Explain paying for college

[2ndGenHomeschooler]

I need someone to explain paying for college, like you’d explain it to a 5 year old. DH and I know next to nothing about how this works. I didn’t attend college and grew up in circles where college was discouraged and therefore not discussed. DH went to one semester at a small private Christian school but it was paid for with preacher kid discounts and an on campus job. 
 

So many people send their kids to school that I figured the process couldn’t be too complicated. Now I have a couple of kids looking to go next year and I’m realizing that it’s very complicated. And expensive. DH and I aren’t going to be able to contribute much, if anything. And I’m reading that there are limits to how much students can borrow? DC are working and saving to be able to pay for school themselves but I’m not sure that will be enough and I’m not sure if their savings will count against the aid they can get. 
 

So how does this work? I don’t want them to have loads of debt, although I guess we need to plan on some, and DH and I aren’t comfortable taking any on. DD19 is looking at a one year certificate program at a tiny private Christian school, mostly for the experience. DD17 is planning to start at CC and then transfer to a larger private Christian school. But I don’t know how to navigate this financially. 

[Bootsie]

There are so many variables that factor into the financial decidsiosn related to college expenses that it is dificult to state one particular way.  It really depends upon your family's financial situation, the child's financial situation, whether the child is likelly to get merit aid, what the student is considering studying, your family's comfort with debt, how your family prioritizes college education in budgetin, and what school is being considered.  

If you have specific schools you are considering for each of these students, I would schedule an appointment with the financial aid office at those schools.  Be frank about your family's situation and ask them to be frank about the expense of attending and the types of financial aid that are likely to be available.  Then you will have an idea of these plans are anywhere in the ballpark of being reasonable for your family and merit further consideration or if you need to consider alternatives .  

[Melanie32]

Agreed that there are so many variables. Right now I am navigating the college path with my daughter. She is a first generation college student. We research a lot! To cut costs down, she is getting her AA at the local state college and then transferring to a university for her bachelors degree. 
 

It depends on where you live, what college your child wants to attend and what degree they are pursuing. My daughter has been able to save a lot of money through CLEP tests. So far she has saved several thousand dollars this way. She has been able to clep out of 3/4 of her AA for free. 
 

She has also chosen a more affordable university that she can drive back and forth to so she can save dorm costs.

[teachermom2834]

On one hand, it is complicated. On the other, my kids are priced out of the vast vast majority of schools which narrows it considerably and makes it far less complicated in the end.

Starting at cc and/or living at home and commuting are great ways to start off saving money and making college affordable. For various reasons, my 3 that have gone to college so far have been very set on going away to four year schools. We couldn’t pay much beyond a couple thousand dollars broken up in pieces for help with books or parking or incidentals but didn’t qualify for pell grants or huge financial aid packages. So here is how it went for us:

Oldest went to a private school on a combo of some of the biggest merit aid offered by his school, some financial aid grants, a large outside scholarship from my dh’s employer, and the federal student loans (for students, not parents) and his summer earnings which were about $8000 each summer. So it took alot from a lot of sources. He was an excellent student and very hard worker. Great college experience and outcome. No regrets. But not everyone can simply piece together this scenario. It took alot of things coming together and probably only possible at this one particular school. So there is no recipe for this.

Second ds went out of state to a large public school on combination of merit scholarships, federal student loans, help from us, summer earnings, and some small financial aid grants from the university. He finished in 5 semesters with some summer classes because he had tons of de credits from high school. So he ended up with almost the max in loans even though he was only there five semesters. So his scenario worked out ok but really only because he finished quickly. Four years there would have been very expensive but getting out and getting to work made it ok. Again, it worked out but was kind of a unique situation. Not really a recipe you can follow.

Third ds is my highest achiever. He had super high test scores and unique/impressive leadership extracurriculars. He had tunnel vision about attending our state flagship and was going to go there on their largest automatic merit scholarship which honestly still left a large bill that he would have covered with loans and summer and school earnings and there was still a bit of a gap more than we were happy about paying for. He got a call at the end of April that he was an alternate for their full ride scholarship and someone had turned it down so now he is there on a full ride plus and works as an RA and in admissions and has banked a lot of money. So…again it is complicated.

So we have gotten three through on a combo of very good academics yielding merit aid, student earnings, and some moderate student loans with just some parental support which was less than we paid for homeschooling them. But it wasn’t easy and it was complicated and when people ask how we did it, there isn’t an easy recipe so I hate when people say “teachermom’s kid got a full scholarship so ask her what to do” or things like that because it really isn’t that easy. 
 

Generally speaking, being open minded to living at home and starting at cc or somewhere local where you can commute is probably a great start. Beyond that looking at the specific schools they are considering and speaking to someone there is going to be your best bet. 

[Farrar]

I'll bullet point it for you. The cost...

• Very few families pay what we call "sticker price." That's the price on the website that it says the college costs.
• There is something called the EFC, which is changing to the SAI this year with the new FAFSA. This is the amount the government has determined, based on your income and finances, that your family can pay. You're "full pay" if that number is above the sticker price for a school. If it's very small, like $5k or even zero or a negative number, then you're high need. Many families fall somewhere in between. And that's not the only calculation of need going on.
• The cost the college offers you depends on two things:
  • YOUR income. They are either offering you financial aid based on your income or gaming out how much they think you can pay based on your income. This is need-based aid, but sometimes it can also be classified as merit-based aid even though the school is offering it based partly on your income and what they think they can get you to give them for your kid to attend.
  • How much above the school's stats your student is. The more above the school's average stats, the more likely they are to offer the student additional money to attend. That's merit-aid.
• Private universities give a lot of aid. Tippy top schools may ONLY give need-based aid and zero merit. They are basing it only on your demonstrated family need. 
• Some private universities, especially ones with a greater than 60% acceptance rate or so may give mostly merit aid. At many of these schools, close to 100% of students are receiving merit aid.
• Many public universities give a lot less aid than private ones. It really depends on the school and the state. Some give to out of state students, some only to in state students. 
• You cannot know what price a school will offer you unless you do the NET PRICE CALCULATOR for the specific school. It will vary from school to school. Remember, different schools give different types of aid.

The loans...

• The majority of students can take out federal student loans. These begin at $5500 for the first year for most students and increase a bit each year. That's all traditional students can borrow on their own. That's IT.
• Other loans are loans that parents are taking out with the student. You should be very careful about these. Especially be careful about the Parent PLUS loans. I usually advise families not to take those. The terms aren't great.
• In other words, just because a student gets in somewhere, they can't just, boom, take out the total amount to go. They don't let them. The amount they're allowed to take is really small.

Getting funded...

• The right schools to apply to based on the above depend on the level of need based aid and merit based aid.
• There are lots of schools that meet full need, but those schools tend to be very hard to get into. 
• Some of the schools that meet full need are taking it into account when evaluating your student. They meet full need... but only if they let your student in. They may limit how many high need students they admit each year. The schools that are both meets need and need blind (see that list) are nearly all single digit acceptance schools.
• Starting at a community college may save money or not. There tends to be more need-based aid for first year students. And the graduation rates are better as well (less time spent getting the degree is less money spent). But also, sometimes it's the only path a family can afford and it's not like there isn't any aid for transfer students. It depends on lots of factors.

