thanks!

2

Ivies give full ‘need based aid’ for all students who are accepted so if you get in you will get a free or nearly free education if you are very low income. They don’t even include loans in the package for people under 60k income or even higher at some of them. They will cover costs for tuition, fees, room, board, transportation allowance, personal misc allowance. You will pay some family contribution that may be very small or zero, a small student contribution which might be as high as 3k and some work/study jobs which should be not too onerous and might be very good. But if you are not covered by health insurance acceptable to the school you will have to purchase for about 2k.

I do not understand your second question. You should not take any formal college classes if you are on gap year or you may lose freshman status and the better aid the comes with that at many places. If you are looking at a pre college program, read the program website to see if there is aid you can apply for. RABS is for high school students only, graduated students are not eligible I don’t believe. Or are you talking about after you enroll somewhere?

Looking at a previous thread you seemed to have been shutout of almost everywhere you applied and said you have learned not to chase prestige. I think you maybe got a bit of a raw deal on some of the SUNY you didn’t get in but please carefully consider where you apply this time. And why is your score here different than your score a few days ago?

GPA: 80.2 (avg before senior year, 77)
SAT: 1750
Hispanic

3

I won’t repeat what BrownParent said about aid at the Ivies.

BUT…

The first hurdle all applicants to the Ivies have…is to get accepted. This is not a slam dunk for most anyone. Accepted students to the Ivies are in the very top of the SAT/ACT scores, and have GPA’s that are near perfect. I don’t meet to sound harsh, but you have neither a strong SAT or a strong GPA…in my opinion, not strong enough for the Ivies anyway.

And in addition, these schools accept under 10% of applicants. This means that 90% of those who apply do not accepted. In the 90% who are not accepted, most are extremely strong applicants.

What in your application package makes you think you would be a strong applicant for schools like those in the Ivy League?

ETA…the SAT is a test designed to be taken by students IN HS, not students who have already graduated.

And ETA again…what has changed since this thread?

http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-admissions/1780930-should-i-take-the-chance-p2.html

Folks have suggested you retake the SAT, but even with a perfect 2400 score, you will still have a sub 80 high school GPA. Actually on your other threads, you have posted several different current SAT scores…what exactly DO you have…right now? And what is your GPA…right now?

Have you heard from all of the college’s you applied to in June?

In your previous thread, I suggested you start at your community college. Considering your health issue, and your current academic profile, I still say this is the best plan.

4

You say if you work all year you can afford $3k for college the following year…is that a typo? It sounds really low. For starters, do you have a summer job?

Is it correct to assume the GPA you listed is on a 100 point scale? Does this reflect a tough grading scale at your school or caused by illness-related absences?

5

<<<
@“Erin’s Dad” In that case, should I pay it off myself with loans or is that a stupid thing to do? Considering I’m going to be in debt anyways as an aspiring surgeon…

GPA: 80.2 (avg before senior year, 77)
SAT: 1750


[QUOTE=""]

[/QUOTE]

Forget ivies and other top schools. You would drown in those classes surrounded by MUCH stronger students with a much stronger foundation.

For you to have ANY hope of getting to your goals, you need to start at a “good school,” like a SUNY or CUNY (perhaps a CC and then transfer ).

You don’t have the foundation to “hit the ground running” for a premed student.

Which SUNY or CUNY can you start attending this fall with all your costs covered?

6

Yes, Ivies give out that much money. They have billions in endowment, and the money continuously attracts the top students who contribute back. The max money anyone can get is around 61k ish, I think. Columbia is most expensive at 71k a year, and pell grant, federal work study, and personal student contribution contributes the rest.

7

Right now, this student has about a 1700 SAT and a 80 GPA…which would not likely gain her admission to any Ivy League school…unless the student won a Nobel Prize, or their parent was the president of a country (but then…they would likely not need full finding).

8

I think sometimes, less-than-top students think that ivies and similar can somehow “work their magic” and make them med-school-worthy. Not.

Every year I see kids with much better stats, but not tippy top stats, get into ivies by some lucky chance, and then later post that their GPAs are not med-school-worthy. When you stick a so-called “good student” in a bunch of premed prereqs with students who’ve had a strong K-12 education, and top stats, the chances that you’re going to snag the A’s in those classes are extremely low.

The reality is that the best chance for a path at med school for a student like this means starting at a good school or CC, get that foundation and the grades, and then move forward.

9

I would like to make it clear that I have no incentive on applying for regular admission to Ivies or prestigious schools for my undergraduate year. My chances are much too slim and I am very aware, I am applying to SUNY or CUNY not top-tier Private. I was simply wondering how Financial Aid works for these students, don’t see the reason why you need to reflect my chances of attending an Ivy really… I’m pretty stupid but not that stupid. How embarrassing for me :(.

Previously, when I said $3k all year it was false if I work all year around I will make more, I currently make 3k a year working on weekends and holidays. If I were to work and study, evidently, the number would rise much more, plus the $7.2k+ fund I receive annually (can’t say) can put me in good standing financially for a SUNY.

