How was the aid package ? what college does your child attend ?

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Isn't the aid package a big function of your income and assets? i.e. without divulging lots of private stuff, it's probably difficult to draw any conclusions....

My DS was accepted to one private college (RPI) and was offered a $15K/year academic scholarship against a $55/year tuition, fees, housing. He did not accept that offer.

We do not qualify for aid of any sort.

cj/

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I was walking home one night and a guy hammering on a roof called me a paranoid little weirdo. In morse code. -Emo Phillips

My daughter went to a private college and while the FASFA is a big part of the package, there is a lot of endowment money available from private donors and trusts from alumni, etc. It actually cost me less to send her to a small private school (with higher tuition) than the school my son went to.

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*******If life gives you lemons, make lemonade.
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Yes, Sandy, that is why I am asking. I've heard of several kids going to a private college and getting more aid than a state college.

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I think it depends on the size of the private college. My daughter goes to a private college-- Concordia University in NE. They only accept about 400 new students each year. They do not do full ride scholarships. She only gets about half paid. If she went to a public college or university here she could have had a full ride scholarship.

DD will be attending the Rocky Mountain College of Art & Design in Denver, CO in the Fall. They also never ever give full ride scholarships. She was offered a $7000 per year renewable academic scholarship and an $800 per year renewable talent scholarship as long as she stays a full time student. Because DD turned down full tuition scholarships at more than one CA State University, she has to pay for her tuition at RMCAD. We got her a deferred student loan with us as co-signers. We are paying for her housing and she has applied for a campus job for spending money. We also didn't qualify for any government/state aid.

Wow guys, this is great new info. DS just finished his first year @ a public college in NC (out of state for him). They have an awesome alumni base. When we talked to financial aid, we were told that 26K (tuition, room, and board) was the worst case scenario, and that NO ONE gets worse case scenario. Guess what? Pat's tuition last year hit that mark. His GPA was higher than most. That FASFA stuff is a joke. We were told that we should be able to contribute $1100 per month towards his education. We could certainly do that, if we did not eat, or have electricity, or buy gas for the cars. The "Please tell us why you think your kid should attend for less" essay from the school-another joke." We had lots of reasons, unfortunately, they just looked at the pay stubs....Patrick loves, loves, loves, his school, and had an awesome first year. If we do the math, after four years, he will be over $100K in debt---and he wants to be an elementary school teacher.....The system is so messed up!!!!

We get nothing through FASFA, but because of grades, leadership and major, my dd receives several thousand in scholarships. It is one of the least expensive private colleges, Lancaster Bible. I just would suggest hunting everywhere for money. When dd graduated we signed up for everything and got a presidential scholarship because of her community service. She got some money from different clubs she was in.
I have heard some gas and phone companies and banks give out small scholarships. They all add up. Hunt everywhere.

But the best savings was:

When my dd looked at the cost and her scholarships, she wanted to live at college and realized she needed to squeeze 4 years into 3 in order to afford it. She took the maximum amount of credits each semester and then on winter breaks and summer she took lots of credits at our local community college for FAR CHEAPER. All the credits were pre-approved for transfer to her private college. She is also going to take 1 online (pre-approved) course for only $299 for 3 credits.
This saved a bundle. She took the classes at her private college that they were BEST known for and had the best teachers, then she took her general education classes at our community college that they were best at. They even have visiting professors from NYU and other prestigious institutions so she got the best of both worlds at a bargain price.

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My Daughter went to Mary Hardin Baylor. No scholarship and it was really expensive. We did not qualify for any financial aid from the school or FAFSA. But with the work study program and a couple private grants it was easier.

Thank goodness my DS is going to Texas State. About half the cost and only 1.5 hours from home.

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Mary

Private school does not have to cost a great deal more than public. What kind of a student is you child? Our experience is that endowed merit aid can really be beneficial. DS will receive about $22,000 a year from his college. Based on our FAFSA, we would not receive anything, but the college really came through so that DS can go to the university he wants to attend.

My student is pretty good. He gets A's & B's. His GPA now in a soon to be sr. ( fall ) is 3.429. I am thinking of U. of Miami in Fl as a private school.

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It isn't just about grades, especially for merit scholarships. Make sure your son is involved in school activities (not just sports) as well as community service, volunteering, etc. It really makes a difference when filling out applications. Also, go to the library or Barnes and Nobles and look at the scholarship books. There is money out there for everything you can think of, based on nationality, religion, hobbies, etc. For the cost of a stamp, who knows, you just might get $500 or $1000

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*******If life gives you lemons, make lemonade.
But if life gives you limes....make margaritas!!!*******