Edited October 1, 2023 by Farrar

[Lori D.]

^^ Nice summation points above from @Farrar. 😄 

Also, the Federal Financial Aid website has some great short articles that walk you through the process:
- How Financial Aid Works
- Financial Aid Eligibility
- Loans, Grants and Work Study (the 3 types of Federal Aid)
 

For more details, check out these past threads below, linked in the College Motherlode pinned thread at the top of the WTM college board, plus others on PAGE 3, which has many great past threads on: how financial aid works; scholarships, FAFSA/EFC, alternatives for paying for college, etc.
 

MONEY MATTERS
College Costs
How much does college cost
Help me understand how to pay for college
Flabbergasted by friends’ lack of awareness of college costs
 

FINANCIAL AID
How Financial Aid works
Understanding financial aid (great explanations and info)
Can someone please walk me through how financial aid works in the USA
I think I need help with guidance counseling, I.e., I’m clueless (great intro info on financial aid + other topics) 

SCHOLARSHIPS
Scholarship search process
Where to find scholarships? 
Preparing for college: what scholarships/grants to apply for? (info on search process, inside vs outside scholarships) 
Scholarships (search process, inside vs outside scholarships; explanation of Financial Aid equation: COA-EFC=Need)
 

MONEY MATTERS
Alternatives to fund college / reduce college costs
s/o Cautionary Tale/high college costs — a brainstorm $$ ideas thread! 
How are YOU managing to pay for college? (lots of real-life creative ideas) 
College as cheap as possible: need advice — Aug 11 2017, regentrude
College breaking the piggy bank? (how are homeschoolers affording college?) 
Unexpected ways to save a little money in college?

 

Edited October 1, 2023 by Lori D.

[mlktwins]

One of my twins just started his freshman year at a small public school in VA. Their merit money is listed on their website so we knew going in he would get $10K each year for his stats. That helps a lot, but he is required to stay on campus to continue to get the money. My other son chose an in-state school that is notorious for being stingy with merit aid (despite very similar stats as his brother) so we are paying full price for him. We don't qualify for aid despite the fact that my DH has not brought home a paycheck for at least 2 years 🤷‍♀️. We did save over the years so we are paying out of pocket at this point, but money goes fast with no income.

Some schools require the FASFA to even provide merit aid.

I don't know anything about student loans so no help there. 

But I would suggest looking at merit aid options at the schools your children may be interested in.

[chiguirre]

5 hours ago, Melanie32 said:

It depends on where you live, what college your child wants to attend and what degree they are pursuing. My daughter has been able to save a lot of money through CLEP tests. So far she has saved several thousand dollars this way. She has been able to clep out of 3/4 of her AA for free. 

I'll give a shout out for CLEPS too. You can do them for free using Modern States prep courses and vouchers. There is a huge variety of CLEP exams, and if you add in DSST (the military sponsored tests that are open to everyone), you can craft a personalized educational experience. This requires a lot of discipline because you have to self-study, but there are excellent resources available to help you out. It's important to make sure your target college will accept the credits and what score is needed.

https://modernstates.org/about-us/who-we-are/

Now, turning to a completely different way to pay for college, your kids might want to look at the military. There are two paths here: enlisting and getting the GI Bill or getting a ROTC scholarship.

The ROTC scholarships cover tuition but not room and board so you still have to pay or live at home and you're obligated to 4 years of service as an officer when you graduate.

I know the ins and outs of enlisted life much better than ROTC, so this section will be much more detailed.

My dd enlisted in the Navy when she graduated from high school/community college dual enrollment with her AA at 18. Since she had her AA she entered as an E-3 instead of as an E-1 and she is now an E-5 (these are enlisted pay grades that correspond to equivalent ranks in the various branches, dd is an IT2, this means she's an IT tech who is a Petty Officer Second Class in Navyspeak). There are two sources of funding available to enlisted, Tuition Assistance and the GI Bill. Each branch has different rules for using TA and the Air Force and Navy/Marines have their own CC systems. The AF's is much older and, frankly, better than the Navy/Marine CC which has just started. The GI Bill vests after 3 years of active duty. It covers tuition at public universities and a living stipend equivalent to the Basic Allowance for Housing in the university's location. Some private schools offer Yellow Ribbon scholarships to cover their entire tuition cost.

If your kids are interested in enlisting, they should absolutely maximize the number of college credits they earn in high school, shooting for at least 48 to enter as an E-3. If you have your AA, you get an extra bonus sometimes (the bonuses come and go and change constantly and they can add up to a lot of money for an 18 yo).

You give up a traditional 18-22 college experience if you enlist, but you can get a lot of college done using the CCs and/or CLEP and DSST exams while you're in. When you get out you can use the GI Bill to finish your BA/BS and have time left over for graduate school. Some schools will give active duty members a steep discount on tuition (usually to $250/credit, the Tuition Assistance amount, sometimes even less if their in-state rates are lower). My dd is applying to finish her BS in Computer Science at the University of Florida Online. She'll apply for a waiver for in-state rates that are equivalent to CC rates in TX. AD members can also qualify for Pell grants because their housing and subsistence allowances aren't taxable income. Also, once you've enlisted, you are an independent adult for financial aid purposes and your parents' income isn't taken into consideration. 

I think I've touched on everything military related to college financing, but if I left something out, just ask.

[Farrar]

One of the takeaways I hope anyone may have is that what worked for others to save money or get funded may not work for you. You don't know what someone else's finances look like and so much is based on the family's income and finances, the student's stats and overall look to colleges, and the state they live in.

So when someone says such and such college was good for them for costs or test scores were the only way to get money or CLEP and dual enrollment saved them a ton... that may not apply to your student and your situation.

[mlktwins]

My guys only took one CLEP - the same one. One received credit for his and one didn’t.

They both also took US History (different time periods) as DE. One received credit for a Gen Ed and the other (the same one that didn’t get his CLEP counted) received 3 elective credits for his. However, to get credit for their US History Gen Ed, which is 4 credits), he either needs to take the 2nd time period at CC or just take the 4 credit class at his college.  
 

[ScoutTN]

Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, New Mexico, South Carolina, Tennessee, and West Virginia have lottery-funded merit scholarships. Info on those is available at the states’ .gov websites.

[2ndGenHomeschooler]

15 hours ago, Bootsie said:

There are so many variables that factor into the financial decidsiosn related to college expenses that it is dificult to state one particular way.  It really depends upon your family's financial situation, the child's financial situation, whether the child is likelly to get merit aid, what the student is considering studying, your family's comfort with debt, how your family prioritizes college education in budgetin, and what school is being considered.  

If you have specific schools you are considering for each of these students, I would schedule an appointment with the financial aid office at those schools.  Be frank about your family's situation and ask them to be frank about the expense of attending and the types of financial aid that are likely to be available.  Then you will have an idea of these plans are anywhere in the ballpark of being reasonable for your family and merit further consideration or if you need to consider alternatives .  

