My family’s adjusted gross income is above the “upper class” bracket (meaning way over 250k/year). This income however is basically all depleted because I am an expat living in an expensive European city and the company puts all of our insurance money and everything in the salary. Plus, I go to a private school because I do not have a choice to go to a public school since the education system in this country is very different. There are a whole bunch of other personal expanses and circumstances that will make it IMPOSSIBLE for my parents to pay for 60k a year for tuition.
Is anyone else in this situation as well where you are classified as too rich to get financial aid? Of course, financial aid should be prioritized to those who need it most, but I need it as well. If you look at the house I’m living in, you wouldn’t believe my family’s income is so high.
Does anybody have any ideas other than apply to a million scholarships? (which I will be doing)
Plenty of people end up in this situation, and your only real option (other than taking out loans) is to chase merit aid. What are your stats? I’m assuming you’re a junior looking ahead to next year? If you’re competitive, you can target private schools known for awarding merit aid.
Unfortunately @proudterrier I am a senior that has already applied to six schools and didn’t apply to any merit programs because my father thought our income was basically half of what it says on paper. I guess I just resort to essay contests and the lottery now? My stats are decent (SAT=2220, Unweighted GPA=4.2). It’s just so devastating because I didn’t expect my father’s company to be so cruel that’s all. Thanks for the kind advice though!
Not all of the deadlines for the schools and scholarships listed in the links in reply #2 have passed. Find an automatic full ride that you qualify for that is still available for a safety, then look in the competitive full ride list for more options. If you have National Merit status, look in the National Merit list.
You can always try to appeal an Financial Aid package though I wouldn’t rely on that.
You could also apply NOW to some schools that would award big merit money.
A final more extreme option would be to take a gap year and go through the admissions cycle again, this time targeting schools that offer major merit awards. This generally does not mean that you reapply to the same schools, hoping for better financial outcomes: it means reworking your list and engaging in activities that strengthen your application. Only consider this if you end up with no financially workable options during this round.
How much can your family pay per year for your college education?
It’s not too late for all schools! There are a few where you have to apply by December 1 to get their most competitive merit (U of Alabama is one), but it’s not too late for all! In an absolute worst case scenario, you could take a gap year.
Where did you already apply?
One place you’re not too late for that has some automatic academic scholarships you’d qualify for is University of Mississippi–they’re offered to non-residents and everything: http://finaid.olemiss.edu/scholarships/ There are also some special scholarships you have to apply for, but you have until January 5.
I’ve heard Northeastern will often come to the table with merit aid (other posters can correct me if I’m wrong). Boston University is hit or miss–they’ll either see your income level and offer nothing, or they’ll try to entice you to come with some merit aid b/c of your high stats. George Washington University automatically considers competitive applicants for merit aid. There are more, but the trick with schools that offer competitive merit aid is that it is indeed competitive! But your stats are good, so worth a go.
UAlabama’s deadline for a full tuition scholarship for your stats is Dec 15. So, apply now and sent scores and transcript. app takes 5 minutes. No essays, No LORs
Forget 60k schools, they are out of many people’s budget, and now that you know it is out of yours apply to schools that don’t cost that much. You can’t finance 4years of college from random scholarships, especially since you don’t qualify for low income ones.
That’s strange; when a company provides a salary yielding an AGI of “way over $250,000 per year,” the word cruel isn’t the first thing that comes to my mind.
@BelknapPoint I understand where you are coming from but please drop the sarcastic tone. I live in a country (not the US) that has a really bad public education system so my sibling and i need to go to private school, or else, statistically, we would end up teen parents or in a gang. The company supports half of the tuition but puts it in the salary anyways. In other words my father has a base salary that is normal and modest and half of tuition is taken out of this personal money but the company skews its financial promises and makes it seem as if we can afford the full tuition. If you see the house I am living in now, and the houses I have lived in perviously, you would think that my family is struggling to make ends meet as this is the only types of house we can afford with the allowance the company gives us. Furthermore there have been two deaths in the family this year as well as one other family member who is dying of cancer, where we are helping with hospital bills. Please don’t be so quick to judge as this is a personal and private matter where I am looking for help because I am desperate. That is why I am keeping everything as vague as my 17 year old brain can do. I feel that I should have never posted this in the first place.
And thank you to the others who are actually trying to help me.
Oh, I’m glad I was mistaken! I thought UA’s deadline was Dec 1, but if it’s Dec 15, do as mom2collegekids says–it’s a great school, and a fantastic scholarship opportunity. Apply!
Merit! And quickly. Add them to your common app NOW! What state did you live on when you left the US? Do you still have a house there (even if it is rented out right now?)
Ignore the class warfare stuff. I understand the expat dilemma for those who find the company does not pay enough for you to live decently there, and what they do pay goes into your W-2, so you have to pay tax on that too, leaving you with even less.
Why must people “mock” on CC. This person is asking for help.
This isn’t class warfare; it’s common sense. OP’s father has made a choice regarding his employment circumstances. That’s the bottom line.
Also, I’m having a hard time squaring “an expensive European city” with the notion that a public education there is likely to lead to teen pregnancy and gang membership. More facts and less hyperbole would be helpful.
If OP has a truly compelling case regarding benefits that are treated as taxable income, along with extraordinary medical bills, then this seems like a situation that is ripe for professional judgment.
