Fed Financial
Will financial aid (FAFSA) cover off campus housing in California?
I plan to go to UCSD. But I am worried that I will not have enough money to pay an apartment. Will he FAFSA be enough? My EFC is 0
Public Comments
- No FAFSA doesnt cover off campus housing you're on your own with that one. It will cover on campus housing like dorms and apartments ran by the college.
- YES IT WILL COVER OFF CAMPUS HOUSING! But you have to make sure you Check "Living Off Campus" on your FAFSA form. I went to UCSB and I live off campus for two years and it was covered by financial aid(but remember finaid does include loans sometimes).
- Well, it IS possible to get enough financial aid to cover housing and it doesn't matter whether you are living on- or off-campus (federal regulations allow students to use financial aid for "housing" and don't specify "dorm"). However, it is possible that your federal financial aid package won't cover all of your costs. See, each type of financial aid has strict limits and, very often, these limits don't come close to covering students' costs. Many students need to obtain scholarships of supplemental loans to cover the remaining costs. For example, for 2007-08, the maximum Pell Grant is $4,310. The maximum Stafford loan for a Freshman is $3,500. A $0 EFC student could also be eligible for up $4,000 (but usually less) in SEOG and up to $4,000 (but usually less) in Perkins Loan funding. Add all these things together and you *could* get a federal financial aid package of $15,810. If your tuition + housing is $15,000 or less then, yes, a financial aid package like this would cover everything -- but if your school (like so many these days) costs $30,000-$40,000 a year, then your undergraduate financial aid package probably won't cover your tuition -- let alone your off-campus housing. Looking at the UCSD website, it appears that in-state tuition + (estimated) off-campus housing for you will be about $23,000. So, if you get all the awards I listed above, you will need to seek out a little bit extra in order to cover your costs. Contact your school's Financial Aid Office to see if there are additional scholarships/grants that you can apply for. Don't forget that you can apply for private student loans to cover any costs that your original financial aid package doesn't. For more information about this, take a look at UCSD's private loans page, here: https://tritonlink.ucsd.edu/portal/site/tritonlink-preview/menuitem.b4448692267a11256ec5e210514b01ca?storyID=21983
- It might cover these cost, but you will most likely need to take out student loans. There are several different types of grants that you may qualify for. Pell grant, Cal grant, State University grant, etc., so check with your schools financial aid office to determine which grants you have been awarded and how much each grant is. If these grants won't cover all your expenses, then you may need to look into student loans. There are maximums on student loans as well, so be sure to ask your school how much you can request for a school year. And be careful how much you borrow! Only borrow what is absolutely necessary for you to attend school. If you're not going to be able to afford living off-campus on financial aid and loans, you may want to look into living on-campus which is significantly cheaper, or perhaps consider part-time work to help pay for personal expenses (rent, food, bills, etc.) Basically, financial aid does not pay your rent. They are not going to send you a monthly check to pay your rent. Grants are awarded to you based on your FAFSA results and it is up to you to determine how to budget those grants to meet your expenses, and take out loans if necessary