So I can talk to the financial aid offices of schools even before they apply? That would be helpful. Are they likely to give me accurate information and a decent ballpark figure? Not exact of course, but close enough to be useful? 
 

A question about merit aid….how would I know if my DC are likely to get merit aid? Is this based off of SAT/ACT test scores? Neither of my older DDs have taken these. Can students who have already graduated take them? 

[2ndGenHomeschooler]

8 hours ago, Melanie32 said:

Agreed that there are so many variables. Right now I am navigating the college path with my daughter. She is a first generation college student. We research a lot! To cut costs down, she is getting her AA at the local state college and then transferring to a university for her bachelors degree. 
 

It depends on where you live, what college your child wants to attend and what degree they are pursuing. My daughter has been able to save a lot of money through CLEP tests. So far she has saved several thousand dollars this way. She has been able to clep out of 3/4 of her AA for free. 
 

She has also chosen a more affordable university that she can drive back and forth to so she can save dorm costs.

DD19 insisted she was never going to college so I didn’t look into it much for her. I figured if she ever went it would be to our local community college. Then out of nowhere this summer she told us she wanted to get away for a year for the experience and wants to go to a small Bible college with a friend for a one year Bible certificate. Not my first choice for her at all but I’m trying to be supportive and figure this out. 
 

DD17 is a senior and plans to start at community college and then transfer to a four year school to finish her degree. Our state has a free tuition program that includes homeschoolers so I think we can do that. We just need to make sure the credits will transfer to the school she wants to go to. And that that school is a viable option. Right now her plan includes getting a doctorate in her field of interest. I don’t really see that being the best fit for her, but again, I’m trying to be supportive and figure out how this could work. 

[2ndGenHomeschooler]

8 hours ago, teachermom2834 said:

On one hand, it is complicated. On the other, my kids are priced out of the vast vast majority of schools which narrows it considerably and makes it far less complicated in the end.

Starting at cc and/or living at home and commuting are great ways to start off saving money and making college affordable. For various reasons, my 3 that have gone to college so far have been very set on going away to four year schools. We couldn’t pay much beyond a couple thousand dollars broken up in pieces for help with books or parking or incidentals but didn’t qualify for pell grants or huge financial aid packages. So here is how it went for us:

Oldest went to a private school on a combo of some of the biggest merit aid offered by his school, some financial aid grants, a large outside scholarship from my dh’s employer, and the federal student loans (for students, not parents) and his summer earnings which were about $8000 each summer. So it took alot from a lot of sources. He was an excellent student and very hard worker. Great college experience and outcome. No regrets. But not everyone can simply piece together this scenario. It took alot of things coming together and probably only possible at this one particular school. So there is no recipe for this.

Second ds went out of state to a large public school on combination of merit scholarships, federal student loans, help from us, summer earnings, and some small financial aid grants from the university. He finished in 5 semesters with some summer classes because he had tons of de credits from high school. So he ended up with almost the max in loans even though he was only there five semesters. So his scenario worked out ok but really only because he finished quickly. Four years there would have been very expensive but getting out and getting to work made it ok. Again, it worked out but was kind of a unique situation. Not really a recipe you can follow.

Third ds is my highest achiever. He had super high test scores and unique/impressive leadership extracurriculars. He had tunnel vision about attending our state flagship and was going to go there on their largest automatic merit scholarship which honestly still left a large bill that he would have covered with loans and summer and school earnings and there was still a bit of a gap more than we were happy about paying for. He got a call at the end of April that he was an alternate for their full ride scholarship and someone had turned it down so now he is there on a full ride plus and works as an RA and in admissions and has banked a lot of money. So…again it is complicated.

So we have gotten three through on a combo of very good academics yielding merit aid, student earnings, and some moderate student loans with just some parental support which was less than we paid for homeschooling them. But it wasn’t easy and it was complicated and when people ask how we did it, there isn’t an easy recipe so I hate when people say “teachermom’s kid got a full scholarship so ask her what to do” or things like that because it really isn’t that easy. 
 

Generally speaking, being open minded to living at home and starting at cc or somewhere local where you can commute is probably a great start. Beyond that looking at the specific schools they are considering and speaking to someone there is going to be your best bet. 

Interesting to hear the different paths your kids have taken. Thank you. My DH and I want to help our kids as much as possible but it really looks like that will be smaller amounts here and there to help with books and/or incidentals, rather than paying for school in general. 

[2ndGenHomeschooler]

7 hours ago, Farrar said:

I'll bullet point it for you. The cost...

• Very few families pay what we call "sticker price." That's the price on the website that it says the college costs.
• There is something called the EFC, which is changing to the SAI this year with the new FAFSA. This is the amount the government has determined, based on your income and finances, that your family can pay. You're "full pay" if that number is above the sticker price for a school. If it's very small, like $5k or even zero or a negative number, then you're high need. Many families fall somewhere in between. And that's not the only calculation of need going on.
• The cost the college offers you depends on two things:
  • YOUR income. They are either offering you financial aid based on your income or gaming out how much they think you can pay based on your income. This is need-based aid, but sometimes it can also be classified as merit-based aid even though the school is offering it based partly on your income and what they think they can get you to give them for your kid to attend.
  • How much above the school's stats your student is. The more above the school's average stats, the more likely they are to offer the student additional money to attend. That's merit-aid.
• Private universities give a lot of aid. Tippy top schools may ONLY give need-based aid and zero merit. They are basing it only on your demonstrated family need. 
• Some private universities, especially ones with a greater than 60% acceptance rate or so may give mostly merit aid. At many of these schools, close to 100% of students are receiving merit aid.
• Many public universities give a lot less aid than private ones. It really depends on the school and the state. Some give to out of state students, some only to in state students. 
• You cannot know what price a school will offer you unless you do the NET PRICE CALCULATOR for the specific school. It will vary from school to school. Remember, different schools give different types of aid.

The loans...

• The majority of students can take out federal student loans. These begin at $5500 for the first year for most students and increase a bit each year. That's all traditional students can borrow on their own. That's IT.
• Other loans are loans that parents are taking out with the student. You should be very careful about these. Especially be careful about the Parent PLUS loans. I usually advise families not to take those. The terms aren't great.
• In other words, just because a student gets in somewhere, they can't just, boom, take out the total amount to go. They don't let them. The amount they're allowed to take is really small.

Getting funded...

• The right schools to apply to based on the above depend on the level of need based aid and merit based aid.
• There are lots of schools that meet full need, but those schools tend to be very hard to get into. 
• Some of the schools that meet full need are taking it into account when evaluating your student. They meet full need... but only if they let your student in. They may limit how many high need students they admit each year. The schools that are both meets need and need blind (see that list) are nearly all single digit acceptance schools.
• Starting at a community college may save money or not. There tends to be more need-based aid for first year students. And the graduation rates are better as well (less time spent getting the degree is less money spent). But also, sometimes it's the only path a family can afford and it's not like there isn't any aid for transfer students. It depends on lots of factors.

