Will I lose my Money?

Paying for College
1

<p>Hi all,</p>

<p>This may seem like a dumb question, but I’m honestly lost right now with college decisions, so my mind is not properly functioning right now. =P My situation is that I got about 14k from Santa Clara University for their Ignatian Scholarship award, and also about 35k in loans. However, I think Davis is more of a school for me. If I go to Davis, and decide that I want to transfer to Santa Clara, will I lose all that money? I’m guessing that all of the 14k will be swiped away, but what about the loans?</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

2

<p>If the loans come from Santa Clara, yes, you will lose them.
$35,000 in loans is a lot of debt. The average college debt for a total of 4 years of college is about $20,000. Are you sure that you want to take out that much debt, which will narrow your options for grad school among other things. IMO it may be better to go to a community college for 2 years and then go to a 4-year university.</p>

3

<p>What about the 14k that was given to me with no intention of being paid back?</p>

4

<p>You will use your grant $ to pay for your education at Santa Clara. You will not have to pay it back if you transfer.</p>

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<p>Northstarmom, I think you might have my situation confused. I’m asking if I go to Davis for my freshman year of college, and then try to transfer to Santa Clara. Not the other way around.</p>

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<p>The $ Santa Clara is offering you is only for Santa Clara, and the offer is good only now unless you get Santa Clara’s prior approval to take a gap year – a year off in which you don’t attend any college fulltime. Santa Clara also would have to promise you that after your gap year, they’d still give you what they’re offering now. </p>

<p>If you start at Davis and then transfer, you may or may not get a decent offer from Santa Clara. Some colleges do not give good aid to transfer students. Some do.</p>

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<p>Thanks Northstarmom. You’re the greatest. =)</p>

<p>My last question is what if I do REALLY well at Davis. If I apply to transfer, wouldn’t they try to give me an offer that I couldn’t refuse?</p>

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<p>Yes, they will give you a nice offer if you got good grades. So… dont slack off, work your butt off and get fantasic grades. Good Luck !!!</p>

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<p>Evo-- It depends upon whether they have good financial aid or merit aid for transfer students. Some colleges have that. Some don’t. To cover all bases, ask Santa Clara about that now. You can do it anonymously.</p>

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<p>Thank you all for your answers.</p>