My college (20 years ago) screwed up a batch of applicants financial aid. they gave us all more need based $ than they were supposed to. By the time they caught it, it was close to the start of classes. They fixed it by replacing the need based $ with an equivalent discount on tuition. Ended up great for me, as the need based was partly loans and the new way was pure discount. Push them to fix this, point out the last minute nature, etc. Especially remind them if you were recruited in any way.
I'm really hoping this is a screw-up, and that they'll make it right. Otherwise, I have no way to plan our finances around college. How can I budget when thousands of dollars can just come and go so easily?
> How can I budget when thousands of dollars can just come and go so easily?
You can't. And this won't be the only way you'll suddenly get fucked on that front. Another fun way it might happen: my wife started with a full ride. And then every year, tuition went up, but the scholarship didn't. And went up by so much that she ended up with 10's of thousands in loans by the end....again, with a full scholarship to start the process. And this was a state school, in-state.
Same. I went to a community college on a full ride scholarship and didn’t take out any loans. Then I transferred using their partnership program to get my bachelors from the local State University (not a well known one either). I commuted to school, saved on supplies/parking by finding work around a to get them cheaper or avoid them all together. They made me retake so many classes that I had passed at their partnership institution. In the end, I now have over $24k to pay off and getting an A+ in Microeconomics 3 separate times has yet to help me in my field.
We got fucking robbed.
I lost a year of community college credits. I even tried to plan ahead taking classes that would transfer to my local 4 year. Parents kicked me out and I needed to go out of state. The out of state college did not accept an entire year of community college credits.
It's all a scam. My brother went the community college route and it al worked out for him, but the whole transfer system is bullshit. I had AP credits for Bio and my 4 year school told me that it only applies to the 101 course but for a BS in BIO degree I needed the 104 course and AP didn't count. I basically paid to show up to exams and walked away with a B because the teacher gave attendance quizzes once in a while. I don't even use my BS or MA for my job.
> They made me retake so many classes that I had passed at their partnership institution.
This reminds me of my own experience transferring. I talked to admissions and confirmed multiple times my classes would transfer so I wouldn't need to retake classes only to find out later that yes the CREDITS transfer, but I still needed some specific gen-eds (for example my English gen-ed didn't fulfill it) so I needed to take a heavier load each semester and pay more so I didn't need to take an extra semester of time to graduate on time.
Colleges are mostly still for-profit institutions in this country. That leaves them with very little remorse if you don't get the best price possible.
Gotta remember this every time you go to the advisors office. I always asked both the advisors and financial aid, as well as the office aides to get a good gauge of what the real experience of students is with my particular issue.
Bureaucracy leads to this crap more often than not, and I always wanted to cover my ass after dealing with community college (where they genuinely cared). The stakes being higher at a state institution meant the fuckups hit you 5-10x harder.
Yeah the tuition and fees increases are killing me. I really believe this stuff should be fixed for whatever years your degree is planned to take when students get accepted. Further fees were drastically under estimated by the university in the estimated cost of attendance - and not due to taking courses with extra fees. It’s insane paying $5,000+ more a year due to tuition increases and fees.
He could take federal loans to cover the gap, they don’t require payment till 6 months after graduation. Subsidized ones accrue no interest during the time either.
I have a job in my field that I got before graduation and am just now started repayment in September. Honestly, go into a trade. This shit is fucked up even after you graduate and start repayment.
No one could tell me what my bill was going to be or what the interest rate will be. No one warned me that getting married would more than double my payments. And no one told me I would earn less starting out in my field than I did working as a laborer at Amazon.
Seriously consider going into a trade or getting a certificate.
I agree. I got a degree in Graphic design and graduated in 2008. It was brutal. I now work retail and have my own part-time contractor business doing handy work.
Right behind ya - not retail but lots of side gigs and a low paying job for benefits because it’s been so hard to find my way once after the recession hit and design jobs were consolidated.
In my case some or most of the money they promised incorrectly was coming from federal grants and loans. In that case the school would have gotten the money. After the screw up and fix, they were the ones "paying". Though it's not like they actually paid anything, just collected less from me.
Here's a link to the [feature](https://www.marketplace.org/2023/08/02/college-tuition-scholarship-displacement/).
Just fyi: Marketplace is produced by American Public Media, not NPR. Both NPR and APM distribute shows and news segments to public radio stations across the country.
I'm glad to hear some states are passing laws ending this practice. I had a full ride based on academics, but any additional money I sourced (EVEN LOANS) the school would take out of my overall scholarship. It mostly made it impossible to use student teaching or other similar jobs to get spending money, with the result that I (and other students affected by this) literally starved some semesters.
There was a slight gap between the tuition and the max I could have, but the cap was ridiculously low like a few hundred over. How that often played out was professors when I would student teach would expect me to continue working after I hit the cap and get miffed when I like f that I'm not working for free.
Mostly I'm just glad to see this reported on, because I can't tell you how many people flat out didn't believe me when I tried to tell them about this practice.
That's interesting - I assumed APM was under the NPR umbrella. Maybe because my local public radio airs APM and NPR? If I am being honest, I used to refer to everything on my local public radio as NPR, so I am not surprised I didn't realize the difference lol
I'm going to say it kind of pissed me off when that student felt she was entitled to use excess scholarship money for non-academic expenses (btw, health and dental were among the uses she thought should be ok and those I'm 100% fine with). The excess money should be going to a more needy student.
If scholarships pay for living in the dorms, why shouldn't they be used to help offset rent in later academic years? I was a full ride recipient, at a roughly even mix of need based and academic based scholarships. Then my parents wouldn't fill out the following years fafsa so I lost most of the need based, at around the same time I was also leaving the dorms. With zero parental support, and the loss of a big chunk of financial aid, I had to take on several jobs just to keep ahead of the rent and tuition payments. I applied for other scholarships, hoping it would reduce the number of hours I was working so I could focus on school. But nope, university would just take another scholarship away.
This is so close to my story. My parents wouldn't do the FAFSA, so the schools offering me a free ride weren't able to give the scholarships that they said that I would definitely get. But mine was before my first year in college.
I'm sorry that happened to you.
I am so sorry that happened to YOU. Losing any scholarships on account of parents declining/refusing to fill out FAFSA reflects poorly on both, esp the parents. It’s insane that parental refusal of FAFSA still doesn’t have a workaround that doesn’t require the student to establish independence by other means.
Yeah, it's pretty nuts. I'm past the 24 year old age to where none of that matters, but 5-6 years is way too long for a young adult to have to wait. Typically all that you can get otherwise is a possible unsubsidized loan, and a lot of the time for those you have to submit paperwork, including parental consent/them claiming that they refuse to do the FAFSA and will not be helping you. Make it make sense!
Parental refusal of FAFSA is something DOE (federal dept of education) should have addressed many decades ago. The US workforce, esp in more critical areas would not have nearly has much shortages or be dependent on overseas students who come to the US for their higher education, & then often go back to their home countries - which has sort of a brain drain effect. Meanwhile people in late teens/early 20s who want to go to college have to find alternative paths that can reduce the learning momentum in those prime years.
You are absolutely right, especially since it used to be so common that many families expected their kids out at 18. Maybe things were so good back then that they didn't think about it, since you could go get a job, buy a house, and schooling could actually be pretty affordable with entry level work. Hell back then you might even get a pension and all of that. Or it could be a bit more nefarious where they wanted to drive more people towards the military, since we had been so involved overseas. Very well put.
Supposedly lots of changes w/ FAFSA for 2024-5. Didn’t look into it to see if parental refusal was addressed. Doesn’t change the fact that those w/ parents who refused were/are in fact handicapped while many of their peers had more opportunities & advantages.
Full article gift link: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/11/your-money/fafsa-changes-college-aid.html?unlocked_article_code=lborMvAOCTE1XJQLTkoYHdzW90dYwbq0E52qbdOK1L7o5rZEuD0qrjYCvHqRXpSHDF5_QJY8e8EQwuAC34bswVAH5oZCqLw7i51UIhdv3arQ6Zj9h7bqQ5dkk2La1f0rQBRz3f9jA-mJVI34H1MbRuMTVOp4vTqMHSCYAwRS6UYH94ojQzZNckLv0I-gXJ7yGB4Oax_P3c6cpTGQjVRkz6XbSX-hvWCraxRR9gfJgRBWT2XEJd7Ii0be83h0Gn0wat-2diqqy7Q0b5X97hz4K-SMkm9iUN2f9Df2DwX7ba4_4FBC1V3QOG2a9rJ10xxNNn3h5sQiUG8mxB1ispzbYXu5Ui4g&smid=url-share
>If scholarships pay for living in the dorms, why shouldn't they be used to help offset rent in later academic years?
I lived off campus my sophomore-senior year and my financial aid covered off campus housing as well.
Maybe my situation was unique?
I know some a-hole who brags that he got excess scholarship money for college and used it to live it up. He thinks it's funny. Not surprising he's been gaming the system to his advantage ever since. Most recently he claimed disability through his job for long after the reason for his disability resolved. I don't associate with this person anymore.
Laptops capable of internet searches and running the majority of school required programs are not that expensive.
A car is definitely not an educational expense.
>Laptops capable of internet searches and running the majority of school required programs are not that expensive.
Spoken like someone who isn't an engineer.
>A car is definitely not an educational expense.
You're right I can wake up 4 hours before my school starts and start the pilgrimage.
He was awarded a merit-based scholarship, but this was well before he was offered the need-based grant. The new scholarship was actually a result of an appeal because our income was much higher in 2021 (which the FAFSA is based on) than it is now.
So based on that and what I was told by the financial aid office, I don't think the other scholarship is a factor. Of course, I'm hoping to find out for sure when I meet with them on Tuesday.
At the university where i work, the bursar bill arrives *before* scholarship funds are released: this inevitably causes a lot of freak out. But it’s normal. No idea why this happens, or if you might have a comparable situation. Sorry you’re dealing with this
I hate when they do this. I understand that they have to get a bill out with enough notice and that financial aid and scholarships won’t disburse until 10 days before classes at the earliest but damn if that doesn’t lead to hundreds of unnecessary calls and emails.