Thank you! I filled out the FAFSA this summer when DD19 surprised us with “I want to college”. But then I never heard anything back. I was reading in another thread that there’s a specific time this needs to be filled out? Is that right? I’ve done some calculators for estimates and it looks like we might be in the “high needs” category, or slightly above depending on the estimate. We don’t want our kids to have tons of debt so I’m glad there are limits, but that also limits their options a lot. But that could be a helpful place to start as well. 

[ScoutTN]

The FAFSA for the coming school year usually opens in the fall, but will be delayed this year. I think one you did this summer would only apply to the current school year.  

[2ndGenHomeschooler]

1 hour ago, ScoutTN said:

Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, New Mexico, South Carolina, Tennessee, and West Virginia have lottery-funded merit scholarships. Info on those is available at the states’ .gov websites.

We’re in New England. Are these scholarships for residents of those states or anyone?

[8filltheheart]

11 minutes ago, 2ndGenHomeschooler said:

So I can talk to the financial aid offices of schools even before they apply? That would be helpful. Are they likely to give me accurate information and a decent ballpark figure? Not exact of course, but close enough to be useful? 

A question about merit aid….how would I know if my DC are likely to get merit aid? Is this based off of SAT/ACT test scores? Neither of my older DDs have taken these. Can students who have already graduated take them? 

I have been giving homeschool to college workshops since 2014.  FA is about 1/2 of my workshop.  I present the information to parents starting with absolute basics.  Federal student loans are the maximum loan amt students can take out unless they get private loans (which will require cosigning.)  Understanding loan limits can narrow down college selection options if parents are not going to assist.  

 

After understanding loan limits, I discuss Pell grants.  When you put your information into the FAFSA calculator, the number it spits out is not the expected amt your students will pay.  The simplest way that the number is used is to determine Pell grant eligibility.  Grants are essentially free money that does not need to be paid back.  

For students with the most need, they may also qualify for FSEOG, "A student awarded with the FSEOG is given anything between $100.00 and $4,000.00 per year depending on the gravity of the person’s financial aid need."

Then there are institutional grants that some schools give.  Institutional grants tend to come from private schools and a smaller number of public schools.  Grant $$ is also based on need.  Schools have net price calculators that can give a generalized estimate.  The more questions the calculator asks, the more likely the number is going to be fairly accurate.  Junk in often means junk out.

Lastly, there are merit scholarships.  Merit scholarships can be automatic meaning that they are typically GPA/test score related.  X GPA combined with Y test score = $abc  Those amts are usually published on the college's websites.  Schools often offer "merit scholarships" that are really nothing more than "token" scholarships that schools give to nearly every student who applies (which is more the case at overpriced privates).  Then there are competitive scholarships.  Usually competitive scholarships are found on school websites and the scholarships are "named."  Competitive scholarships are exactly that, competitive.  College application deadlines for competitive scholarships can be quite early in the yr, as early as Oct 15 to Nov 1.

Our kids fall across a range of applicants.  We have had kids who have attended on full ride competitive scholarships.  We have kids who have attended on GPA/test score scholarships.  We have also had kids who were not qualified for those and who have attended a CC with the option to transfer (this is most likely our current sr's scenario.)  HTH

[8filltheheart]

For GPA/test score type scholarships and are open to anyone but usually have higher test score requirements for out of state students.  If they have not yet taken the tests, they need to before they make a plan.  If they have already taken any CC classes since graduating from high school, they may have lost their opportunity to qualify for many of them bc they won't be consider first time freshman (though there are a few schools that allow under a certain number of cr hrs to still be considered incoming freshman.)

What sorts of high school courses did they take?  Did they dual enroll?  Did they take any AP classes?  What was their highest level of math? etc.  Those sorts of answers will determine not only competitiveness for admission but also for merit aid. 

 

Edited October 1, 2023 by 8filltheheart
deleted incorrect info

[cintinative]

11 minutes ago, 2ndGenHomeschooler said:

We’re in New England. Are these scholarships for residents of those states or anyone?

for FL Bright Futures, you must be a FL resident

For TN Hope Scholarship, you must be a TN resident

Kentucky's KEES program is for "KY students"

GA:  "Georgia's HOPE Scholarship is available to Georgia residents who have demonstrated academic achievement."

I didn't look up the rest. I think they are only for residents.

 

[ScoutTN]

As @teachermom2834 said, each kid’s journey is unique and often not replicable.

We figured out what we could afford and started there. We are no debt people and our current college student will not likely have high earning potential, so loans are not on the table.

Dd focused on regional public universities with good merit aid for her scores. She applied to a couple of private schools too, but the money would not work, even with very generous scholarships at one. 
 

The combo of our state’s lottery scholarship, automatic merit aid for scores, and a major-specific scholarship, cover all tuition, fees, books, and put a small dent into housing cost. Just room and board is a lot! 
 

For us, the two years free at community college would not be a deal bc she would not get the four year freshman merit aid or the departmental scholarship. Two years full pay is more than four years with her scholarships. Plus relationships, better classes, study abroad, internships and other opportunities that Dd really wants and the ccs don’t offer. She needed to get out and spread her wings! 

Edited October 2, 2023 by ScoutTN

[ScoutTN]

19 minutes ago, 2ndGenHomeschooler said:

We’re in New England. Are these scholarships for residents of those states or anyone?

They are for state residents at in-state schools. Each state has different specifics. 

Edited October 1, 2023 by ScoutTN

[8filltheheart]

7 minutes ago, cintinative said:

for FL Bright Futures, you must be a FL resident

For TN Hope Scholarship, you must be a TN resident

Kentucky's KEES program is for "KY students"

GA:  "Georgia's HOPE Scholarship is available to Georgia residents who have demonstrated academic achievement."

I didn't look up the rest. I think they are only for residents.

 

Your correct.  I was thinking about states with easy to determine merit scholarship.  Though, unless things have changed recently, students are able to qualify for FL's national merit scholarships at their public Us where when my older kids were applying to college, they couldn't.

ETA:  I did a quick search.  I think it is called the Benacquisto Scholarship Program (FL)

KY looks like they still have their automatic scholarships for OOS.  Fall 2024 Freshmen | UK Student Financial Aid and Scholarships (uky.edu)

Edited October 1, 2023 by 8filltheheart

[cintinative]

2 minutes ago, ScoutTN said:

They are for state residents at in-state schools. Each state has different specifics.

Just in case someone else is reading this thread and wonders, I did find something on KY's scholarship thing about being able to use the scholarship on certain out of state schools (certain states are excluded) if the major wasn't available in KY.  But you still have to be a KY resident.  😃 

[ScoutTN]

Some schools near our state borders will give the amount of our lottery-funded scholarship to entice students in. Public regional schools like Western KY. 

[Farrar]

1 hour ago, 2ndGenHomeschooler said:

So I can talk to the financial aid offices of schools even before they apply? That would be helpful. Are they likely to give me accurate information and a decent ballpark figure? Not exact of course, but close enough to be useful? 
 

A question about merit aid….how would I know if my DC are likely to get merit aid? Is this based off of SAT/ACT test scores? Neither of my older DDs have taken these. Can students who have already graduated take them? 

You can call financial aid offices. Yes. Please do. Yes, they'll usually be pretty honest, but remember they want you to apply and are still a bit in the sales end.

