You have a lot of control over indirect costs like “personal expenses” which have to be paid whether or not you are in college and aren’t paid to the school upfront.
What are the net direct costs? In other words, what is the amount due on your fall statement (things like tuition, fees, room and board if on campus minus your aid that isn’t a loan or work study)?
Tuition and fees + housing and food = 33064
This doesn’t include textbooks or anything
33064 - 23974 = 9090
If I reached the cap for work study would those jobs still pay me. Also is there a template or something I could follow for this email. Thank you
You received a certain dollar amount for work study. In many cases, once you earn and use that allotment, you can not continue that job. You definitely can’t continue it with work study funds. BUT some jobs can continue to be funded with money allocated by the university. So that is possible.
Re: those receptionist jobs. They are highly sought after! So certainly not a guarantee.
Other differences between a regular job and work study:
Another job suggestion…see if your college pays students to work at the call center soliciting alums for donations. It’s not a glamour job by any means…but the hours are usually very flexible.
Those figures seem like an estimated amount for the academic year if you are in state from an award letter.
So for fall semester, Michigan will charge you approximately half of that due by August 31.
9090/2=4545
Have you reviewed your housing and meal plans? Many students save by choosing cheaper accommodations (more roommates) and smaller meal packages (preparing their own breakfast).
Are there ways you can cut some of the billed direct costs? For example, does your bill assume you need health insurance, but your parents have a plan that covers you?
Lots of kids work off campus and make more than campus jobs. And employers are desperate for workers - there’s usually flexibility. Things like banquet servers at hotels - and retail and more. In summer you can work.
The amounts you are showing are very attainable. You’ll make more off campus most likely.
The difference to the student is that work-study jobs will prefer to hire students with work-study eligibility (but only up to the amount of their work-study eligibility), since the employing entity (typically a part of the college or certain types of non-profits) will get part of the student’s pay subsidized, but would not get the subsidy for hiring a non-work-study student or one who has already used up their work-study eligibility.
If student jobs generally are plentiful at or around the college, then it may not matter too much, but if student jobs are relatively scarce, having work-study eligibility may make it easier to get a job due to some jobs preferring work-study students.
If they accept the student loan, the amount due would be less than half of that amount. Around $2,000.
Perhaps the OP could ask their parents if they’d be willing to take a smal loan for just one year. The OP can pay next year if they work all summer and on school breaks.
OP, the FA office may not be able to help you in terms of changing your award letter since there doesn’t seem to be any change in circumstances. But, that doesn’t mean they won’t be able to help you. Please contact them so you can understand the timing of when your bills will be due and the specific amounts.
If you won’t have enough to pay for the entire balance by Aug 31, tell them that. Michigan offers a monthly payment plan (June, July, August, Sept, Oct for a $30 fee), and you can enroll but the prior payment amounts of the monthly plan would become due. Still, if you have most of what you need and a solid plan for making the remaining payments by their due dates that might work. If the monthly plan is something that would help you then use it for winter term (Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb, March), too. U-M Payment Plan | University of Michigan Finance
You need to be proactive and look ahead. The Michigan package is extremely generous.
How much have you saved this summer so far?
Not “prefer”…in many cases, they MUST hire a work study recipient because otherwise they won’t get the funds to pay them from the college.
But this poster has received a work study award…so would be eligible for work study funded jobs.
If you like sports being a Ref for the intramural sports pays decently and so does a job with school of innovation if you can get one. A few years ago they were paying $16.00 /hour and it was fun work that looks great on a resume. Both will work around your schedule.