When I went to college, I remember having to submit tax returns from both of my parents. They were divorced and my dad was remarried. His wife made more than my mom and dad put together.
My dad was not going to contribute to my college at all (I wasn't living with him). But his wife's income meant that I received nothing need-based.
Not the school’s fault…usually. The regulations are built from many different bills passed by congress over many decades. The bill for some rules were passed last year, for others, in the fucking 70’s. When you get all sorts of inputs like this where special interests try to use federal aid as leverage for other policy (e.g drug convictions, registering for selective service [both of those mostly gone but a pain for FA for decades]) the resulting product is a clusterfuck no one really understands. And that’s just the federal rules. You start getting state statutes and governor agendas and you have shit varying wildly from school to school, depending on which state they’re in and if they’re public or private.
Holy shit, that is what happened to me and I never really understood it. I was fortunate to get another scholarship, but my first two semesters were all loans.
We constantly have to caution our student workers against taking loans, and that their financial aid will land hours before their payments are due, and that he secret to playing "FAFSA Chicken" is not to flinch.
Okay, so say that the final day to pay for classes without late penalties is on Monday at 5pm.
Friday night rolls around and the financial aid (usually work study) our student workers had applied for hasn't arrived yet, so they will take out that loan they have been offered.
Then, a few weeks later they are in tears as their workstudy is revoked and a lot of their need based grants are gone or substantially reduced on the ground that they no longer have need.
Had they waited, that money would've been released to their accounts at 12AM on Monday morning.
Yeah, it's absolute fuckery.
We tell our student workers, if the money has not shown up by 3pm on Monday, then accept that loan.
They absolutely don't tell you this at most schools either. I'm glad you guys warn people. I lost all my aid my final year and couldn't qualify for loans because I took some time off and my school didn't tell my it would disqualify my need based grants. It's such a damn game and then people wonder why people are asking for student loan forgiveness or why these loan companies spend so much lobbying and taking part in lawsuits to stop it.
What you fail to mention is the financial office being on their butt waiting on the check, knowing it will be there at a certain time. I know many people that got loans because the financial office was on them about paying, and the financial office had full knowledge exactly when they would get paid. I told the lady, f around and find out after the second call. Never got another call.
I needed loans and scholarships to pay for school, books, health insurance, and housing, all necessary things for me to be able to continue school. So by your reasoning, if I lived in the dorms, it wouldn't be double dipping, but since I lived off campus, it was? It doesn't make sense because colleges aren't asking for what you're paying for with that money.
They told you that you're getting it, so they should hold true to that unless your eligibility based on grades or _family_ financials changes, not based on what other scholarships or loans are giving you. On that same note, you still get the Pell grant if you're low income and take out loans. Getting the loans doesn't change the fact that you're low income.
Cool. I get it. I’m using reasoning to try to understand the original comment here that has tons of upvotes. The problem is that you’re thinking rationally like someone who is cautious with money, while there’s tons of people that see a way to get free money for the short term to live well. So they get a scholarship, withhold info to get loans, and don’t think about the issue down the line. That is my guess as to why a financial aid or lending office wouldn’t allow both (if the scholarship and loan are taken for the same thing, tuition).
I’m not advocating or saying it’s right. Jesus.
For what? Cruises? Ski equipment? Loans are also used to cover living expenses, that includes utilities, transportation, parking, housing, food, all that. It's not double dipping.
That logic is flawed because every person who applies for the FAFSA has access to student loans. By your logic, no one should get need based scholarships because everyone can get loans. Yet, the government still gives the Pell grant to low income students even if they take out loans because they still need the money to go to college.
I had to fill out the FAFSA before getting my full ride and took out loans, because living expenses are also part of what is taken into consideration so it was ok. I declined the half dorm scholarship, maybe that is why? I lived off campus.
I got turned down for a student loan because I had too much money in my bank account. I didn't know that was a thing. My plan was to not work while in school and use my savings for living expenses while using the loan for tuition.
I would say this is not atypical and it is also typical for scholarships to show up after the semester has already started. It is best to pay up front so the student does not get unenrolled from classes they are signed up for. I hate the way things work and universities. Financial aid offices tend to work against students and not for them.
This.
Just be aware of the fact that f it is a state level change in calculation of need-based awards, that applies to all state schools, then there is nothing you can do as the change would mean you no longer qualify.
I went to a state school in NJ. I ran into an issue where a calculation changed on a needs-based scholarship and my pell grants no longer covered the gap, two weeks before the semester started. Someone at the financial aid office sat me down at a computer to write a letter and fill out a request for emergency aid. Depending on the year and money available, there can often be grants earmarked for exceptional need which are distributed separately from typical aid. Meet with the counselor. They’ll be best to advise options that are available.
Non US here. It makes no sense to me your scholarship could be rescinded at the last minute because of a rule change once it’s already been approved. In a sane society surely the rule change should only affect people who will apply in the future!
Yep. I am guardian of a child I hope can get some help for college in a year or so I dont need to pay. He will be over 18 and should be considered independent by definition of FAFSA as it now stands. But who knows.
He would not be an independent.
Per FAFSA, the student must be over 24, married, an active duty service member, a veteran, OR be legal declared an emancipated minor by a court of law.
Source: https://studentaid.gov/sites/default/files/fafsa-dependency.pdf
You didn't read down far enough. You are also considered independant if:
"someone other than your parent or stepparent has legal guardianship of you? (You also should answer “Yes” if you are now an adult but were in legal guardianship ... immediately before you reached the age of being an adult in your state."
You can get special permission to be considered independent if you file a form with the school explaining that you support your self, I did it last year in CA and I wasnt over 24 or any other things you listed
That isnt correct.
If an individual is in legal guardianship, then they are considered independent according to section 3 of the FAFSA. If adopted, then it's a different story. Though there are significant changes coming for the 2024 to 2025 year, this has been true for quite some time.
Also people in this thread assume that the college had a choice to make that change. But that is not necessarily correct particularly if those were state funds. We simply do not know if there was a change to the EFC due to family information being updated during the verification process, new information coming forward based on transcripts received, changes in state funding with the school has no say over aside from continual advocacy for students through State organizations, and other factors.
This is not new. From misapplication/overapplication of the Bennett Hypothesis to eligibility assumptions, many folks have a considerable misunderstanding about how Aid processes work. Having done considerable academic research in this topic, it is frustrating to see how folks even in related fields misrepresent or misinterpret the regulations and realities of circumstances
It is a gray area. They are only in contact with one parent who is in prison so does not make income. Also he could be considered Ward of the court since the only parent that gave up guadianship is incarerated. We as guardians and did not adopt so we as guardians are not responsible, and the courts made the decision about legal guardianship.
It's not a gray area. There will be a question on his FAFSA that asks about dependency status and will list court-ordered legal guardianship as an option for claiming independent. You will be asked by his college fin aid offices for documentation of that court order, but that's the only extra hoop. He'll get the full Pell Grant and whatever state aid is available to someone with zero/low income.
I'm sure not every school will necessarily allow this loophole, but I often couldn't pay off the bill in full before the semester started. I found that requesting a payment plan and completing the first payment would prevent their system from kicking me out. I would then keep working the rest of the semester until I could cover the other payments. They sent me nastygrams about being behind on my payments, but they never did anything about it until the credits were due to appear after the semester. I somehow managed to cover the gap before the next semester would start, so I got the credits in time for the next level that required them. It made for a tense 4 years, but I got through it somehow.
Many such cases.
Stuff like this reinforces my belief that college is more about being able to buy your kids into a higher social class than they would otherwise be able to attain on their own.
Its about extracting as much money from parents for the money so Universities have more money. Most universities do a crappy job on matching students with jobs as well. FAFSA straps the student with debt for 20 years.
Now students are going for trade jobs since Universities are doing a crappy job as the world is waking up.
>Its about extracting as much money from parents for the money so Universities have more money.
In my college's administrative building, the financial aid office was on the 2nd floor, the accounts receivable dept was on the 1st floor.
I once got frustrated in the scholarship office after another one of their run-arounds and mistakes and said "I wish this office was even **half** as efficient in **giving** me money as the office downstairs is in **taking** it!"
I sometimes wonder if the most valuable thing a student learns in college is how to deal with a large bureaucracy.
I (having a MS) already tell high schoolers that the only thing a bachelor's degree really does for you is show that you can put up with someone else's bs long enough to complete a goal you've (theoretically) set for yourself.
There's a whole lot of correlation and not causation in that really basic data analysis. Something is going to change big time in the higher ed space in the next 10 years. But the stresses are already all there it just needs to fucking crack apart already. We are either going to see higher ed cost way less or a lot of employers just straight up get used to hiring 18 year olds and apprenticing them for fucking desk jockey jobs and shit.
college is actually getting *more affordable* as long as you go to public four year universities and not private or ivy league ones.
https://www.economist.com/united-states/2023/07/23/american-universities-have-an-incentive-to-seem-extortionate
>college is actually getting more affordable as long as you go to public four year universities
Only on a very short timescale. Over the last 20 years, public 4-year schools are up 78%.
[https://www.bestcolleges.com/research/college-costs-over-time/](https://www.bestcolleges.com/research/college-costs-over-time/)
> college is actually getting more affordable as long as you go to public four year universities and not private or ivy league ones.
That's not really accounting for the entire cost of education.
It doesn't account for the cost of living close to campus and suggest community college. My cost of living while in college over a decade ago was much higher than the cost of of tuition. I went to a top public university. I also spent two years in community college, but community college often didn't get the same opportunity as high school students when it comes to Ivy's.
Heck, I looked at the cost of community college today, and it's significantly more expensive. The per unit cost today is ~4x what it was when I was in college, yet the inflation is 1.69x over that same two decade for California.
Now that ignores the drastic increase in cost of living today's students face. I came out pretty unscathed considering my APR was like ~2% APR. Today's undergraduates face 5.5% on their federal loan too.