You can also fill out the NET PRICE CALCULATOR. These are usually good estimates. They're something you should do in conjunction with talking to the aid office. The aid office can speak generally. The NPC will be a computer calculation based on your actual finances, which you'll enter.

Students can take the SAT after graduation.

SAT scores can be useful for merit at some schools, meaningless at others. There's zero way for anyone to make a blanket statement.

It's possible that your student can apply test optional. Especially at this point.

Finally, I saw you mention community college. Once a graduated student take a college course of any kind, they risk becoming a transfer student. Please keep that in mind before choosing to go that route. If she wants to go to a four year school, then she needs to not start community college until she understands if the courses won't ruin her ability to apply where she wants.

[cintinative]

1 hour ago, 8filltheheart said:

 

ETA:  I did a quick search.  I think it is called the Benacquisto Scholarship Program (FL)

KY looks like they still have their automatic scholarships for OOS.  Fall 2024 Freshmen | UK Student Financial Aid and Scholarships (uky.edu)

FYI

On page one of your attachment "NOTE: Non-Florida residents will no longer be accepted into the Benacquisto Scholarship Program for the 2022-23 academic year and beyond."

[8filltheheart]

28 minutes ago, cintinative said:

FYI

On page one of your attachment "NOTE: Non-Florida residents will no longer be accepted into the Benacquisto Scholarship Program for the 2022-23 academic year and beyond."

Sad.  It was obviously a short-lived option--sometime after 2017 to no later than 2023.

[Shoeless]

Ruin her ability to apply? That seems a bit dramatic. Community college doesn't ruin someone for future college coursework at a 4-year institution. 

OP, many states have transfer agreements between the community colleges and the state universities. Some of them, like NY, even have guarantees that if a student graduates with an A.S. or A.A. from a state c.c., they have guaranteed admission to a 4-year state school. 

The student needs to make sure they are taking courses that will transfer from cc to a 4-year university.  Taking classes willy-nilly without making sure they fit the transfer plan isn't a good idea.  I have a 2-year degree from community college. My 200-level microbiology class would transfer to a state university because the state uni has a course that is comparable in scope and sequence to my previous course. My applied-veterinary-nursing classes would not transfer in as anything but "general elective credit" because the 4-year uni does not have a comparable course or program. 

It's the same with CLEP exams. Some schools will grant credit for the Chemistry CLEP, others won't, (as an example). It all depends on how closely the exam matches what that particular school teaches.  You can look this information up on the school's website and determine whether or not it makes sense for your student to take a particular exam.  Most CLEP exams are freshman college level courses. There are a few that come in as sophomore level, but it's mostly 100 level. These can be a good way to knock out general education classes, provided you know that the receiving institution will accept the exam and grant the credit where you need it.    

You can also get a lot of information about a school's financials by googling <name of school> common data set. You can find out how likely it is your kids will be accepted into the school, what their admissions requirements are, what the requirements are for transfer students, if they accept CLEP, AP, DSST, military credits. etc. 

 

 

[Matryoshka]

7 hours ago, 2ndGenHomeschooler said:

We’re in New England. Are these scholarships for residents of those states or anyone?

Which state? Each New England state is different in what the state schools are like.  I'm in MA and there's great CC -> public Uni agreements, especially if you're intentional about which courses you take and what will transfer to which programs/majors.

I know less about the other states.  New England states do not have the generous automatic scholarships a lot of southern/Midwestern states seem to. 

[Lori D.]

1 hour ago, Shoeless said:

Ruin her ability to apply? That seems a bit dramatic. Community college doesn't ruin someone for future college coursework at a 4-year institution. 

OP, many states have transfer agreements between the community colleges and the state universities. Some of them, like NY, even have guarantees that if a student graduates with an A.S. or A.A. from a state c.c., they have guaranteed admission to a 4-year state school. 

The student needs to make sure they are taking courses that will transfer from cc to a 4-year university....

@Farrar may also be referring to the potential missing out on the ability to apply for freshman scholarships, which are the largest awards and most often renewable awards (good for 4 years, as long as the student keeps up the scholarship requirements). In contrast, transfer students are only eligible for transfer scholarships which are more frequently much smaller awards (than freshman scholarships), and often tend to be 1 time awards. 

The difference between freshman scholarships and transfer scholarships can be quite significant.

Yes, run the numbers and see if accumulating credits from CLEP tests, dual enrollment, and/or taking 2 years of credits at the community college and transferring to the 4-year university that accepts one or more of those options as credit towards the degree program is a better financial option -- or if landing a big 4-year freshman scholarship is what saves the most $$ on college costs.

[2ndGenHomeschooler]

12 hours ago, Farrar said:

You can call financial aid offices. Yes. Please do. Yes, they'll usually be pretty honest, but remember they want you to apply and are still a bit in the sales end.

You can also fill out the NET PRICE CALCULATOR. These are usually good estimates. They're something you should do in conjunction with talking to the aid office. The aid office can speak generally. The NPC will be a computer calculation based on your actual finances, which you'll enter.

Students can take the SAT after graduation.

SAT scores can be useful for merit at some schools, meaningless at others. There's zero way for anyone to make a blanket statement.

It's possible that your student can apply test optional. Especially at this point.

Finally, I saw you mention community college. Once a graduated student take a college course of any kind, they risk becoming a transfer student. Please keep that in mind before choosing to go that route. If she wants to go to a four year school, then she needs to not start community college until she understands if the courses won't ruin her ability to apply where she wants.

I didn’t realize that attending CC first could effect the cost of the four year school later. That’s really good to know. Another thing to check into. We were thinking of skipping the SAT since it wouldn’t be needed for CC but maybe we should consider doing it anyway. I really should have started researching all of this sooner.  But I had no idea there could be so much to consider. 

[2ndGenHomeschooler]

7 hours ago, Shoeless said:

Ruin her ability to apply? That seems a bit dramatic. Community college doesn't ruin someone for future college coursework at a 4-year institution. 

OP, many states have transfer agreements between the community colleges and the state universities. Some of them, like NY, even have guarantees that if a student graduates with an A.S. or A.A. from a state c.c., they have guaranteed admission to a 4-year state school. 

The student needs to make sure they are taking courses that will transfer from cc to a 4-year university.  Taking classes willy-nilly without making sure they fit the transfer plan isn't a good idea.  I have a 2-year degree from community college. My 200-level microbiology class would transfer to a state university because the state uni has a course that is comparable in scope and sequence to my previous course. My applied-veterinary-nursing classes would not transfer in as anything but "general elective credit" because the 4-year uni does not have a comparable course or program. 

It's the same with CLEP exams. Some schools will grant credit for the Chemistry CLEP, others won't, (as an example). It all depends on how closely the exam matches what that particular school teaches.  You can look this information up on the school's website and determine whether or not it makes sense for your student to take a particular exam.  Most CLEP exams are freshman college level courses. There are a few that come in as sophomore level, but it's mostly 100 level. These can be a good way to knock out general education classes, provided you know that the receiving institution will accept the exam and grant the credit where you need it.    

