Anyone a expert on college grants?

[scottmandue]

At first we thought because I'm her step dad my income wouldn't figure into the equation.

Well now we found out it does... and my whopping $42K a year knocked her out of the grant money (her dad makes about the same, my wife less).

How the fark do they expect us to pay for college on $42K?!?

This is in Oregon, any recourse?

TIA

[RWebb]

the UO strategy is to get as many Calif. kids in as possible and charge them out of state tutition (they are also usually better students than the in staters)

- she can room with others & waitress or be a barista, like the hundreds of others doing the same thing - maybe not in Eugene, but somewhere cheaper & fun - the coast for example, or PDX if she is a fan of Portlandia ("It's where young people go to retire")

if she is fixated on UO, then she can move here - live for a year (or you or her mom can), then get in state tuition

as in other states, the voters do not seem to think that education is worth their tax dollars, so students have to pay more & more of the cost of their education

this is the big factor driving up tuition costs

your other option is to call admissions and beg

[72doug2,2S]

Originally Posted by RWebb

Portlandia ("It's where young people go to retire")

LOL My BIL, God bless him, is Portlandia to the T!

[scottmandue]

Step daughter is NOT Californian... born and still resides in Portland Oregon... so does her mom (and her dad, my wife's ex) until September when she (my wife) moves in with me down in So Cal. and daughter goes to college.

They are going down to U of O the 19th to beg for help.

Our impression was that the grant money would be based on mom's income only since I am not her father by blood.

[stomachmonkey]

Originally Posted by scottmandue

At first we thought because I'm her step dad my income wouldn't figure into the equation.

Well now we found out it does... and my whopping $42K a year knocked her out of the grant money (her dad makes about the same, my wife less).

How the fark do they expect us to pay for college on $42K?!?

This is in Oregon, any recourse?

TIA

IIRC you and the missus were living serperately until the daughter went way to school?

If you were both covering your separate bills, rent/mortgage, utilities etc... and can show that to be true you can argue that your wife, and by extension your step daughter, derived no monetary benefit from your marriage you may get somewhere.

However you'd likely need to set up some arrangement going forward where the finances continue to stay separate.

Worth a shot.

[scottmandue]

You are correct!

Wife and step daughter, born and still residents of Oregon.

[vonsmog]

State schools don't have the money that private schools do. My son wanted to go out west to U. of CO. at Bolder. They quoted us $46k a year. and would take only $3200 off the bill! My son is in his third year at RIT for mechanical Engineering, and my cost is about $11k a year. My son got grants and since both my wife and I are alum. the school kicked in quite a bit. Most private schools have so much $$ that you just have to ask. Same when my daughter went to North Eastern, they came up with money when asked for it.

[BRPORSCHE]

Has she looked into FAFSA and other forms of Financial Aid?

[59GS]

Is U of O a "need matching school" ? When step daughter and mom filed FAFSA without you what was the EFC and did the school send her an award letter? When you corrected the FAFSA to correctli include your income what was the resulting EFC and did the school then send you an awrd letter or notice off the corrected FAFSA?

If you got an award letter or 2 fax them to me. tell me what the respective EFC's were. The only grant money she could have been entitled to from the Dept of ED would have been a maximum of $5550 per acadmic year. If mom has income below your 42K she probably wasn't eligible originall for the total, some increment of probably.

The real issue is what were the 2 EFC numbers, EFC stands for Expected Family Contribution. IF, and that's a big un, U of O is a need cover school then you take the total cost of attendance - which should be in their catalog - subtract the EFC and resultant number is your "Need". From that need number deduct the aid you were awarded that came in the form of Stafford loan. PELL won't be in there because that is what was taken away by the corrected FAFSA filing factoring in your income. They should cover this. You would then cover the amount of the EFC from savings or by taking out a student or parent loan. Best bet probably is a Federal Direct PLUS loan. Go to www.studentloans.gov to do some research.

Begging is what it will come down toto see if they can find a grant or scholarship OR if your daughter can find one to cover some of the unmet need. This is very hard to do via posts. Call me if you'd like. Office 805.653.8373.

[id10t]

Do her AA stuff at a community college and transfer in.