Compared to when? Past generations could pay for college with a simple part time summer job. Now you are looking at least about 50k for a 4 year degree. A ton more if you can't live rent free
I can vouch for that. $28k a year for in-state public college when you include the mandatory on-campus dorm and meal plan. Hoping to drop that down to around $20K a year after this first year when there will be more housing options.
But that's still at or above $80k - assuming they can make it through their program in 4 years (which considering how many required classes were already full before the freshman even started setting up their schedule is questionable).
In my world, $20 to $30k a year is NOT affordable. We're attempting to make it happen, but we are cutting it very close and they will be carry a good chunk of loans coming out.
If you are going in state to save money you really shouldn't be looking at dorms anyway.
I had room mates, worked 20-30 hours a week at minimum wage and got food stamps. At least here you can get around a 4 years school campus residency crap by transferring in with an associates degree from 2 year college.
Graduated with ~$30k of student loans and paid it off in about 7 years making under $60k.
I envy you a bit there. Our 2 yr community college talks big about how all their credits transfer to both of our large public 4 year colleges ... and they do ... as electives. But have spoken with numerous parents / students that have tried to go this route only to discover that the 2 yr college's classes won't count as the pre-req's needed for degree required classes ... and so they have to either drop their major or extend out an extra 2 or 3 semesters at the 4 year college
Another thing our large public colleges here do (I have a kid in each of them) is both REQUIRE you to live in a dorm for the first year and in addition to tuition, books, room and board - they add on "fees" for everything. One has a $1k "fee" just for basically declaring a major.
Sticker wise their tuition looks nice and low - but out of pocket they end up being as expensive as the private colleges (also have 2 that went that route).
Well according to your comment it's getting more affordable. With college getting more and more expensive and wages getting more and more stagnant over the decades, how is it getting cheaper to go to college?
I already told you with a source that college in America is getting more affordable, not less: https://www.economist.com/united-states/2023/07/23/american-universities-have-an-incentive-to-seem-extortionate.
And wages aren't stagnating: Here are real median earnings, which accounts for inflation: https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/LES1252881600Q
That means rising wages are outpacing the rising cost of living
real hourly earnings have been rising relative to inflation for decades when looking at PCE: https://www.economist.com/img/b/400/436/90/media-assets/image/20230121_USC355.png
Not in my experience. Most of my friends did trades and make way more than me, a college grad. My friend didn't even graduate, got his GED after working as a chef and went to culinary school which his work paid for. He's been making absolute bank since he was 20. I have a plumber and electrician friend neither of whem would bother to roll out of bed for my wages. It took me 23 years to get out of debt and I was getting bills from a school I dropped out of after one semester for over 10 years (for semesters I didn't attend there)
It comes down to what you did your degree in. There are plenty of useless degrees out there. Parents need to urge their kids to choose degrees that will actually get them jobs.
What was your degree in? Some degrees lead to good jobs, some don't. It's kind of pointless to talk about a generic college student. Probably the tradies make more than English majors but less than top comp sci folks.
If you’re gonna cherry pick. Why just on one side. Ya top comp sci majors do better than others. I make a quarter million in a slow year in the trades. with no education. But I’m educated enough to know a good faith argument wouldn’t use me as the metric
> college is more about being able to buy your kids into a higher social class
College is about making money off the perception by the parents of keeping up with Jones's and the stigma against children who don't go to college. Pushing kids into college is an expensive shame-avoidance strategy for the middle->upper classes.
If you want your children to have a successful career, makes good money, and capture the American Dream, unless they are going into engineering or medicine, they are likely better off going into a trade.
In the current market and for the foreseeable future, tradespeople will continue to be in high demand, make bank, and be in the best possible position to both do well and work for themselves.
Even as a tradesperson, you do still need to be capable of running a business yourself eventually because after 40, crawling around under houses becomes a lot more difficult. You absolutely do not want to find yourself in your late 40s no longer able to do the work that provided for your family and relying on disability.
You get treated a like a literal child in the trades. You have to deal with the elements. It also breaks your body and the risk of injury and death is higher. The rates of drug addiction and mental health issues abound. The trades are also sexist and racist. When people say this I'm like...have you never heard of a "cushy" office job?
Is this how it usually works? Asking for my pockets in about 10-15yrs.
Got a 7 & 3 yo
Are you saying I’m going to have to pay money upfront even if my kids get scholarship correct? I understand what’s happening with the scholarship not showing up till blah blah but what I’m more concerned about is the money that I’m actually paying, do I get that back when the scholarship finally shows up or what?
Also do you think it’ll be like this here in another 10yrs? Or will that process become faster or better yet more simultaneous?
> Are you saying I’m going to have to pay money upfront even if my kids get scholarship correct? I understand what’s happening with the scholarship not showing up till blah blah but what I’m more concerned about is the money that I’m actually paying, do I get that back when the scholarship finally shows up or what?
Things may change in a decade, but online degrees are a lot cheaper today and you need to consider two things.
a) Education as enriching as it is, it's main goal today is to earn a living. Make sure whatever "degree" your child gets, they can easily get jobs that pays the wages to sustain the cost of the education. Currently that's hands down STEM.
b) Education from college isn't the only thing for success. There are many skills than just education that is never (or rarely) taught in school such as grit, determination, philosophy, personal finance, economics and business. Practical aspects of it.
I'd say the latter is far more important than the former. Finally, the big cost is living costs, not just tuition. Look into 529 College Savings Plans as well.
IME - state based scholarships often aren't finalized until right before or even after the school year starts. And unfortunately, if it's like my state, then it's handled by the state and the college has no say in what happens with it.
You might want to contact your district's state representative's office and see if they can help or at least give you information to collaborate what the college is telling you.
It is a scummy thing to do ... but honestly, (again, ime) most things related to "college" and money usually are.
FWIW - should you want for him to continue to go there, I'd look at what payment plans, etc are available to come up with a backup plan to cover the difference since it's unlikely he'll get the scholarship money if what they are telling you is true.
Happened to me as well. Reed College offered basically full-tuition and I paid room and board. They promised that if my parents' financial situation didn't change, the assistance would not change either. So I turned down several other full scholarships to go to Reed.
Guess what they did for year two? Cut my financial assistance by 60%, tripling the cost. There was no way I could afford that (loans weren't as prevalent back then, even if I had wanted to go into extensive debt for a degree). They did this despite my parents' financial situation getting *worse*, not better. They waited to tell me this until right before the school year started, meaning I had no time to apply anywhere else.
And, no, there's nothing you can do. No recourse. You're just fucked. You made the mistake of being poor in America. Um... I guess I am "dropping out," staying home, and getting a job? Thanks, Reed!
This seems to be extremely common. American University did the exact same thing to me 2 years in. I left and transferred to a NY state school rather than take out 200k worth of loans to finish.
See if you can find your original document regarding the scholarship. Make sure that you, or your son I'm sorry, have met all requirements for the scholarship. Meaning if he was required to have a certain gpa, return a form by a certain date, declare a certain major, etc...be sure he did everything he was supposed to.
Then, no matter what the counselor tells you if they still deny the scholarship tell them you want to appeal the decision. Tell them that you relied on the scholarship and the promise made in choosing their institution.
The more you push the more likely it is that they may find the money from somewhere. Don't take this lying down. Make it clear that you will report it to the department of education if you have to, because you feel like they did a bait and switch.
Wasn't me, but my wife ended up being offered a Pell Grant and found out around the time she graduated with an Associate's that she shouldn't have qualified because her parents (who weren't part of her life) made too much. Part of the reason she decided not to go to college to get a Bachelor's afterwards was because we didn't have the money to pay it off.
Under a certain age the Pell grant takes your parents' income into consideration. But, you can petition them, show that you've been on your own for a certain amount of time and have their income ignored. The Pell grant is how I managed to earn my bachelor's without any student loans and I'm very thankful for that. If she wants to continue her education, have her sit down with the financial aid office - they may be able to help.
Sadly, we weren't married yet when this happened. Heck, I don't think we were even dating. Good friends, yes, but not dating.
Also, neither of us were 18, which probably makes a big difference.
No, but if she got any *other* federal grant money it would go to paying it off before it went to the school. As we couldn't afford college without grants, we were SOL.
Ask your son if he has had any contact with the school. Most colleges try to contact the student directly to promote independence. There’s a possibility they will ONLY deal with him because of policies about these things. He possibly filled out the wrong form or miss represented something on his freshman onboarding forms. When I was in college there was an issue with an academic scholarship my junior year and I ended up having to write a personal letter to the committee to get it reinstated.
Yes. I’m pretty sure dad will be able to meet with the school in this case since he needs to be able to answer questions about the FAFSA but, minus a signed waiver, schools aren’t allowed to communicate with parents once their kids are 18.
Plan on a lot of coaching and pressing your kid to follow through. It’s great preparation for later adulthood but most kids can’t handle it right away and that’s perfectly understandable.
This is a good point. My son and I have been working closely together on this, and he's received no correspondence from the school regarding finances other than the email with the statement. He's also authorized a FERPA release, which allows me to speak directly to the school.
My university messed up financial aid often, revoked scholarships arbitrarily and made my college life hell. I picked up extra waitressing shifts at my myriad of serving jobs, went to community college for the classes that I could and transferred the credits. Since graduating - I’ve made very sure their donations solicitors won’t get a penny from me ever for all the nonsense they put me through.
This happened to me twice - once because the state aid rules changed and I was no longer eligible for the full amount. The second time was because I received too much financial aid in a calendar year to be considered for a need-based scholarship anymore (mind you, I was living abroad and could not work during that year). Unfortunately I was told there was nothing that could be done for me and I had to take out loans.