You can also get a lot of information about a school's financials by googling <name of school> common data set. You can find out how likely it is your kids will be accepted into the school, what their admissions requirements are, what the requirements are for transfer students, if they accept CLEP, AP, DSST, military credits. etc. 

 

 

I know we need to make sure her credits will transfer if we go that route. I learned that this summer talking to a friend who’s fighting her DC school to accept something. That was, I think, the point where I realized there was more to this than I first thought. 
 

I think our state has guaranteed admission between CC and state 4 year schools. Problem is, DD wants to go out of state after CC. We may need to rethink that. Or at least do a lot more research before we decide. 
 

Good tip for how to search for information. Thanks. 

[2ndGenHomeschooler]

6 hours ago, Matryoshka said:

Which state? Each New England state is different in what the state schools are like.  I'm in MA and there's great CC -> public Uni agreements, especially if you're intentional about which courses you take and what will transfer to which programs/majors.

I know less about the other states.  New England states do not have the generous automatic scholarships a lot of southern/Midwestern states seem to. 

We’re in CT. I think there’s good CC to university agreements here but DD isn’t really interested in going there at this point. Maybe we should look into it though. 

[8filltheheart]

33 minutes ago, 2ndGenHomeschooler said:

I think our state has guaranteed admission between CC and state 4 year schools. Problem is, DD wants to go out of state after CC. We may need to rethink that. Or at least do a lot more research before we decide. 
 

Fwiw, our kids do not pick the schools they want to attend bc they want to attend there.  That simply isn't their reality.  Unless your dd is considering schools that offer extremely generous grant or merit aid that she will qualify for, without parental assistance, that is most likely not going to be your dd's reality, either.  Just room and board can run between $10K-20K/yr.  Then you have tuition, books, fees.   That is why I posted the chart listing maximum federal student loans.  Most students are not going to be able to fund 4 yrs of a non-commuter school without parental funding.  (One of our dd's received a full tuition scholarship to a private that was worth about $70K/yr.  She still couldn't afford to attend bc room and board would have been between $18-20k/yr.  That is way outside of our budget and there was no way for her to fund that herself.)

I can share what my kids have found.  Private schools are not an option.  We make too much money for them to qualify for institutional grant aid.  Most privates do not allow scholarship $$ to stack.  (Stacking means that they can be awarded multiple different scholarships without the school eliminating the awards.  There are schools that determine familial contribution and if a student wins additional scholarships, the school will start eliminating institutional aid so that the net difference remains the same.)

Only my extremely competitive kids have been able to afford to go away to college.  My current college sr and my high school sr are not in that category.  My college sr is attending the local 4 yr U on automatic scholarship $$, but she was not an academically strong enough student to compete for scholarships that would pay for housing.  My current high school sr is taking the SAT again next weekend to see if she can get her score high enough to qualify for the next level of automatic scholarship $$.   ($$ amts go up with score)  If she can't raise her score, she will start at the local CC and then transfer to the local 4 yr to finish.  

Anyway, the long way to my pt is that budget is their very first filter.   Cost and major are the only 2 filters they can use.  Their process is way different than kids who have parents who will fund whatever college costs they face.  

 

 

Edited October 2, 2023 by 8filltheheart

[ScoutTN]

Once we knew the financial side, and she had met professors to discuss academics and career goals, my Dd decided based on things like the campus look and vibe, school size, distance away, etc. As 8 said, money and major were the determining factors.
 

Every school has strengths and weaknesses; to some degree kids need to decide to bloom where they are planted and make the most of their opportunities. Excellent education is available in a multitude of ways and much depends on the student’s diligence, initiative, and zeal.

Edited October 2, 2023 by ScoutTN

[2ndGenHomeschooler]

37 minutes ago, 8filltheheart said:

Fwiw, our kids do not pick the schools they want to attend bc they want to attend there.  That simply isn't their reality.  Unless your dd is considering schools that offer extremely generous grant or merit aid that she will qualify for, without parental assistance, that is most likely not going to be your dd's reality, either.  Just room and board can run between $10K-20K/yr.  Then you have tuition, books, fees.   That is why I posted the chart listing maximum federal student loans.  Most students are not going to be able to fund 4 yrs of a non-commuter school without parental funding.  (One of our dd's received a full tuition scholarship to a private that was worth about $70K/yr.  She still couldn't afford to attend bc room and board would have been between $18-20k/yr.  That is way outside of our budget and there was no way for her to fund that herself.)

I can share what my kids have found.  Private schools are not an option.  We make too much money for them to qualify for institutional grant aid.  Most privates do not allow scholarship $$ to stack.  (Stacking means that they can be awarded multiple different scholarships without the school eliminating the awards.  There are schools that determine familial contribution and if a student wins additional scholarships, the school will start eliminating institutional aid so that the net difference remains the same.)

Only my extremely competitive kids have been able to afford to go away to college.  My current college sr and my high school sr are not in that category.  My college sr is attending the local 4 yr U on automatic scholarship $$, but she was not an academically strong enough student to compete for scholarships that would pay for housing.  My current high school sr is taking the SAT again next weekend to see if she can get her score high enough to qualify for the next level of automatic scholarship $$.   ($$ amts go up with score)  If she can't raise her score, she will start at the local CC and then transfer to the local 4 yr to finish.  

Anyway, the long way to my pt is that budget is their very first filter.   Cost and major are the only 2 filters they can use.  Their process is way different than kids who have parents who will fund whatever college costs they face.  

 

 

The more I read, the more I think this will be our reality too. I want DD to attend the private Christian school she’s looking at. I think it would be a good fit for her and it‘s where her friends will be, but I’m not willing to do it at the expense of DH and I taking on debt we really can’t afford. We have worked very hard and live very frugally to remain debt free (except our mortgage). We have other DC at home to consider and we want to be financially set as we age so that our adult DC are not burdened financially caring for us (as we may be with one set of our parents). The friends who are sending their kids away to school seem to be in similar financial situations as us so I assumed we’d be able to make the same decisions. Now I’m realizing that there may be many other factors and perspectives involved. 

[8filltheheart]

3 minutes ago, 2ndGenHomeschooler said:

The more I read, the more I think this will be our reality too. I want DD to attend the private Christian school she’s looking at. I think it would be a good fit for her and it‘s where her friends will be, but I’m not willing to do it at the expense of DH and I taking on debt we really can’t afford. We have worked very hard and live very frugally to remain debt free (except our mortgage). We have other DC at home to consider and we want to be financially set as we age so that our adult DC are not burdened financially caring for us (as we may be with one set of our parents). The friends who are sending their kids away to school seem to be in similar financial situations as us so I assumed we’d be able to make the same decisions. Now I’m realizing that there may be many other factors and perspectives involved. 

Absolutely.  We know lots of families who fund their kids' college expenses and/or are willing to take on debt.  We are debt adverse.  We refuse to take on debt for college and have encouraged our kids to take the same approach and not take it on themselves.  So far, 5 of our kids have attended college with no debt for us or them.  It has been doable, but it means that college has been approached with a more utilitarian perspective and not about experience.

[Farrar]

9 hours ago, Shoeless said:

Ruin her ability to apply? That seems a bit dramatic. Community college doesn't ruin someone for future college coursework at a 4-year institution. 

