<p>jestergirl, with respect to coolbreeze’s comment:
…He is not known to be very accurate and became embittered last year when he was not accepted to Umich, so perhaps he is either deliberately misleading you or just too lazy to check the facts and would rather propagate hearsay.
UMich has one of the largest endowments in North America, and that endowment gives UMich more fiscal freedom than most public universities, and brings the resources much closer to privates. It is not operating in a deficit per se; on the contrary, it continues to hire (where other schools do not) because it is in better financial position to do so than many of the ivies, which lost comparatively more of their endowments in the market downturn. In fact, the school in Michigan that is having budgetary woes is, I believe, Coolbreeze’s own school, Michigan State, which is much more heavily dependent on the state for aid than UMich and is left trying to account for budget shortfalls that have shut down various programs.</p>
<p>At the same time, you should also know that statistically, UMich meets on average 90% of demonstrated need – though preferential treatment to meeting need IS GIVEN TO INSTATE students. This is why I was asking about your residency review (which you never answered…) However, demonstrated need is what the school calculates based on the CSS Profile you submit. YOU MUST submit the non-custodial parent info as well.</p>
<p>So, to receive the maximum benefit possible you need to 1. File CSS Profile TODAY and compel your father to do the Non-Custodial form, which you generate while filing; 2. Find out the status of your acceptance – as an instate or OOS. 3. If you are classed at out-of-state, you need to immediately file the paperwork and evidence to prove in-state residency to the residency arm of the registrar. THIS CANNOT WAIT. 4. You need to make sure you mom files her taxes a.s.a.p. and make sure the FAFSA is filled out, preferably by Feb. 15 to ensure you are eligible for state awards/grants IF in fact you mom’s tax return shows the salary you mentioned ($35,000) because on the FAFSA, which would NOT include your dad’s income if they are divorced and filed separately for 2010, you WOULD be eligible for some need-based aid.</p>
<p>Hope that helps. If you do all those things, and your parents income is considered together because they have not completed a divorce, you may still have too high an EFC for much aid, but you WILL be in better shape for next year. Everything, however, actually hinges on your RESIDENCY STATUS, so that is far and away the most important thing to address.</p>