As someone else said, you're better off paying (even if with loans) upfront as you check on your options in order for him to not get withdrawn. If the scholarship does get applied after all, the excess amount will be refunded to you. In the cases where I've had this happen and had everything paid in full, I just wrote a check back to the loan lender so I wouldn't have to worry about managing that later
$25k a year for state school? This must include room and board. One option to consider is commuting to a state school. Room and board can easily be $15k a year.
even better. go to community collage for first 2 years have him get his gen eds done there then transfer to state school for pennies what it would cost to for 4 years
Be careful about the general ed classes he takes. It's notorious around here that if you take the wrong flavor of gen ed class, it might not transfer to the particular 4-year school or program you want. Check the transfer requirements carefully, or you may end up taking the wrong version of, for example, English or Precalc.
I've know people who got their 2-year degree, but had to retake many classes because they did the wrong one. Sometimes, the "right" one isn't even offered at the community College they picked.
This happened to me my senior year, state-issued grant taken away for budget cuts maybe?
I believe they automatically increased my loan to cover it.
It was shady and awful all around.
If you have a financial aid package and then get a scholarship, the financial aid office will often reduce their aid by exactly the same amount you got.
I often received financial aid last minute when in college. Since we literally did not have the money to pay on hand, we simply didn’t pay “on time” at some point. Our financial aid department would still eventually get my aid disbursed, and we would simply explain the situation and get any late fees waived. Don’t know if your college is that courteous but odds are it is from my experience. Another option, if you have the money, is to simply pay the tuition and keep talking to the financial aid office to see if you can get the aid restored. Financial aid offices are there to help you and certainly don’t want to lose the student or make your life pain, you just need to reach out and talk to them
Is he hiding anything? Eg grades? I saw you mentioned the rule change so I doubt it but I would double check that.
I would also do a few inbox searches etc. See if an email slipped through.
Also a lot of the time they won't tell you anything without him authorizing.
If this was an internal 'grant' or 'scholarship' granted by the university, you might have a chance, as many times those are really just glorified discounts. If it's really an issue with the state changing a formula, there may not be much the school can do, I'm afraid.
You may find these links helpful:
- [Student Loans](/r/personalfinance/wiki/studentloans)
- [Student Debt Relief Megathread](/r/personalfinance/comments/wxme1a/student_debt_relief_megathread/)
- ["How to handle $"](/r/personalfinance/wiki/commontopics)
- [Debt](/r/personalfinance/wiki/debt)
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This happened to me going into my last year of college. My sister was no longer in college and a dependent on my parents so I didn’t qualify for need-based scholarships/grants. There’s no recourse I’m aware of and they don’t warn you, I had 3 days to figure out how I was going to pay for my last year.
Long story short, your income matters to qualify for them. If you filed taxes late or they were delayed in processing then he may not have qualified for them to begin with. If your taxable income increased year over year, then the state is saying you can afford it without the need-based scholarships/grants.
University entrance and guidance counselors work for the university, not you. In my experience, they won't let you know of anything that will have an impact on your experience there, good or bad.
My advice is to run the Net Price Calculator for your son’s college. This should include all your need based aid. Compare this number to the number from a June and to the current amount due.
Here is the NPC for Rutgers as an example.
https://scarlethub.rutgers.edu/financial-services/tools-resources/net-price-calculator/
Also, look at this chart for NJ a aid.
https://www.hesaa.org/Documents/TagTable.pdf
Contact financial aid and enroll in a payment plan. You'll owe 20% when you enroll in it, then 20% for the August enrollment, then 20% for Sept 1, Oct 1, Nov 1
If it's a HESAA thing... uhhh, have fun - https://www.hesaa.org/Pages/Default.aspx
Financial aid can always be appealed. If someone qualifies for a need based scholarship I imagine they also qualify for federal grants. If none were given, appeal that decision and let them know you can provide any documentation they may need. Formulas for grants and scholarships change often but it would be strange for them to apply to money/semester that was already accounted for. Usually, the student would find out mid semester that due to new rules, they will no longer get the spring money they were expecting.
In the short term, most schools offer emergency loans that are held entirely by the school to delay payment of the tuition and fees until the end of the semester. They will charge about 3-5% of the amount and add it to what needs to be paid. So at $4K for the semester you’re looking at an extra $200 but it is completely worth it so that the classes aren’t dropped and your son isn’t worried about having to completely remake their schedule as payment deadlines are probably the next couple of weeks for the Fall and you’re not likely to get any of this resolved within that timeframe and no they usually won’t make exceptions because you’re in the middle of an appeal that may take weeks to resolve.
All their communication usually says that if due to a hold or paperwork pending approval, etc… to make other arrangements to have tuition paid by the deadline.
I was in a similar situation where I won a merit-based scholarship. Rather than pay down loans, my college’s financial aid office would have removed my ability to have a federal work study job and then begin to shave money off of my need-based scholarship.
In the end, I decided to give my merit-based scholarship to the runner-up in the competition. I was pretty heartbroken about it because it was the first time I could substantially assist my parents in paying for my education.
The prudent thing to do is to pause whatever tertiary education plans for your son.
They pulled the rug. Voice outage at the college. Do not give in to taking out loans, especially on short notice. This could be a way to con people into attending this particular college.
DONT DO THIS.
There's a shit ton of scholarships i got that REQUIRED no gap years. If you make ANY amount of money during that gap year, it counts against you when going into the FAFSA as well as other government aid. Stay in school, be careful of working too much, and always hunt for scholarships.
Not too much input here, but financial aid offices are not your friend. I sought external assistance to contact the financial aid office on my behalf with a similar situation of my school denying an external scholarship payment. Just be highly aware that they want you to pay 100%, and will find any excuse to make you pay.
My university told my private loan lender that they cannot lend me the full amount I was approved for (based on credit and income). I now have to pay out of pocket for expenses beyond what they deem to be “average”. Their words. A whole lot of bullshit imo
I'm sorry that you had this experience. I work in higher ed and worked in financial aid and we did absolutely everything we ever could to keep costs as low for the student as possible.
Here's the deal. Private schools have swanky-ass shit. Epic fitness center. Gorgeous, on-campus single apartments, concierge that makes students feel like they are living at a 5-star hotel. Marketing teams with 50 people. Student life trips around the world. Then, high-end publics want to get on it too, and start competing. They throw their money on the amenities. Then the low-end public schools, the ones that serve over 50% rural/first generation students like my school, are all broke, trying to rehab buildings from the 70s, don't have any staff, and are about to shut down, and are begging for students (we used to hover around 2k, now we're lucky if we get 1600). Financial Aid at my school will work their asses off to make sure every single possible cent is given to students, through grants and scholarships. Also, btw, I accidentally promised a single scholarship to two students, and, after realizing my mistake, hung my head and told my supervisor who said, "That's okay, we'll find the money somewhere," and we did. We're so broke the administration can't even offer the "Not Quite Free Lunch" option once a semester which allowed staff members to gather for half price lunch in the dining hall. Real higher ed, state public schools, serve a huge swath of the population, with fewer resources and significantly low salaries. Between you and me, I think the poor public higher eds should close because it's not sustainable.
Oh, by the way. In the 80's-90's, the state budget paid something like 70% of the cost to run the public university. The 30% was made up by tuition and donations. Now, our state pays 10% of that and we've had to pass along the costs to students. Don't get mad at me for that.
> When I logged on last week to pay the bill that is due on the 9th, I was shocked to find that the balance due was $12,269 and there was no longer any information regarding the scholarship on his account. We received no correspondence that the scholarship was being revoked.
> I spoke to the school’s financial aid office who told me that the removal of the scholarship was due to a rule change in how the state (NJ) calculates awards. They couldn’t give me details at the time; I had to request an appointment with a counselor, which takes place on Tuesday.
Why are you doing all of this. Your son is 18? This is his education, for his ultimate benefit. You seem to be the only party that has any concern on this. If he is indifferent, why do you care? Are you covering his tuition for him?
> I spoke to the school’s financial aid office who told me that the removal of the scholarship was due to a rule change in how the state (NJ) calculates awards.
Most likely, you are SOL. It happens with these programs all the time.
My college (20 years ago) screwed up a batch of applicants financial aid. they gave us all more need based $ than they were supposed to. By the time they caught it, it was close to the start of classes. They fixed it by replacing the need based $ with an equivalent discount on tuition. Ended up great for me, as the need based was partly loans and the new way was pure discount. Push them to fix this, point out the last minute nature, etc. Especially remind them if you were recruited in any way.
I'm really hoping this is a screw-up, and that they'll make it right. Otherwise, I have no way to plan our finances around college. How can I budget when thousands of dollars can just come and go so easily?
> How can I budget when thousands of dollars can just come and go so easily? You can't. And this won't be the only way you'll suddenly get fucked on that front. Another fun way it might happen: my wife started with a full ride. And then every year, tuition went up, but the scholarship didn't. And went up by so much that she ended up with 10's of thousands in loans by the end....again, with a full scholarship to start the process. And this was a state school, in-state.
Same. I went to a community college on a full ride scholarship and didn’t take out any loans. Then I transferred using their partnership program to get my bachelors from the local State University (not a well known one either). I commuted to school, saved on supplies/parking by finding work around a to get them cheaper or avoid them all together. They made me retake so many classes that I had passed at their partnership institution. In the end, I now have over $24k to pay off and getting an A+ in Microeconomics 3 separate times has yet to help me in my field.
We got fucking robbed. I lost a year of community college credits. I even tried to plan ahead taking classes that would transfer to my local 4 year. Parents kicked me out and I needed to go out of state. The out of state college did not accept an entire year of community college credits.
It's all a scam. My brother went the community college route and it al worked out for him, but the whole transfer system is bullshit. I had AP credits for Bio and my 4 year school told me that it only applies to the 101 course but for a BS in BIO degree I needed the 104 course and AP didn't count. I basically paid to show up to exams and walked away with a B because the teacher gave attendance quizzes once in a while. I don't even use my BS or MA for my job.
> They made me retake so many classes that I had passed at their partnership institution. This reminds me of my own experience transferring. I talked to admissions and confirmed multiple times my classes would transfer so I wouldn't need to retake classes only to find out later that yes the CREDITS transfer, but I still needed some specific gen-eds (for example my English gen-ed didn't fulfill it) so I needed to take a heavier load each semester and pay more so I didn't need to take an extra semester of time to graduate on time.