 

Of course not. But taking a community college class after graduation means you can’t apply as a first year student anymore. That means forgoing scholarships and aid meant for freshmen. That’s FINE. The transfer path is good too. My only point is that students should affirmatively choose it and not putter about in a class or two then decide they’re ready to apply to college only to realize they now must attend a community college and get an associates. I’ve seen it happen a bunch of times and the realization isn’t fun. If a student graduates high school and wants that route, that’s 100% different.

[teachermom2834]

You also just don’t know how other people are paying for college. They may be taking on tons of debt or they may have an inheritance or grandparents that are paying or any variety of factors. 
 

But none of that is a reality for my family. Great if you have grandparents to pay and I have found a lot of people do or you had an inheritance you set aside or you know an inheritance is coming someday and so taking on some debt is reasonable. That is all so far fetched from my life experience that I really didn’t realize how many people do live that reality. For those of us that don’t, listening to 8’s advice and Scout’s perspective is really helpful. 
 

Another thing to keep in mind, and it sounds like you are there, is to be realistic. A lot of people throw out “you never know!” and “millions of scholarship money goes unclaimed” and  “there is tons of financial aid available” and the reality is you can get a pretty good idea from net price calculators. Rarely does money just show up unexpected and make the impossible possible. 

[2ndGenHomeschooler]

13 minutes ago, teachermom2834 said:

You also just don’t know how other people are paying for college. They may be taking on tons of debt or they may have an inheritance or grandparents that are paying or any variety of factors. 
 

But none of that is a reality for my family. Great if you have grandparents to pay and I have found a lot of people do or you had an inheritance you set aside or you know an inheritance is coming someday and so taking on some debt is reasonable. That is all so far fetched from my life experience that I really didn’t realize how many people do live that reality. For those of us that don’t, listening to 8’s advice and Scout’s perspective is really helpful. 
 

Another thing to keep in mind, and it sounds like you are there, is to be realistic. A lot of people throw out “you never know!” and “millions of scholarship money goes unclaimed” and  “there is tons of financial aid available” and the reality is you can get a pretty good idea from net price calculators. Rarely does money just show up unexpected and make the impossible possible. 

Yes, I’ve heard all the “tons of financial aid” and “unclaimed scholarship money” points a lot. I didn’t quite realize how unrealistic that could all be. Also, my oldest two DD are unlikely, I think, to score higher than average on SAT/ACT tests so additional aid for high scores won’t be an option. Maybe I’ll encourage them to at least take some practice tests to see. 
 

We won’t have help from grandparents for sure. One set has offered but their help will be refused as they will likely be unable to really even provide for themselves in a few years. There is one relative who could help with college expenses, but while we have a good relationship, it’s not nearly close enough to expect or ask for help. 
 

I was playing around with some net price calculators this morning and its looking like living at home while taking the CC -> state university route will be by far the cheapest. Since the girls will be paying for school themselves I think I will encourage them to do this for the schools they’re looking at attending. Might help the “reality” conversations going forward. 

[cintinative]

We are in the same boat as many of the posters on this thread.  We have very little saved for my kids (not even enough for tuition for two years at a state U).  My oldest doesn't want any debt, which I respect. So we are looking at commuting.   (Note: I get that there a people who don't live commuting distance from colleges. That's not our situation.) 

I have heard a lot of "private schools' tuition are similar to public u's after all the scholarships and discounts" stuff.  A lot of stories about how the colleges "work with you."  I have run my own calculations on those college's websites, and it just doesn't add up for us.  And, as has been mentioned upthread, that room and board cost is a huge factor. 

In many ways, I feel like we are going against the grain of what others are doing.  There seems to be this expectation that going to college means going away.  But when I applied to school billions of years ago, my parents had money saved, AND it wasn't this expensive.  When my dad went to college (as a 1st generation college attender), he commuted and paid his way through.  So I am holding the idea that my kids have to have the same experience as me very loosely. It's only been one generation since my dad did the exact same thing my son is going to do.  

[elegantlion]

3 hours ago, 2ndGenHomeschooler said:

I know we need to make sure her credits will transfer if we go that route. I learned that this summer talking to a friend who’s fighting her DC school to accept something. That was, I think, the point where I realized there was more to this than I first thought. 
 

I think our state has guaranteed admission between CC and state 4 year schools. Problem is, DD wants to go out of state after CC. We may need to rethink that. Or at least do a lot more research before we decide. 
 

Good tip for how to search for information. Thanks. 

Ds started at a local university (small school) and wanted to transfer after 2 years. Against my advice, he applied to only out of state schools. He was accepted to all of them, but the scholarships he received were minimal compared to the freshman scholarship he had received (which covered 4 years). Add out of state tuition on top of that and those schools became financially out of reach. He ended up staying at the university he was at and graduating from there. 

[Melanie32]

From your response to me, I was wondering if you’re associating CLEP with something you only do before you start college? My daughter is taking a lighter course load of college classes to make time for CLEP tests. She is moving through her AA faster and saving lots of money that way. Thankfully I have been able to pay for the classes she is taking so she will have her AA debt free. 
 

She is also saving any money she makes to put towards her bachelors degree. She has joined the honor society for community colleges and is keeping her GPA high in hopes of scholarship money. There is already a guaranteed scholarship at her chosen university for being a member of the honor society. She is planning on applying for every little scholarship she can find as lots of little things can add up. 

Edited October 2, 2023 by Melanie32

[chiguirre]

3 hours ago, 8filltheheart said:

Fwiw, our kids do not pick the schools they want to attend bc they want to attend there.  That simply isn't their reality. 

I think this is most people's reality. It's certainly reality for my dd. There are relatively few places where you can study online at a highly ranked university. Most online programs are set up as branch campuses and their degree is from that branch campus instead of the main university. UF is really dd's only option if she wants a name brand diploma from a Top 30 school. 

[Lori D.]

On 10/2/2023 at 7:27 AM, Melanie32 said:

From your response to me, I was wondering if you’re associating CLEP with something you only do before you start college? My daughter is taking a lighter course load of college classes to make time for CLEP tests...

That is super she is able to make such great use of CLEPs! 😄 

Just using your post here @Melanie32, as a springboard for anyone thinking about CLEPS:

You do have to check what the university's policy is. Some colleges do NOT accept CLEPS that are taken WHILE also enrolled in the university. For example, my local big state university does not -- all CLEPS must be taken no closer than 3 months before starting at the university. Alas. In those cases, all of the CLEP tests must be taken prior to starting classes at that school. So, yes, for some people that means doing CLEP before starting college.

So definitely check what the future university's policy is on CLEPs. Not only if they are allowed simultaneously while attending the college, or if they must be done in advance -- but also what is the college's maximum allowed "credits by exam" (CLEP, AP, and DSST tests for credits). And if that total "credits by exam" allowed is also part of a maximum total credits accepted from outside of the school -- so, transfer credits (from DE, or from college credits earned at another school) PLUS "credits by exam."

