Let’s say I’m not an exceptional student (80-95 average), only have a few extracurricular activities, no volunteer work and in a low income family (<$50,000). If I had no scholarships would it be impossible for me to pay for college?
Also if you could tell me about a reliable debt calculator that would be great.
If you are able to go to your instate community college to get your general requirements and then transfer to instate U where you commute from home, you should be able to get your degree fairly economically.
You can always go talk to the financial aid office at the school, since you come from a low income family they will help !
Every college will have a Net Price Calculator that shows what need-based grants are available.
In addition, the Pro Publica website Debt by Degrees ranks colleges by how well they help low income kids avoid debt.
Schools also have grants they offer to students who have a financial need. You are looking for a school that will meet your need. When you have your SAT/ACT test scores, post a thread and ask for help selecting schools. be sure to mention what is your home state since that may be a big factor. The people on CC are very good at helping.
Do you best in school and don’t give up!
It’s actually better to be somewhat mediocre when it comes to winning scholarships and financial aid. People like to give the underdog a chance.
This is especially true for minorities and underprivileged students (i.e. single parent households).
~repeated post~
@Studious99 ???
@TQfromtheU Most people from my school who won private and outside scholarships weren’t your typical straight-As valedictorian kind of kid. The winners were typically people who had an interesting background or faced big challenges.
What year are you in high school? What is your ACT score?
Where did you get this information? It is not really accurate. Schools have policies and formulas they use for awarding heed based aid. When the student completes the financial aid application forms, it will be very clear what their income level is. That will be considered when their aid package is crafted.
Sometimes…at some schools…you can get a small adjustment made if the aid isn’t sufficient…but it’s not like they are going to give a student a free ride just because they go in and talk to the financial aid office. They need DATA to support the need for this…that is NOT on the financial aid application forms submitted.
Most aid comes from the college. They may offer you scholarships and grants if they want you (mostly based on test scores so work and prepare for the sat/act), as well as work study (an on campus job that’s required to for around your school hours and tests.) The government may offer you a small grant if your family has 5 people or so; all people also qualify for 5.5k in federal loans. Your parents contribute what they can and you’re supposed to work during summers to save money.
There are schools that might give merit for lower scores, for talent, athletics.
Also some students can get federal or state grants to help pay for school, if the FAFSA EFC is low enough.
Some states have affordable tuition for public schools, and if you commute you can save money on room and board.
If your local school board and/or state pays for dual enrollment (DE) classes at a local community college, then that is one way to reduce your overall college cost. If you can amass 60 credits (AA?) through DE, then you can enter college as a junior and complete your undergraduate degree in 2-years (assuming of course, that the DE credits are transferable to the 4-year institutions).
I too favor the notion of strongly looking into the community college (CC) route, and starting with DE classes if possible as @jamrock411 mentions. Even without those, if you begin working summers and even a bit during the school year in high school to put some dollars aside, CC tends to be very affordable and provide a clear path to a 4 year transfer degree, if you so choose. Depending upon your interests, you may find that a two year degree can give you a solid start in adult life.
Don’t rule out other colleges if your SAT scores are good. I find many parents assume they cannot afford anything but CC when if they looked their kid may have gotten scholarships at private schools. Your grades are not bad, post your SAT score when you have it.