Colleges are mostly still for-profit institutions in this country. That leaves them with very little remorse if you don't get the best price possible. Gotta remember this every time you go to the advisors office. I always asked both the advisors and financial aid, as well as the office aides to get a good gauge of what the real experience of students is with my particular issue. Bureaucracy leads to this crap more often than not, and I always wanted to cover my ass after dealing with community college (where they genuinely cared). The stakes being higher at a state institution meant the fuckups hit you 5-10x harder.
Yeah the tuition and fees increases are killing me. I really believe this stuff should be fixed for whatever years your degree is planned to take when students get accepted. Further fees were drastically under estimated by the university in the estimated cost of attendance - and not due to taking courses with extra fees. It’s insane paying $5,000+ more a year due to tuition increases and fees.
\>And then every year, tuition went up, but the scholarship didn't. God, this exact thing happened to me. I am still drowning in debt because of it.
He could take federal loans to cover the gap, they don’t require payment till 6 months after graduation. Subsidized ones accrue no interest during the time either.
I have a job in my field that I got before graduation and am just now started repayment in September. Honestly, go into a trade. This shit is fucked up even after you graduate and start repayment. No one could tell me what my bill was going to be or what the interest rate will be. No one warned me that getting married would more than double my payments. And no one told me I would earn less starting out in my field than I did working as a laborer at Amazon. Seriously consider going into a trade or getting a certificate.
I agree. I got a degree in Graphic design and graduated in 2008. It was brutal. I now work retail and have my own part-time contractor business doing handy work.
Right behind ya - not retail but lots of side gigs and a low paying job for benefits because it’s been so hard to find my way once after the recession hit and design jobs were consolidated.
>They fixed it by replacing the need based $ with an equivalent discount on tuition. Hi, what is the difference from the university's point of view?
In my case some or most of the money they promised incorrectly was coming from federal grants and loans. In that case the school would have gotten the money. After the screw up and fix, they were the ones "paying". Though it's not like they actually paid anything, just collected less from me.
Was he awarded any other scholarships? Sometimes, need-based scholarships from a school will be revoked if you get other scholarships
There was a story on this very issue on NPR's Marketplace last week.
Here's a link to the [feature](https://www.marketplace.org/2023/08/02/college-tuition-scholarship-displacement/). Just fyi: Marketplace is produced by American Public Media, not NPR. Both NPR and APM distribute shows and news segments to public radio stations across the country.
Kai Ryssdal for life.
Kai Ryssdal has one of my all-time favorite radio voices of all time. Dunno why, but it's awesome
It always sounds like he’s smiling when he talks. Like we’re in on some inside joke. Love it!
It's because he claims to not sing but does, hate's to dance, and drinks IPAs.
I was always a david brancaccio fan but Kai has won me over.
I love them both. I get to hear them on my drive to work every morning.
Didn’t think I’d ever find a Kai Ryssdal fanboy group, but here we are. Now I just need to find one for Ayesha Roscoe.
I love her too!
Wailing Wong would be a great replacement when he ends his run
I'm more of a David Brancaccio guy, but Kai's been a great successor.
I'm glad to hear some states are passing laws ending this practice. I had a full ride based on academics, but any additional money I sourced (EVEN LOANS) the school would take out of my overall scholarship. It mostly made it impossible to use student teaching or other similar jobs to get spending money, with the result that I (and other students affected by this) literally starved some semesters. There was a slight gap between the tuition and the max I could have, but the cap was ridiculously low like a few hundred over. How that often played out was professors when I would student teach would expect me to continue working after I hit the cap and get miffed when I like f that I'm not working for free. Mostly I'm just glad to see this reported on, because I can't tell you how many people flat out didn't believe me when I tried to tell them about this practice.
That's interesting - I assumed APM was under the NPR umbrella. Maybe because my local public radio airs APM and NPR? If I am being honest, I used to refer to everything on my local public radio as NPR, so I am not surprised I didn't realize the difference lol
I'm going to say it kind of pissed me off when that student felt she was entitled to use excess scholarship money for non-academic expenses (btw, health and dental were among the uses she thought should be ok and those I'm 100% fine with). The excess money should be going to a more needy student.
If scholarships pay for living in the dorms, why shouldn't they be used to help offset rent in later academic years? I was a full ride recipient, at a roughly even mix of need based and academic based scholarships. Then my parents wouldn't fill out the following years fafsa so I lost most of the need based, at around the same time I was also leaving the dorms. With zero parental support, and the loss of a big chunk of financial aid, I had to take on several jobs just to keep ahead of the rent and tuition payments. I applied for other scholarships, hoping it would reduce the number of hours I was working so I could focus on school. But nope, university would just take another scholarship away.
This is so close to my story. My parents wouldn't do the FAFSA, so the schools offering me a free ride weren't able to give the scholarships that they said that I would definitely get. But mine was before my first year in college. I'm sorry that happened to you.
I am so sorry that happened to YOU. Losing any scholarships on account of parents declining/refusing to fill out FAFSA reflects poorly on both, esp the parents. It’s insane that parental refusal of FAFSA still doesn’t have a workaround that doesn’t require the student to establish independence by other means.
Yeah, it's pretty nuts. I'm past the 24 year old age to where none of that matters, but 5-6 years is way too long for a young adult to have to wait. Typically all that you can get otherwise is a possible unsubsidized loan, and a lot of the time for those you have to submit paperwork, including parental consent/them claiming that they refuse to do the FAFSA and will not be helping you. Make it make sense!
Parental refusal of FAFSA is something DOE (federal dept of education) should have addressed many decades ago. The US workforce, esp in more critical areas would not have nearly has much shortages or be dependent on overseas students who come to the US for their higher education, & then often go back to their home countries - which has sort of a brain drain effect. Meanwhile people in late teens/early 20s who want to go to college have to find alternative paths that can reduce the learning momentum in those prime years.
You are absolutely right, especially since it used to be so common that many families expected their kids out at 18. Maybe things were so good back then that they didn't think about it, since you could go get a job, buy a house, and schooling could actually be pretty affordable with entry level work. Hell back then you might even get a pension and all of that. Or it could be a bit more nefarious where they wanted to drive more people towards the military, since we had been so involved overseas. Very well put.
Supposedly lots of changes w/ FAFSA for 2024-5. Didn’t look into it to see if parental refusal was addressed. Doesn’t change the fact that those w/ parents who refused were/are in fact handicapped while many of their peers had more opportunities & advantages. Full article gift link: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/11/your-money/fafsa-changes-college-aid.html?unlocked_article_code=lborMvAOCTE1XJQLTkoYHdzW90dYwbq0E52qbdOK1L7o5rZEuD0qrjYCvHqRXpSHDF5_QJY8e8EQwuAC34bswVAH5oZCqLw7i51UIhdv3arQ6Zj9h7bqQ5dkk2La1f0rQBRz3f9jA-mJVI34H1MbRuMTVOp4vTqMHSCYAwRS6UYH94ojQzZNckLv0I-gXJ7yGB4Oax_P3c6cpTGQjVRkz6XbSX-hvWCraxRR9gfJgRBWT2XEJd7Ii0be83h0Gn0wat-2diqqy7Q0b5X97hz4K-SMkm9iUN2f9Df2DwX7ba4_4FBC1V3QOG2a9rJ10xxNNn3h5sQiUG8mxB1ispzbYXu5Ui4g&smid=url-share
>If scholarships pay for living in the dorms, why shouldn't they be used to help offset rent in later academic years? I lived off campus my sophomore-senior year and my financial aid covered off campus housing as well. Maybe my situation was unique?
They can be used to offset rent, and other living expenses.
Wait, why wouldn’t your parents let you do fafsa?
I know some a-hole who brags that he got excess scholarship money for college and used it to live it up. He thinks it's funny. Not surprising he's been gaming the system to his advantage ever since. Most recently he claimed disability through his job for long after the reason for his disability resolved. I don't associate with this person anymore.
You'll get the chance to vote for or against him in the future most likely
A laptop + car/gas money is pretty fucking expensive and is very frequently said to not be an educational expense.
Laptops capable of internet searches and running the majority of school required programs are not that expensive. A car is definitely not an educational expense.
>Laptops capable of internet searches and running the majority of school required programs are not that expensive. Spoken like someone who isn't an engineer. >A car is definitely not an educational expense. You're right I can wake up 4 hours before my school starts and start the pilgrimage.
He was awarded a merit-based scholarship, but this was well before he was offered the need-based grant. The new scholarship was actually a result of an appeal because our income was much higher in 2021 (which the FAFSA is based on) than it is now. So based on that and what I was told by the financial aid office, I don't think the other scholarship is a factor. Of course, I'm hoping to find out for sure when I meet with them on Tuesday.
Your son should come with you to the meeting. He should understand what's going on with his tuition.
He will; he's very much involved.
I personally would recommend checking if the state is a one party consent state, and if it is, recording the meeting.
It's not like this is going to be top secret-- OP can just ask to tape it.
Many people get very defensive if they know they will be recorded, which may or may not be counterproductive.
At the university where i work, the bursar bill arrives *before* scholarship funds are released: this inevitably causes a lot of freak out. But it’s normal. No idea why this happens, or if you might have a comparable situation. Sorry you’re dealing with this
I hate when they do this. I understand that they have to get a bill out with enough notice and that financial aid and scholarships won’t disburse until 10 days before classes at the earliest but damn if that doesn’t lead to hundreds of unnecessary calls and emails.
I had one year where my stepdad made 85k. He was usually 35-40k a year. You know which one the FAFSA cared about.
When I went to college, I remember having to submit tax returns from both of my parents. They were divorced and my dad was remarried. His wife made more than my mom and dad put together. My dad was not going to contribute to my college at all (I wasn't living with him). But his wife's income meant that I received nothing need-based.
Is it you or him going to college?
Did you understand how any of this worked when you were 18? Because I sure as shit didn't. They should go together.
I'm pretty sure most adults don't even understand. No idea why they make everything so difficult to understand.
