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2 years ago
Paying for College

Affording College (w/out qualifying for need-based aid)
Answered

TLDR; my parents are paying for only a small portion of college but they are upper class so I do not qualify for enough/much/any need-based aid. What do I do?

Honestly, there's not a lot more to say - my top schools cost a decent sum of money which my parents frankly will not (understandably tbh) cover - they're only willing to pay for 1/3 or less of some of these tuitions. This is totally valid on their part because I wouldn't want to spend double my annual income on my kid's college either, but the problem is they earn too much for me to qualify for need-based aid and won't pay the full tuition, leaving me unable to afford the type of education/ environment I think is a match for me.

I am definitely going to apply for as many scholarships as I can, but only ~7% of college students receive scholarships and, since I am already applying to very competitive schools, I don't see myself receiving a large enough sum to cover the remaining 2/3 of the tuition.

I don't know much about the loan process, but from what I've heard it's, like, bad... The average student spends 21 years paying off student loans, and as I plan on going to med school/grad school I am just not rocking with that if there are like any other possible options.

Really looking for someone who knows about the financial aid process - does contacting schools, if admitted, help? Is there a way to register with how much money your parents plan on contributing, rather than how much FAFSA assumes they should contribute? Any other solutions? Please?

I understand why financial aid is given to those in lower-income households and I am all for it, but, unfortunately, I cannot control how much my parents are willing to contribute to my tuition :( I will have a solid $5k in my bank account when I go off to college, which won't even get me a dorm room, so I'm pretty desperate for solutions. Any help is appreciated!

(side note: yes, going to a really cheap school is an option, but due to some really specific [private]! situations, a large part of my overall success in and after college is based on size, location, resources, community, safety, etc - many of which are features harder to find at cheap/large schools. i'd prefer to exhaust every option first.)

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1 answer

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Accepted Answer
2 years ago

While you may not receive a lot of need-based financial aid, being from a high-income household will not stop colleges from potentially giving you merit aid. Merit aid is awarded based on academic achievements, extracurriculars, diversity, and being a unique applicant. There is no way to apply for merit aid or estimate how much you will receive, since the awards are determined by admissions officers after they read your application materials.

The best way to maximize your chances of receiving merit aid is to put your best foot forward in your applications and apply to schools that are known for giving out generous merit aid packages. The top schools, e.g. Harvard, award the most aid, since they can pay for the awards through their large endowments. These other schools also give out a lot of merit aid.

Hope this helps!

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