Financing the DPT

[hopingtobePT]

So now that acceptances are rolling in and we are starting to make our final decisions, I'm noticing a lot of people are thinking about financing their DPT. I just wanted to make it a thread so that we could all take about it in general--not school specific.
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I have some questions I was wondering if anyone was willing to give insight into.

1. I've had my undergrad paid for by my parents but now I'll be filing dependent for PT school (my understanding is this is a requirement for grad school). Will the fact my parents have claimed me in the past prevent me from getting financial aid?

2. I am completely, 100% going to have to finance my DPT. I worked throughout undergrad, but all the money went to my rent/living costs that my parents didn't pay. What are the things I should be doing (aside from scholarships.. im already looking into that) to make sure I get the best loans with the best rates?

3. If I take out a 80k loan for tuition + 30k living costs i'm looking at a HUGE debt of 110k. All of my school options aside from one would cost this much [the alternative is roughly 50k in tuition + 30k living] Is this just an unrealistic amount to repay?

4. I didn't make much money in undergrad and didn't file a tax return. Will this negatively affect my FAFSA?

okay, i can't think of any more questions at the present time. Sorry for so many Q's! I'm so new to this-- my parents never took loans for my undergrad so they are pretty much useless in guiding me through this process.

Thanks a lot!

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[BumpTest]

I have a similar situation to yours hopingtobePT. Some answers to your ?'s are
1. No, it shouldn't make a difference to your future financial dependency status as what happened in the past. You should be able to get max. amt in loans. If you were born before Jan 1, 1987 you don't even need your parents financial information because you are considered an independent student. This ensures you will get max. amt of loans as well.

2. Get federal loans first before private loans. That will guarantee you a better rate. If you belong to a credit union check there as well as they usually have better rates than banks.

3. That's a question all incoming DPT's face: how much is too much for education?

4. Nope, shouldn't have any bearing. As an independent student you don't even have to fill in how much money is currently in your bank account.

4.