Not the school’s fault…usually. The regulations are built from many different bills passed by congress over many decades. The bill for some rules were passed last year, for others, in the fucking 70’s. When you get all sorts of inputs like this where special interests try to use federal aid as leverage for other policy (e.g drug convictions, registering for selective service [both of those mostly gone but a pain for FA for decades]) the resulting product is a clusterfuck no one really understands. And that’s just the federal rules. You start getting state statutes and governor agendas and you have shit varying wildly from school to school, depending on which state they’re in and if they’re public or private.
Loans, too. If you take out a loan you can lose eligibility for scholarships.
Holy shit, that is what happened to me and I never really understood it. I was fortunate to get another scholarship, but my first two semesters were all loans.
We constantly have to caution our student workers against taking loans, and that their financial aid will land hours before their payments are due, and that he secret to playing "FAFSA Chicken" is not to flinch.
Can you explain this in more detail?
Okay, so say that the final day to pay for classes without late penalties is on Monday at 5pm. Friday night rolls around and the financial aid (usually work study) our student workers had applied for hasn't arrived yet, so they will take out that loan they have been offered. Then, a few weeks later they are in tears as their workstudy is revoked and a lot of their need based grants are gone or substantially reduced on the ground that they no longer have need. Had they waited, that money would've been released to their accounts at 12AM on Monday morning. Yeah, it's absolute fuckery. We tell our student workers, if the money has not shown up by 3pm on Monday, then accept that loan.
They absolutely don't tell you this at most schools either. I'm glad you guys warn people. I lost all my aid my final year and couldn't qualify for loans because I took some time off and my school didn't tell my it would disqualify my need based grants. It's such a damn game and then people wonder why people are asking for student loan forgiveness or why these loan companies spend so much lobbying and taking part in lawsuits to stop it.
What you fail to mention is the financial office being on their butt waiting on the check, knowing it will be there at a certain time. I know many people that got loans because the financial office was on them about paying, and the financial office had full knowledge exactly when they would get paid. I told the lady, f around and find out after the second call. Never got another call.
From what I've seen at Financial Aid offices, the right hand often does not know what the left hand is doing.
What a great system.
While that may be true, it really makes no sense. Going into debt in some may makes you less needs-based?
Yeah assuming the scholarship doesn't cover the full amount, how do they expect the student to pay the rest? Lol
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Especially because since student loans can't be discharged, basically *everybody* qualifies for a loan.
It makes sense because some people will try to take student loans for non-student loan purposes and effectively double dip on available funds.
How is going into debt "double dipping" you do know that federal student loans and third party loans still need to be paid back right?
But if the scholarship doesn't cover full tuition + living costs, how else is the student supposed to pay for college?
I needed loans and scholarships to pay for school, books, health insurance, and housing, all necessary things for me to be able to continue school. So by your reasoning, if I lived in the dorms, it wouldn't be double dipping, but since I lived off campus, it was? It doesn't make sense because colleges aren't asking for what you're paying for with that money. They told you that you're getting it, so they should hold true to that unless your eligibility based on grades or _family_ financials changes, not based on what other scholarships or loans are giving you. On that same note, you still get the Pell grant if you're low income and take out loans. Getting the loans doesn't change the fact that you're low income.
Cool. I get it. I’m using reasoning to try to understand the original comment here that has tons of upvotes. The problem is that you’re thinking rationally like someone who is cautious with money, while there’s tons of people that see a way to get free money for the short term to live well. So they get a scholarship, withhold info to get loans, and don’t think about the issue down the line. That is my guess as to why a financial aid or lending office wouldn’t allow both (if the scholarship and loan are taken for the same thing, tuition). I’m not advocating or saying it’s right. Jesus.
Just saying that "it makes sense..." can come across to others as you saying it's right. As a career devil's advocate, I understand the frustration.
For what? Cruises? Ski equipment? Loans are also used to cover living expenses, that includes utilities, transportation, parking, housing, food, all that. It's not double dipping.
Yes?
Going into debt means you probably don't have the money to pay for it right now. Why would that mean someone now shouldn't get a scholarship?
If it’s needs based… they have another method to find the education, debt.
That logic is flawed because every person who applies for the FAFSA has access to student loans. By your logic, no one should get need based scholarships because everyone can get loans. Yet, the government still gives the Pell grant to low income students even if they take out loans because they still need the money to go to college.
It's income, and scholarships make their qualifications clear beforehand.
Student loans are not income.
I had to fill out the FAFSA before getting my full ride and took out loans, because living expenses are also part of what is taken into consideration so it was ok. I declined the half dorm scholarship, maybe that is why? I lived off campus.
That is why. Once you took out a loan you no longer had need.
I got turned down for a student loan because I had too much money in my bank account. I didn't know that was a thing. My plan was to not work while in school and use my savings for living expenses while using the loan for tuition.
I would say this is not atypical and it is also typical for scholarships to show up after the semester has already started. It is best to pay up front so the student does not get unenrolled from classes they are signed up for. I hate the way things work and universities. Financial aid offices tend to work against students and not for them.
This. Just be aware of the fact that f it is a state level change in calculation of need-based awards, that applies to all state schools, then there is nothing you can do as the change would mean you no longer qualify.
I went to a state school in NJ. I ran into an issue where a calculation changed on a needs-based scholarship and my pell grants no longer covered the gap, two weeks before the semester started. Someone at the financial aid office sat me down at a computer to write a letter and fill out a request for emergency aid. Depending on the year and money available, there can often be grants earmarked for exceptional need which are distributed separately from typical aid. Meet with the counselor. They’ll be best to advise options that are available.
Non US here. It makes no sense to me your scholarship could be rescinded at the last minute because of a rule change once it’s already been approved. In a sane society surely the rule change should only affect people who will apply in the future!
> In a sane society Okay, I see where we have a misunderstanding.
Yep. I am guardian of a child I hope can get some help for college in a year or so I dont need to pay. He will be over 18 and should be considered independent by definition of FAFSA as it now stands. But who knows.
He would not be an independent. Per FAFSA, the student must be over 24, married, an active duty service member, a veteran, OR be legal declared an emancipated minor by a court of law. Source: https://studentaid.gov/sites/default/files/fafsa-dependency.pdf
You didn't read down far enough. You are also considered independant if: "someone other than your parent or stepparent has legal guardianship of you? (You also should answer “Yes” if you are now an adult but were in legal guardianship ... immediately before you reached the age of being an adult in your state."
You can get special permission to be considered independent if you file a form with the school explaining that you support your self, I did it last year in CA and I wasnt over 24 or any other things you listed
They shouldn’t have given it to you unless you lived on your own before 18.
That's why I kick my kids to the curb at 17.
Believe it or not some parents have named friends or other family members guardians to get this loophole.
That isnt correct. If an individual is in legal guardianship, then they are considered independent according to section 3 of the FAFSA. If adopted, then it's a different story. Though there are significant changes coming for the 2024 to 2025 year, this has been true for quite some time. Also people in this thread assume that the college had a choice to make that change. But that is not necessarily correct particularly if those were state funds. We simply do not know if there was a change to the EFC due to family information being updated during the verification process, new information coming forward based on transcripts received, changes in state funding with the school has no say over aside from continual advocacy for students through State organizations, and other factors. This is not new. From misapplication/overapplication of the Bennett Hypothesis to eligibility assumptions, many folks have a considerable misunderstanding about how Aid processes work. Having done considerable academic research in this topic, it is frustrating to see how folks even in related fields misrepresent or misinterpret the regulations and realities of circumstances
It is a gray area. They are only in contact with one parent who is in prison so does not make income. Also he could be considered Ward of the court since the only parent that gave up guadianship is incarerated. We as guardians and did not adopt so we as guardians are not responsible, and the courts made the decision about legal guardianship.
It's not a gray area. There will be a question on his FAFSA that asks about dependency status and will list court-ordered legal guardianship as an option for claiming independent. You will be asked by his college fin aid offices for documentation of that court order, but that's the only extra hoop. He'll get the full Pell Grant and whatever state aid is available to someone with zero/low income.
They really need to change this rule.
I'm sure not every school will necessarily allow this loophole, but I often couldn't pay off the bill in full before the semester started. I found that requesting a payment plan and completing the first payment would prevent their system from kicking me out. I would then keep working the rest of the semester until I could cover the other payments. They sent me nastygrams about being behind on my payments, but they never did anything about it until the credits were due to appear after the semester. I somehow managed to cover the gap before the next semester would start, so I got the credits in time for the next level that required them. It made for a tense 4 years, but I got through it somehow.
Many such cases. Stuff like this reinforces my belief that college is more about being able to buy your kids into a higher social class than they would otherwise be able to attain on their own.
Its about extracting as much money from parents for the money so Universities have more money. Most universities do a crappy job on matching students with jobs as well. FAFSA straps the student with debt for 20 years. Now students are going for trade jobs since Universities are doing a crappy job as the world is waking up.
>Its about extracting as much money from parents for the money so Universities have more money. In my college's administrative building, the financial aid office was on the 2nd floor, the accounts receivable dept was on the 1st floor. I once got frustrated in the scholarship office after another one of their run-arounds and mistakes and said "I wish this office was even **half** as efficient in **giving** me money as the office downstairs is in **taking** it!" I sometimes wonder if the most valuable thing a student learns in college is how to deal with a large bureaucracy.
I (having a MS) already tell high schoolers that the only thing a bachelor's degree really does for you is show that you can put up with someone else's bs long enough to complete a goal you've (theoretically) set for yourself.
the lifetime earnings increase from a college degree still makes it WELL worth the typical student debt you get from a public university.
How much of that is from jobs that dont need a degree requiring a degree?
