Paying for TAMU with high EFC

AGmomx2
Thu, 17 Aug 2017 20:56:33 +0000

I’ll chime in here, because I walked ‘a mile in these shoes’. We had very high EFC ( there is a maximum, so I am referencing that for my rating) and your EFC declines based on the number of students in college in your household. My first child got the whole whack, and zero aid from TAMU her freshman year-junior year. She did get outside scholarships, however, MANY do require financial need (some just one dollar will do) so your options are a bit limited in outside scholarships as well. That being said, she did get a few along the way, just know it is tough to find them.

My piece of advice: parents if you are paying the tuition, HELP find the scholarships & fill out the basics for your kids so they only have to do the essays/questions. It does take time, I also tracked the outcomes for them as well. Make a file with all the info. to reference to include previously written essays… copy & paste is a wonderful tool!

When you compete for continuing student scholarships, they consider the whole package AND you compete against all students (not just others within your grade level or non-current scholarship recipients). Senior year she finally was recognized with a scholarship from her department, also won additional financial awards & was basically full ride. Meanwhile, my younger child got scholarships from TAMU all 4 years plus additional continuing scholarships all 3 he was eligible. The difference between them: one was in BHP the other was not in honors(she opted out of UH). Both were academic admits, but he had a stronger resume. Regarding TAMU performance: she had an outstanding resume with a decent GPA, he had a great resume with a 4.0 GPA.

The problem is that when you submit for continuing scholarships the following year, it is a January deadline for listing achievements – so only 1 semester for soph year, 3 for junior & 5 for senior. Also for business in particular, to be considered for departmental scholarships you have to be fully admitted to your major AT time of application. So for her, she got entry to major at the end of semester 4, one semester too late to be considered for junior year scholarships in her major. Thus, the first time she was eligible, she DID get a departmental scholarship. You can check to see requirements in your particular major for eligibility timetables. The competition is STIFF. There are some outstanding students that attend here and continuing student scholarships are open to everyone.

Another pathway is competitions. My oldest won competitions which resulted in scholarships. There are many opportunities - look into the ones that appeal to your student. These experiences also can be listed on your resume - so a win-win situation in the long term. Regarding funding - you can also look into home equity loans for financing college tuition. They often have better rates than student loans. Ask your financial consultant or tax attorney for your best options. Also do NOT put money into your child’s name - that is 100% added to your EFC versus partial allotment for parent funds.