So my mom remarried a few months ago, and before she married our income was $30k so I would qualify to go to practically any college for free. She married someone who’s annual income is $70k, so now with $100k as my family’s annual houseold income I won’t qualify for nearly as much financial aid, if any.
Are there any loopholes or exceptions in financial aid if you parent recently remarried? It’s really important, so any help is really appreciated! My parents won’t be helping me pay for college, so financial aid for me is crucial!
No, you wouldn’t have qualified to go to practically any college for free. There are only a small number of all colleges and universities that claim to meet all need for admitted students. And those are the hardest schools to be admitted to. Just because your fafsa EFC may have been low or 0 doesn’t mean you would have had all your need met by a school.
And no, there are no loopholes or exceptions for recently remarried parents. Both your mom’s and stepdad’s income and assets need to be reported. For those schools with the best aid, most will also require the financial info from your bio dad on either the CSS profile non-custodial parent form or their own form.
When will you be starting college, fall of 2016? What are your stats(GPA and SAT/ACT scores).
Most colleges I’ll be applying to meet practically all need for admitted students, so I would qualify to go tuition-free.
I will be starting college in the fall of 2016 and I have a 3.9 gpa but only got a 28 on the act. Nevertheless, I’;ll be applying to Ivy League schools which is why I was asking, because most of Ivy Leagues do meet all need for admitted students.
The truth is that most schools are need blind to US Citizens and permanent residents. Being need blind is an admissions process. As annoyingdad stated there are probably about 50 colleges out of the 4000 colleges in the country that meets 100% demonstrated need and have low income initiatives.
They are some of the hardest and the most competitive schools to gain admission as most now have single digit admit rates.
Even then, they will ask for income asset of your parent and spouse along with your non-custodial parent and spouse (if your dad has remarried).
With a 28 ACT attending the Ivies/Elite LACs or other top schools that offer full financial aid packages are definitely going to be a big reach. I would advise you not to put all of your eggs in the Ivy basket.
I would definitely recommend that you retake to raise your score or perhaps take the SAT , as some students do better on this exam.
Sit down and have a real hear to heart with the folks to realistically assess how much they are willing to pay or borrow for you to go to college.
You also need to craft a list of schools where you can position yourself to get merit $$. Above all else, you need to have some financial safeties to ensure that you have a college to attend.
3.9 HS GPA and 28 ACT should get you some full tuition or better scholarships, but not at super-selective schools (which you would be a super-long shot for admission with a 28 ACT).
The very generous financial aid for the Ivies is only for accepted students. The school’s accept 10% of applicants. Your current stats do not make acceptance at these schools a slam dunk.
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Nope, my parents are not helping me pay for college at all, I’m paying 100% myself because both of my parents received full scholarships for their colleges, so they have very high expectations for me.
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Since your parents aren’t contributing one dime towards college, and you claim that you have some safeties, the obvious question is HOW are you going to pay for those safeties?
I looked at a couple of your earlier posts, and I have to be honest with you, you are on a very naive path. Your list is full of high reaches and unaffordable schools.
You literally could end up with only a couple of acceptances, but NO AFFORDABLE schools.
Do you realize that for a school to be a safety means that you have to know FOR SURE that you have ALL costs covered by ASSURED GRANTS, ASSURED MERIT, a $5500 student loan, and family funds.
Do you have a green card? You’re from Russia, now living in Colorado.
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Most colleges I’ll be applying to meet practically all need for admitted students, so I would qualify to go tuition-free.
So, please list the schools where you will be able to go practically free…because with your stats, none are a sure thing…in my opinion.
From an earlier post…here are your schools.
Currently I’m a high school junior, and here is my list of colleges so far…
How will you pay for ANY of the schools on this list?
I don’t believe you are a CA resident, UCLA will cost you the differential between in and out of state tuition which is $23,000 plus your family EFC plus your student contribution. Likely close to $40,000.
Pepperdine, NYU, and U of San Francisco do not guarantee to meet full need…and they don’t.
Your dream schools are all HUGE reaches with an ACT of 28…huge reaches.
I just read your earlier posts … the “mistake” you made when you changed your grade in your teacher’s online gradebook could make college admissions exponentially more difficult - it’s not clear if it went on your permanent record.
Please take the advice above and take the time to research schools you will likely be admitted to AND can afford. This might mean living at home and attending community college for 2 years before transferring to a 4 year college.
In one post you said your mom went to Harvard and in another you said your parents went to the #1 and #2 universities in Russia. Not sure what the real story is, but your college experience is not likely to mirror your parents’.
You may want to get your mom to read some of the threads on admission to competitive colleges on CC so she will realize that US universities are different from Russian ones.
…as a student with a 3.9 GPA and great test scores I’m definitely not considering community colleges. If it wasn’t for college I would definitely confess/admit but I don’t want colleges judging me based on my one mistake if it’ll go on my permanent record.
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Where are the great test scores?
Why would you be expected to go to an ivy with an ACT 28???
When did your mom go to Harvard? (and a Harvard grad only makes $30k per year???)