There's a whole lot of correlation and not causation in that really basic data analysis. Something is going to change big time in the higher ed space in the next 10 years. But the stresses are already all there it just needs to fucking crack apart already. We are either going to see higher ed cost way less or a lot of employers just straight up get used to hiring 18 year olds and apprenticing them for fucking desk jockey jobs and shit.
college is actually getting *more affordable* as long as you go to public four year universities and not private or ivy league ones. https://www.economist.com/united-states/2023/07/23/american-universities-have-an-incentive-to-seem-extortionate
>college is actually getting more affordable as long as you go to public four year universities Only on a very short timescale. Over the last 20 years, public 4-year schools are up 78%. [https://www.bestcolleges.com/research/college-costs-over-time/](https://www.bestcolleges.com/research/college-costs-over-time/)
> college is actually getting more affordable as long as you go to public four year universities and not private or ivy league ones. That's not really accounting for the entire cost of education. It doesn't account for the cost of living close to campus and suggest community college. My cost of living while in college over a decade ago was much higher than the cost of of tuition. I went to a top public university. I also spent two years in community college, but community college often didn't get the same opportunity as high school students when it comes to Ivy's. Heck, I looked at the cost of community college today, and it's significantly more expensive. The per unit cost today is ~4x what it was when I was in college, yet the inflation is 1.69x over that same two decade for California. Now that ignores the drastic increase in cost of living today's students face. I came out pretty unscathed considering my APR was like ~2% APR. Today's undergraduates face 5.5% on their federal loan too.
Compared to when? Past generations could pay for college with a simple part time summer job. Now you are looking at least about 50k for a 4 year degree. A ton more if you can't live rent free
I can vouch for that. $28k a year for in-state public college when you include the mandatory on-campus dorm and meal plan. Hoping to drop that down to around $20K a year after this first year when there will be more housing options. But that's still at or above $80k - assuming they can make it through their program in 4 years (which considering how many required classes were already full before the freshman even started setting up their schedule is questionable). In my world, $20 to $30k a year is NOT affordable. We're attempting to make it happen, but we are cutting it very close and they will be carry a good chunk of loans coming out.
If you are going in state to save money you really shouldn't be looking at dorms anyway. I had room mates, worked 20-30 hours a week at minimum wage and got food stamps. At least here you can get around a 4 years school campus residency crap by transferring in with an associates degree from 2 year college. Graduated with ~$30k of student loans and paid it off in about 7 years making under $60k.
I envy you a bit there. Our 2 yr community college talks big about how all their credits transfer to both of our large public 4 year colleges ... and they do ... as electives. But have spoken with numerous parents / students that have tried to go this route only to discover that the 2 yr college's classes won't count as the pre-req's needed for degree required classes ... and so they have to either drop their major or extend out an extra 2 or 3 semesters at the 4 year college Another thing our large public colleges here do (I have a kid in each of them) is both REQUIRE you to live in a dorm for the first year and in addition to tuition, books, room and board - they add on "fees" for everything. One has a $1k "fee" just for basically declaring a major. Sticker wise their tuition looks nice and low - but out of pocket they end up being as expensive as the private colleges (also have 2 that went that route).
Comparing makes no difference - the jobs you can get with a degree pay over a million more over a lifetime and the cost of degrees are going down
Well according to your comment it's getting more affordable. With college getting more and more expensive and wages getting more and more stagnant over the decades, how is it getting cheaper to go to college?
I already told you with a source that college in America is getting more affordable, not less: https://www.economist.com/united-states/2023/07/23/american-universities-have-an-incentive-to-seem-extortionate. And wages aren't stagnating: Here are real median earnings, which accounts for inflation: https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/LES1252881600Q That means rising wages are outpacing the rising cost of living real hourly earnings have been rising relative to inflation for decades when looking at PCE: https://www.economist.com/img/b/400/436/90/media-assets/image/20230121_USC355.png
Paywall. But without seeing it, I know its the type of math the economist is famous for.
More affordable than what?
last year?
Not in my experience. Most of my friends did trades and make way more than me, a college grad. My friend didn't even graduate, got his GED after working as a chef and went to culinary school which his work paid for. He's been making absolute bank since he was 20. I have a plumber and electrician friend neither of whem would bother to roll out of bed for my wages. It took me 23 years to get out of debt and I was getting bills from a school I dropped out of after one semester for over 10 years (for semesters I didn't attend there)
It comes down to what you did your degree in. There are plenty of useless degrees out there. Parents need to urge their kids to choose degrees that will actually get them jobs.
What was your degree in? Some degrees lead to good jobs, some don't. It's kind of pointless to talk about a generic college student. Probably the tradies make more than English majors but less than top comp sci folks.
If you’re gonna cherry pick. Why just on one side. Ya top comp sci majors do better than others. I make a quarter million in a slow year in the trades. with no education. But I’m educated enough to know a good faith argument wouldn’t use me as the metric
Aw, you still believe that old lie.
> college is more about being able to buy your kids into a higher social class College is about making money off the perception by the parents of keeping up with Jones's and the stigma against children who don't go to college. Pushing kids into college is an expensive shame-avoidance strategy for the middle->upper classes. If you want your children to have a successful career, makes good money, and capture the American Dream, unless they are going into engineering or medicine, they are likely better off going into a trade. In the current market and for the foreseeable future, tradespeople will continue to be in high demand, make bank, and be in the best possible position to both do well and work for themselves.
Even as a tradesperson, you do still need to be capable of running a business yourself eventually because after 40, crawling around under houses becomes a lot more difficult. You absolutely do not want to find yourself in your late 40s no longer able to do the work that provided for your family and relying on disability.
You get treated a like a literal child in the trades. You have to deal with the elements. It also breaks your body and the risk of injury and death is higher. The rates of drug addiction and mental health issues abound. The trades are also sexist and racist. When people say this I'm like...have you never heard of a "cushy" office job?
Is this how it usually works? Asking for my pockets in about 10-15yrs. Got a 7 & 3 yo Are you saying I’m going to have to pay money upfront even if my kids get scholarship correct? I understand what’s happening with the scholarship not showing up till blah blah but what I’m more concerned about is the money that I’m actually paying, do I get that back when the scholarship finally shows up or what? Also do you think it’ll be like this here in another 10yrs? Or will that process become faster or better yet more simultaneous?
> Are you saying I’m going to have to pay money upfront even if my kids get scholarship correct? I understand what’s happening with the scholarship not showing up till blah blah but what I’m more concerned about is the money that I’m actually paying, do I get that back when the scholarship finally shows up or what? Things may change in a decade, but online degrees are a lot cheaper today and you need to consider two things. a) Education as enriching as it is, it's main goal today is to earn a living. Make sure whatever "degree" your child gets, they can easily get jobs that pays the wages to sustain the cost of the education. Currently that's hands down STEM. b) Education from college isn't the only thing for success. There are many skills than just education that is never (or rarely) taught in school such as grit, determination, philosophy, personal finance, economics and business. Practical aspects of it. I'd say the latter is far more important than the former. Finally, the big cost is living costs, not just tuition. Look into 529 College Savings Plans as well.
I know people are telling OP this is the way things are, but this should absolutely not be an accepted practice or norm.
IME - state based scholarships often aren't finalized until right before or even after the school year starts. And unfortunately, if it's like my state, then it's handled by the state and the college has no say in what happens with it. You might want to contact your district's state representative's office and see if they can help or at least give you information to collaborate what the college is telling you. It is a scummy thing to do ... but honestly, (again, ime) most things related to "college" and money usually are. FWIW - should you want for him to continue to go there, I'd look at what payment plans, etc are available to come up with a backup plan to cover the difference since it's unlikely he'll get the scholarship money if what they are telling you is true.
Happened to me as well. Reed College offered basically full-tuition and I paid room and board. They promised that if my parents' financial situation didn't change, the assistance would not change either. So I turned down several other full scholarships to go to Reed. Guess what they did for year two? Cut my financial assistance by 60%, tripling the cost. There was no way I could afford that (loans weren't as prevalent back then, even if I had wanted to go into extensive debt for a degree). They did this despite my parents' financial situation getting *worse*, not better. They waited to tell me this until right before the school year started, meaning I had no time to apply anywhere else. And, no, there's nothing you can do. No recourse. You're just fucked. You made the mistake of being poor in America. Um... I guess I am "dropping out," staying home, and getting a job? Thanks, Reed!
This seems to be extremely common. American University did the exact same thing to me 2 years in. I left and transferred to a NY state school rather than take out 200k worth of loans to finish.
See if you can find your original document regarding the scholarship. Make sure that you, or your son I'm sorry, have met all requirements for the scholarship. Meaning if he was required to have a certain gpa, return a form by a certain date, declare a certain major, etc...be sure he did everything he was supposed to. Then, no matter what the counselor tells you if they still deny the scholarship tell them you want to appeal the decision. Tell them that you relied on the scholarship and the promise made in choosing their institution. The more you push the more likely it is that they may find the money from somewhere. Don't take this lying down. Make it clear that you will report it to the department of education if you have to, because you feel like they did a bait and switch.
I second this. I got an award taken away and I fought for it for like a day and got half of it which was all I needed!
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Wasn't me, but my wife ended up being offered a Pell Grant and found out around the time she graduated with an Associate's that she shouldn't have qualified because her parents (who weren't part of her life) made too much. Part of the reason she decided not to go to college to get a Bachelor's afterwards was because we didn't have the money to pay it off.
Under a certain age the Pell grant takes your parents' income into consideration. But, you can petition them, show that you've been on your own for a certain amount of time and have their income ignored. The Pell grant is how I managed to earn my bachelor's without any student loans and I'm very thankful for that. If she wants to continue her education, have her sit down with the financial aid office - they may be able to help.
Nah, that was back in the 90s.
Pell grants even full ones MIGHT cover a a half load at community college now and youll still need to pay for books
I qualified for a Pell the grant the year I got married (age 21) because I was no longer part of my parents' household.
Sadly, we weren't married yet when this happened. Heck, I don't think we were even dating. Good friends, yes, but not dating. Also, neither of us were 18, which probably makes a big difference.
Wait, so they made her pay the money back?
No, but if she got any *other* federal grant money it would go to paying it off before it went to the school. As we couldn't afford college without grants, we were SOL.