My GPA is different. my school refused to give their students their transcripts along with the diploma for some particular reason, they uploaded the grades online so I had to calculate it myself, I do not know how “weighted” works in my school either so that might have caused some disparities. Either way a 78-82 is still just as bad, imo, don’t see the significance of a single point when scoring that low.

@BrownParent Problem with scoring caused and personal issues, that was a prediction since scores were upload on the internet, I received it and failed to account for a certain class that was an elective months ago, I apologize, .25 isn’t much of a difference either. 1750 was my last SAT score, I have yet to take the test and I made it quite frank as well in other posts that my score is much higher than what I took 1-2 years in the past, I’ve taken numerous practice test and score around 2.0-2.1k .I’m very wary on where I apply and what I’ve mentioned in the past was for the most part, true. This post was for the future not for the present, I’m considering it for my graduate year. I also wasn’t aware RABS was for High School students, but it served as an example. Thank you for your input I understand now!

@thumper1 Read above. I’m aware, not applying. Was simply curious… I’m hearing mixed opinions also, you were the second I heard that suggested Community College while others suggested Gap Year. Not directly, but hinted it. Very confused :S

@Madison85 I assume it is on a 4.0 scale because I’ve never heard of any one talk about “getting 3.2” its typically numerical form. I never saw a calculator either, and if there was I don’t know it, so I’m writing it in numerical form for accuracy.

@mom2collegekids I am very aware, I’ve made it clear that I am not applying to these colleges. I decided to take a gap year because I was not satisfied with my present ones, reading numerous points I found it to be much much more convenient. Stony Brook/Binghamton and Buffalo are my reach colleges, otherwise I’m settling at City College or Hunter.

@collegeguy97 Thank you very much for the information, quite incredible. You must be a strong candidate to receive these funds!

@thumper1 Yes, read above. Thank you for your contribution.

@mom2collegekids I agree entirely.

Thank you all!

10

Financial Aid usually requires 0 EFC for low income students (~75K and bellow) so thats usually how ivies can be affordable for lower income students

11

Private colleges are usually more affordable for low income students over middle class students.

12

@AmbiD77 I see, thank you very much! AmbiD77. I wasn’t aware that low income students earn so much indirectly!
@CaliCash Interesting, must be a pro for me :stuck_out_tongue: Thanks Calicash!

13

To answer your original question of curiosity, the students at the top schools do not receive scholarships, they receive financial aid, based on need. If a very low income student gets into an Ivy or Stanford or one of the many other schools that meet full need, they usually will not pay much and their loans and Pell grants will cover it. Some students do not get into those very top schools but still want to go to a school that costs $60k per year. They may get some scholarships, or financial aid, but many borrow all the money and spend a lifetime paying it back.

For your second question, there are some scholarships for gap years but not many. You do not qualify for federal money unless you are enrolled in a degree granting program. Some schools do have a first year abroad program or money to travel before beginning. You’d have to find one of those programs, but for this coming year I’d bet most of the deadlines have passed.

14

@twoinanddone Thank you very much! I assumed so, that completely answers my question, I just have one more. For scholarships that I may have a shot at, theoretically, am I required to use the money for tuition in fall/spring terms or can I use the money for numerous programs? And If I do end up receiving “extra” money, do I get to keep it and use it for future education or is it refunded back to the distributor?

15

It depends on the terms of the scholarship. Scholarships can have any terms the grantor wishes. Most outside scholarships are granted for a year, or renewable. if the school is giving the money, most is applied to tuition and fees, and if there is an overage (because of outside $$), the school doesn’t give you the extra. Loans and Pell grants are yours to spend or save as you wish. The outside scholarship can be restricted to tuition.

16

@twoinanddone In that case, it would be wise to use the scholarship money directly on tuition and salvaging the pell grants yourself or is that itself impossible? Are you required to tell the distributor if you had received or applied for Pell grants?

17

Pell grants are distributed through the school. The school will know about all other sources, but it doesn’t matter. If your EFC after filing FAFSA is below ~$5800, you will get the Pell grant. The school may use that to reduce your need based aid.

You can come up with a thousand hypotheticals, combinations of grants and loans and scholarships. You won’t know the answers until you have actual awards. There aren’t many students making a profit on going to school and collecting financial aid. You’ll read stories about someone earning $1M in scholarships, but it is not possible to accept them all. My daughter had 7 types of aid this year and didn’t pocket anything, and owed taxes on some. There is no free lunch. If you get in a position where you have excess grant money from one year to apply to another, good for you but it isn’t common.

18

@twoinanddone Absolutely insightful! Thank you so much for the explanation the clear and intellectual explanation! I absolutely understand now and can’t thank you enough for clearing this up for me, I’ve asked a couple and I only ended up scratching my head in confusion, telling them I understand just so that I won’t annoy them too much.

19

How much do your parents make?

Did you apply to CUNY through SEEK? Are you eligible for EOP at SUNY (if you are making 7k this year, this may end up being too much money to make you eligible).

https://www.suny.edu/attend/academics/eop/

20

@sybbie719 Under 30k from Custodial Parent. Parents are separated in the court of law and I don’t report income due to it being “family business”. The 7k does not come from working nor does it come from shady stuff :stuck_out_tongue: It comes from SSI due to my medical illness, I get federal subsidies every now and then for some particular reason.