If CLEP is a good option for a student's situation (good self-learners, good test-takers, the university accepts CLEPs for credit toward the major), check out the nonprofit organization Modern States, (mentioned/linked up-thread by @chiguirre 😄 ) which offers helps for taking CLEP tests, plus the ability to apply to have the cost of the CLEP tests reimbursed. 
 

On 10/2/2023 at 7:27 AM, Melanie32 said:

...She is also saving any money she makes to put towards her bachelors degree. She has joined the honor society for community colleges and is keeping her GPA high in hopes of scholarship money. There is already a guaranteed scholarship at her chosen university for being a member of the honor society. She is planning on applying for every little scholarship she can find as lots of little things can add up. 

That is awesome! 

Again just using your post here @Melanie32, as a springboard for discussing pros and cons of "outside" scholarships". 😉 

- "inside" scholarships = those awarded by the college
- "outside scholarships" = those awards by groups, companies, or organizations other than the college
- "stacking" = a college policy which allows a student to "stack" all of their "outside" awards on top of the college's "inside" scholarships. so students get the full benefit of all free money awarded to them.

Unfortunately, some colleges do NOT allow "stacking," and they DECREASE the amount in the financial aid package they would have offered to the student by the amount of that "outside" money the student is bringing in. When colleges don't allow stacking, over 60% of the time, the college first reduces the amount of scholarships/grants they would have offered to the student--but they still offer loans.

Not being allowed to "stack" scholarships is not as much of a detriment (usually) to transfer students, as the amount of "inside" scholarships awarded to transfer students is smaller -- the # of scholarships available, and the amount of the scholarship. Plus, transfer scholarships tend to be one-time awards (good for one year).

However, this policy really can hurt incoming freshman, as freshman scholarships are usually the more plentiful, of the largest amount, and are frequently "renewable" (good for up to 4 years, if the student maintains the requirements for the scholarship. If the college reduces that freshman scholarship it would have awarded, then all the student has is those "outside" scholarships for the freshman year (usually "outside" scholarships are 1-time awards). So the student is "out" the scholarship money for the next 3 years that they would have had from the "inside" scholarship--that the college did not award because of the "non-stacking" policy.

Again, research, research, research each and every college that is a potential on your list! 

 

Edited November 11, 2023 by Lori D.

[Melanie32]

Thanks for all the info Lori D! You are a wealth of information!

[8filltheheart]

To add on to Lori's post, some Us don't allow stacking within the U.  So, say a dept offers a scholarship to a student who is also receiving institutional grant $.  The grant $ money may be reduced by the amt of the dept scholarship.  

My kids have stacked $$ within their school.  For example, a freshman admission scholarship + dept scholarship + honors program scholarship, etc.

[Lori D.]

2 hours ago, 2ndGenHomeschooler said:

...I was playing around with some net price calculators this morning and its looking like living at home while taking the CC -> state university route will be by far the cheapest. Since the girls will be paying for school themselves I think I will encourage them to do this for the schools they’re looking at attending. Might help the “reality” conversations going forward. 

The "2 + 2" option -- 2 years at the local CC, transfer and finish 2 years the local university, all while living at home and being a commuter student -- was really the only financial option that worked for us as well.

If one of your students *really* wants the "go away to college" experience, you might look into one of the schools in the Work Colleges Consortium. In this option students work on/near the college campus year-round to pay for their tuition and room/board. A homeschooling friend had #2 of 4 children choose to go this route at Berea College in KY.

Berea has a good reputation, but you DO want to be careful about some colleges that call themselves "tuition free" -- because they then recover their costs through lots of extremely high "required fees" that are NOT part of a student-work-repayment-program.

 

If your DC will be having to pay for college themselves, I suggest reading through some of those "alternative ways to fund college" threads that I linked in my first post up-thread. One option that comes to mind -- work at a company that has a tuition reimbursement program (Starbucks, Chipotle, Walgreens, etc.). Usually you have to have worked for the company 9-12 months before the benefit kicks in, and it doesn't cover all of the tuition, BUT... the son of my good friend worked at Chipotle for 3 years, and those last 2 years, each semester he received several thousand dollars towards his college costs.

See these articles for lists of companies with a college tuition reimbursement benefit program:
- Best Colleges: "40 Companies that Pay for College" -- article updated Feb. 2023
- Get: Schooled: "25+ Companies with College Tuition Reimbursement" -- article updated Aug. 2023

[Lori D.]

On 10/1/2023 at 1:49 PM, 2ndGenHomeschooler said:

DD19 insisted she was never going to college so I didn’t look into it much for her. I figured if she ever went it would be to our local community college. Then out of nowhere this summer she told us she wanted to get away for a year for the experience and wants to go to a small Bible college with a friend for a one year Bible certificate. Not my first choice for her at all but I’m trying to be supportive and figure this out. 

I would really look hard at what the 1-year Bible certificate will help her with. It may totally be worth it just for the education/knowledge gained, and the opportunity to spread her wings and be out on her own -- but that can be a very expensive sort of way to gain that experience -- esp. if mom & dad are paying for some/all of it, or if DD has to go into debt for it.

Could the Bible learning/education happen at home through an online program?
Could the going away experience happen through a work-abroad kind of program?
What about just getting a job and moving into an apartment with a friend and start living actual "adulting"?
Or a volunteering/missions sort of program where her work there pays for her living expenses?

What about AmeriCorps?
Secular, domestic version of the Peace Corps; you volunteer (no pay, but are given food/housing stipend), and work in the area you apply for/are accepted somewhere in the U.S.; the length of your volunteering commitment (3-, 6-, 9-, or 12-months) provides a college tuition credit at the end of that time that can be used any time in the 7 years after earning it.

(Our DS#2 served 9 months with a trail restoration group under AmeriCorps, and earned a $4,000 credit that he thought he would never use, but when he moved into wildland firefighting, he was able to use it to pay his tuition for an accelerated EMT course that was offered through a university, so he was able to use all of that college credit!)

All that to say, do a lot of research with your 19yo, and have a lot of talks:
- WHY does she want to go to college?
- And what is her end goal, not only about college, but beyond?
- How (or not) would a 1-year certificate from a Bible College help her get to those goals?
- Why that Bible College? (is it just for the fun of a year-long "sleep over" with a friend 😉 )
- Has she done any career exploration -- both to see what's out there, but also how does a person get to that career of interest -- does it take a college degree? Maybe only on-the-job training, or a certificate, or an Associate's (AAS) degree? Or maybe not only a Bachelor's, but also a Master's and maybe a PhD? And if it does take advanced degrees, how would THOSE be paid for?

If career exploration would be a good first step, check out the bottom of PAGE 6 of that College Motherlode thread pinned at the top of the WTM college board. Here are a few to get you started: 
 

CAREER EXPLORATION
Career testing/counseling (2nd post links tons of resources for tests, exploration, curricula, etc.) 

career exploration
How to explore possible career/major fits? 
Ideas for [putting together a] course on career research/planning 

career tests
Best free or cheap career tests? 
Career aptitude testing free? 
How to explore possible career/major fits?

career guidance
How do you do career guidance as a homeschooler? 
College and career planning 
How to help students choose a career (responses include ideas for career exploration)

Edited November 11, 2023 by Lori D.