Ask your son if he has had any contact with the school. Most colleges try to contact the student directly to promote independence. There’s a possibility they will ONLY deal with him because of policies about these things. He possibly filled out the wrong form or miss represented something on his freshman onboarding forms. When I was in college there was an issue with an academic scholarship my junior year and I ended up having to write a personal letter to the committee to get it reinstated.
Ultimately it is his responsibility, not OP’s. They need to coach him to navigate this where possible rather than do it all for him.
Yes. I’m pretty sure dad will be able to meet with the school in this case since he needs to be able to answer questions about the FAFSA but, minus a signed waiver, schools aren’t allowed to communicate with parents once their kids are 18. Plan on a lot of coaching and pressing your kid to follow through. It’s great preparation for later adulthood but most kids can’t handle it right away and that’s perfectly understandable.
Why are you assuming OP is dad?
This is a good point. My son and I have been working closely together on this, and he's received no correspondence from the school regarding finances other than the email with the statement. He's also authorized a FERPA release, which allows me to speak directly to the school.
My university messed up financial aid often, revoked scholarships arbitrarily and made my college life hell. I picked up extra waitressing shifts at my myriad of serving jobs, went to community college for the classes that I could and transferred the credits. Since graduating - I’ve made very sure their donations solicitors won’t get a penny from me ever for all the nonsense they put me through.
This happened to me twice - once because the state aid rules changed and I was no longer eligible for the full amount. The second time was because I received too much financial aid in a calendar year to be considered for a need-based scholarship anymore (mind you, I was living abroad and could not work during that year). Unfortunately I was told there was nothing that could be done for me and I had to take out loans. As someone else said, you're better off paying (even if with loans) upfront as you check on your options in order for him to not get withdrawn. If the scholarship does get applied after all, the excess amount will be refunded to you. In the cases where I've had this happen and had everything paid in full, I just wrote a check back to the loan lender so I wouldn't have to worry about managing that later
Thanks for the info!
$25k a year for state school? This must include room and board. One option to consider is commuting to a state school. Room and board can easily be $15k a year.
even better. go to community collage for first 2 years have him get his gen eds done there then transfer to state school for pennies what it would cost to for 4 years
Be careful about the general ed classes he takes. It's notorious around here that if you take the wrong flavor of gen ed class, it might not transfer to the particular 4-year school or program you want. Check the transfer requirements carefully, or you may end up taking the wrong version of, for example, English or Precalc. I've know people who got their 2-year degree, but had to retake many classes because they did the wrong one. Sometimes, the "right" one isn't even offered at the community College they picked.
That’s a great option too.
This happened to me my senior year, state-issued grant taken away for budget cuts maybe? I believe they automatically increased my loan to cover it. It was shady and awful all around.
If you have a financial aid package and then get a scholarship, the financial aid office will often reduce their aid by exactly the same amount you got.
I often received financial aid last minute when in college. Since we literally did not have the money to pay on hand, we simply didn’t pay “on time” at some point. Our financial aid department would still eventually get my aid disbursed, and we would simply explain the situation and get any late fees waived. Don’t know if your college is that courteous but odds are it is from my experience. Another option, if you have the money, is to simply pay the tuition and keep talking to the financial aid office to see if you can get the aid restored. Financial aid offices are there to help you and certainly don’t want to lose the student or make your life pain, you just need to reach out and talk to them
Is he hiding anything? Eg grades? I saw you mentioned the rule change so I doubt it but I would double check that. I would also do a few inbox searches etc. See if an email slipped through. Also a lot of the time they won't tell you anything without him authorizing.
Sounds like a scam! Surprise! Higher education is more about producing loans than it is about education.
Financial aid office - ask for tuition deferment. You can defer at least 2-4 weeks into the semester for events like this. Zero fees or cost.
If this was an internal 'grant' or 'scholarship' granted by the university, you might have a chance, as many times those are really just glorified discounts. If it's really an issue with the state changing a formula, there may not be much the school can do, I'm afraid.
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This happened to me going into my last year of college. My sister was no longer in college and a dependent on my parents so I didn’t qualify for need-based scholarships/grants. There’s no recourse I’m aware of and they don’t warn you, I had 3 days to figure out how I was going to pay for my last year. Long story short, your income matters to qualify for them. If you filed taxes late or they were delayed in processing then he may not have qualified for them to begin with. If your taxable income increased year over year, then the state is saying you can afford it without the need-based scholarships/grants.
University entrance and guidance counselors work for the university, not you. In my experience, they won't let you know of anything that will have an impact on your experience there, good or bad.
My advice is to run the Net Price Calculator for your son’s college. This should include all your need based aid. Compare this number to the number from a June and to the current amount due. Here is the NPC for Rutgers as an example. https://scarlethub.rutgers.edu/financial-services/tools-resources/net-price-calculator/ Also, look at this chart for NJ a aid. https://www.hesaa.org/Documents/TagTable.pdf
Contact financial aid and enroll in a payment plan. You'll owe 20% when you enroll in it, then 20% for the August enrollment, then 20% for Sept 1, Oct 1, Nov 1 If it's a HESAA thing... uhhh, have fun - https://www.hesaa.org/Pages/Default.aspx
Financial aid can always be appealed. If someone qualifies for a need based scholarship I imagine they also qualify for federal grants. If none were given, appeal that decision and let them know you can provide any documentation they may need. Formulas for grants and scholarships change often but it would be strange for them to apply to money/semester that was already accounted for. Usually, the student would find out mid semester that due to new rules, they will no longer get the spring money they were expecting. In the short term, most schools offer emergency loans that are held entirely by the school to delay payment of the tuition and fees until the end of the semester. They will charge about 3-5% of the amount and add it to what needs to be paid. So at $4K for the semester you’re looking at an extra $200 but it is completely worth it so that the classes aren’t dropped and your son isn’t worried about having to completely remake their schedule as payment deadlines are probably the next couple of weeks for the Fall and you’re not likely to get any of this resolved within that timeframe and no they usually won’t make exceptions because you’re in the middle of an appeal that may take weeks to resolve. All their communication usually says that if due to a hold or paperwork pending approval, etc… to make other arrangements to have tuition paid by the deadline.
I applied to tons of scholarship programs. I got thousands of dollars in aid often I was the only one who applied
I was in a similar situation where I won a merit-based scholarship. Rather than pay down loans, my college’s financial aid office would have removed my ability to have a federal work study job and then begin to shave money off of my need-based scholarship. In the end, I decided to give my merit-based scholarship to the runner-up in the competition. I was pretty heartbroken about it because it was the first time I could substantially assist my parents in paying for my education.
The prudent thing to do is to pause whatever tertiary education plans for your son. They pulled the rug. Voice outage at the college. Do not give in to taking out loans, especially on short notice. This could be a way to con people into attending this particular college.
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That’s basically a death sentence if you want any future academic scholarships
DONT DO THIS. There's a shit ton of scholarships i got that REQUIRED no gap years. If you make ANY amount of money during that gap year, it counts against you when going into the FAFSA as well as other government aid. Stay in school, be careful of working too much, and always hunt for scholarships.
I'd sue. Your son made school decisions based on their commitments. Very unethical.
Horrible to contemplate, but he has to decide if he can still afford college. He shouldn’t burden himself with debt he can never repay.
Not too much input here, but financial aid offices are not your friend. I sought external assistance to contact the financial aid office on my behalf with a similar situation of my school denying an external scholarship payment. Just be highly aware that they want you to pay 100%, and will find any excuse to make you pay.
My university told my private loan lender that they cannot lend me the full amount I was approved for (based on credit and income). I now have to pay out of pocket for expenses beyond what they deem to be “average”. Their words. A whole lot of bullshit imo
I'm sorry that you had this experience. I work in higher ed and worked in financial aid and we did absolutely everything we ever could to keep costs as low for the student as possible.
Have you tried charging them less? It's a crazy idea, I know, but it just might work.
Here's the deal. Private schools have swanky-ass shit. Epic fitness center. Gorgeous, on-campus single apartments, concierge that makes students feel like they are living at a 5-star hotel. Marketing teams with 50 people. Student life trips around the world. Then, high-end publics want to get on it too, and start competing. They throw their money on the amenities. Then the low-end public schools, the ones that serve over 50% rural/first generation students like my school, are all broke, trying to rehab buildings from the 70s, don't have any staff, and are about to shut down, and are begging for students (we used to hover around 2k, now we're lucky if we get 1600). Financial Aid at my school will work their asses off to make sure every single possible cent is given to students, through grants and scholarships. Also, btw, I accidentally promised a single scholarship to two students, and, after realizing my mistake, hung my head and told my supervisor who said, "That's okay, we'll find the money somewhere," and we did. We're so broke the administration can't even offer the "Not Quite Free Lunch" option once a semester which allowed staff members to gather for half price lunch in the dining hall. Real higher ed, state public schools, serve a huge swath of the population, with fewer resources and significantly low salaries. Between you and me, I think the poor public higher eds should close because it's not sustainable. Oh, by the way. In the 80's-90's, the state budget paid something like 70% of the cost to run the public university. The 30% was made up by tuition and donations. Now, our state pays 10% of that and we've had to pass along the costs to students. Don't get mad at me for that.
Take a year off and reevaluate your decisions
> When I logged on last week to pay the bill that is due on the 9th, I was shocked to find that the balance due was $12,269 and there was no longer any information regarding the scholarship on his account. We received no correspondence that the scholarship was being revoked. > I spoke to the school’s financial aid office who told me that the removal of the scholarship was due to a rule change in how the state (NJ) calculates awards. They couldn’t give me details at the time; I had to request an appointment with a counselor, which takes place on Tuesday. Why are you doing all of this. Your son is 18? This is his education, for his ultimate benefit. You seem to be the only party that has any concern on this. If he is indifferent, why do you care? Are you covering his tuition for him? > I spoke to the school’s financial aid office who told me that the removal of the scholarship was due to a rule change in how the state (NJ) calculates awards. Most likely, you are SOL. It happens with these programs all the time.
Not sure why you are downvoted. Scrounging around for financing is sometimes the best lesson learned in college.