<p>Which school is most likely to cover the entire cost of attendance loans included?
Who gives the most grants?</p>
<p>If you can get in, Rice will give the most in grant money if your expected family contribution is low.</p>
<p>You asked two separate questions, and they have very different answers. The answer to you second question is likely to be Rice, but it could depend upon how you define “most”. Do you mean per student, or a dollar figure in a given year, or over time? UT Austin is huge, and so in total dollar number of what it pays out in “grants” , and if that includes athletic scholarships and everything, it could well exceed Rice. So could A&M. Not saying they do, but they could. Rice costs a lot more for instate being private, but it also gives out more grants as it pretty much meets full need the last I checked which the state schools do not. But then the state schools define need by FAFSA formula and Rice does by their own PROFILE formula. So even that question has to be narrowed down to precisely what you want to know, average, per student, dollar amount, all grants, fin aid grants, merit grants, athletic grants, what do you include and what don’t you include.</p>
<p>The other question again has to be more precise. In many situations, the local state schools and community colleges are inexpensive enough so that federal money alone can meet full COA if the student commutes, and such schools are often set up so that most all students commute. Here in NY, if you have a low or zero EFC, you can go to a CUNY or SUNY at little or no cost with federal and state goodies. The schools often do not have to put in dollar one for most of these kids, as it’s all covered. So they can say that 100% or danged near it of need is covered even though it might be from PELL and TAP and other federal goodies. So the answer to your first question is likely some state school with mostly commuters that has mostly very low income kids going there that quailfy for PELL and other low income grants. Has nothing to do with what the school itself provides. </p>
<p>Though Rice may meet full need, the leftover price for most students after that need is met, could often support a family for a year, comfortably, as their prices are way up there. Also, they define their own need so it’s difficult to get an apples to apples comparison,one I’d love to see. I have a sneaking suspicion of some schools claiming they meet all this need that they define may not do
so well if we got a statistic for each school as to what percent of FAFSA defined need they meet. </p>
<p>Also, the answer to the question depends upon the asker. If you have a zero EFC, or a very low one, your best chances of getting a full ride is from your local state, schools, community college. PELL and Direct loans would easliy pay your entire communting COA at that level. But if you come from a high income family that knocks you out of any financial aid, that may or may not be the case. You still can get the full unsubsidized $5500 direct student loan which may pay at least the bulk of the tuition. If such a school throws in even a little merit money, you could have your full ride paid for there. Remember, it’s what you end up paying that counts, not what you get in discounts, and loans are just deferred payments that still come out of pocket.</p>
<p>@cptofthehouse </p>
<p>Your answer was extremely informative. Thanks a lot! I was already accepted to Texas A&M, UT, U of H, and HBU. As well as UC Riverside, San Diego, and I’m expecting to be accepted to University of Southern California and UCLA as well. I know that All of the UC’s will virtually provide nothing as they are out of state however I believe that USC is right on par with Rice in terms of receiving aid. I do have an EFC of 0. I am considering only Texas A&M, UT and USC at this point. However I won’t be able to commute to either. With an EFC of 0, can a student expect the full cost of attendance to be met at local state schools. (Loans Included) My fear is that even after grants AND loans I still wouldn’t have enough to meet the entire cost of attendance. Is that likely? While USC is an amazing school I don’t think it’s the best for my major. I really would like to attend either UT or TAMU. </p>
<p>Many schools, and Harvard is one of them even, expects that a student pays some contribution. That amount has to be paid even by those with a zero EFC. The amount varies. But if USC has such a number, you will have to pay that amount as the student contribution and then the rest will be calculated as the parental portion. Run your numbers through USC’s NPC, and you can see if a student contribution comes up. Also some schools do not include loans in their packages—I don’t know if USC is one of them. USC does meet full need, but not necessarily full need as defined by FAFSA. Run your numbers for UT and A&M too. That’s the closest you’ll get without actual packages.</p>
<p>
Actually, that’s not true. Even students with zero EFC have to pay a lot in Texas, as there are no “state goodies” like HEOP, Cal Grants, or Bright Futures in other states AND like many states’ public universities, Texas publics do not meet need. For a student who’s competitive for USC, Rice or USC may end up costing less than the state schools.
Based on my observations, top schools like Harvard expect the student to contribute roughly the amount they evaluate for transportation OR books to the school (and transportation + books costs are included in the FA package). Students who are used to living frugally sometimes end up with leftover money.
This may not apply for Rice and USC though but their financial aid packages should be competitive.</p>
<p>Additionally, a bunch of “meet need” universities do not package loans. Rice will not package loans for families who make less than $80,000. Students can either work or take on the subsidized portion of the federal loans to meet their contribution. USC however packages federal loans, so that the student contribution must come out of savings and/or summer earnings.</p>
<p>@Outofyourelement: no, you cannot expect the full cost of attendance to be met at local state schools, even with loans included. It really depends. </p>
<p>@Outofyourelement: cptofthehouse is right when s/he says you should run the Net Price Calculator for UT and A&M.
<a href=“http://www.collegeforalltexans.com/apps/CollegeMoney/”>http://www.collegeforalltexans.com/apps/CollegeMoney/</a>
<a href=“http://www.collegeportraits.org/TX/UTAustin/estimator”>http://www.collegeportraits.org/TX/UTAustin/estimator</a></p>
<p>I entered information for an EFC 0 family and AFTER federal LOANS, Pell, and grants, UT would still expect you to pay $10,000, some of which could be state loans.
Texas’ “state aid” seems to start with state loans, not grants, although there’s a forgiven program.
<a href=“http://www.utsystem.edu/affordability/more/financialAid.htm”>http://www.utsystem.edu/affordability/more/financialAid.htm</a></p>
<p>@outofyourelement A close friend of mine was recently accepted to UT and she’s still trying to figure out how to pay for school. Her EFC is 0 as well and they are not being very generous with grants. 
Honestly, unless you’re expecting to get a few scholarships come August, I think you’ll have difficulties getting by without a lot of loans and/or 1-2 jobs.</p>
<p>What do you want to major in? And what do you mean you won’t be able to commute? Are you just saying you’ll need to stay on campus? If so, please factor in possible required meal plans that often are not covered by public universities.</p>
<p>It won’t be long beforeyou know. But do run the NPCs and let us know how close they are to what the actual packages are. </p>
<p>It’s not unusual for state schools to gap, especially on the sleep away options. SUNY schools do tend to meet full EFC need for tuition and fees. Not for room, board and discretionary expenses. It makes sense when a state has four year state schools within most students’ commuting distance. Now if there were an official policy that would cover living in expenses for those who are NOT anywhere near commuting distances, that woud be great. </p>
<p>The aforementioned friend just got a scholarship to pay for half of her tuition but the rest is still up in the air. A financial backup of some sort is necessary when considering Texas schools - public and private - because they are often quite stingy with money. The only <em>full-need</em> schools I can think of here are Austin College and Rice.</p>
<p>Some will give full-rides based on merit but often your scores need to be spectacular.</p>
<p>Are you instate or OOS? This matters a lot, especially for Texas public schools! UT Austin and A&M give nothing to OOS students, whereas Rice (which is private) is very generous assuming you get in!</p>
<p>BTW OP, you got accepted at the U of H! That’s great! Could you please let me know when you got your admission letter, and what were your SAT score and GPA! I’ve applied to the U of H as its my number 1 choice right now and I would appreciate if you would let me know!</p>
<p>So after further research, Texas A&M offers an Aggie Assurance Program for students who come from families that make less than $60,000. It’s basically a pledge that they will provide enough scholarships and grants to cover the full amount of tuition. That’s without one loan. Afterwards, all that are left to be covered are fees, room and board, etc. </p>
<p>The total cost of attendance for Texas A&M is $21,581</p>
<p>Tuition is $9,006.
I assume that can be covered with the full pell grant, and some sort of Texas Grant at the minimum.</p>
<p>12,575 left to be covered.</p>
<p>A&M factors around $2,349 for personal expenses and $500 for travel. Totally unnecessary IMO. Not that amount anyway. </p>
<p>If I subtract both of those only 9,726 is left to be covered.
$1,246 for Books and Supplies, and $8,450 for room and board. </p>
<p>The full Direct stafford loan is $5,500, leaving a need of only $4,226 that can be met by either a Perkins Loan, Texas B on Time loan, or another UnSub loan alternative. OR Federal work study, etc.</p>
<p>All of the figures above are assuming that a student wouldn’t recieve any scholarships or additional grant aid which is very possible with an EFC of 0. A student could additionally recieve the SEOG grant, the 5k+ Texas Grant, the Texas Public Education Grant or others. </p>
<p>I figure it’s much more attainable than UT whose tuition is not only more, but are also way less giving with the Grant money. It’s cheaper than U of H as well. </p>
<p>Being that I live in Houston, going to A&M would require that I reside somewhere in College Station. So I would have to utilize the room and board money. Rice doesn’t offer my major at all so they aren’t really an option. USC is always good but it is also far, and would require much more in traveling from Houston to California. In addition to all of the above? I personally receive disability payments totaling almost 10k a year so that’s a helpful cushion. </p>
<p>Would you guys still choose USC over TAMU? </p>
<p>Hey guys, just an update. Received my official fin aid offer from TAMU.</p>
<p>COA $22,678</p>
<p>Grants and Scholarships = $17,730
Loans = $4,948</p>
<p>No GAP! Wooooohoooo!</p>
<p>Very nice!</p>
<p>Congratulations!!! That’s actually pretty rare in Texas - they must really want you 
I’d still choose USC if it’s equally affordable (more personal experience, see another part of the country, easier to choose or switch majors, less crowded dorms) but if it’s not, TAMU is a great school academically and with that amount covered, you’ll be able to really focus on your studies and your experience.
Regardless of what happens with USC: you can"t lose. Congratulations!!!</p>