Real cost after (grants scholarships)

[cbennett]

After looking at the us news book on average debt at grad, there is no way most people dont get a lot of grants/scholarships or free money. I understand costs keep increasing due to inflation... and alot of peoples parents pay a portion, but honestly the numbers simply do not add up when you compare COA and debt. Grants are great and all but if there like the ones that a few select people in ug get the largest one i ever heard was (4100/year) this certainly isnt going to help much concidering total cost is around 200. Could someone please give me insight to this. I have seen the % of students recieving grants, but i have not seen where to find what the average amount of these grants are. Scholarships are an entirely diff matter but i would love to hear what youve heard people get. ( i am aware of these few and far between lottery winners but i am talking more about the average student) BTW my father makes 170,000+ but i am not sure if this will affect me at profesional school because i heard that most schools require parental info even if you are classified as independant.(he is not paying anything and i am classified as an independant because i was a ward of the court) Any idea on this matter. Also i should mention i am heavily leaning toward USF due to the fairly cheap tuition but i did notice that usnews ranks then VERY near last for financial aid so i am trying to find out if other schools might actualy be cheaper (due to more fin aid) even if tuition is much higher.

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[notdeadyet]

Getting a single number for average indebtedness at a school isn't all that useful. Some schools have a large number of HPSP recipients (full tuition scholarship and stipend for military commitment) which can totally skew a school's numbers. Also, is their figure 10 full ride grants and a whole lotta nothing for everyone else, or do most students receive a 20% grant? You really gotta dig deep at each school.

 

[Captain Fantastic]

My state has an incentive program that will pay for medical school if you specialize in a primary care field and serve five years in an underserved county. As luck would have it, all but two counties qualify as underserved. As you can imagine, a good percentage of the class takes them up on the offer.

How does US News integrate these "time indebtedness" programs into their average cost formula?

 

[Sondra]

After looking at the us news book on average debt at grad, there is no way most people dont get a lot of grants/scholarships or free money. I understand costs keep increasing due to inflation... and alot of peoples parents pay a portion, but honestly the numbers simply do not add up when you compare COA and debt. Grants are great and all but if there like the ones that a few select people in ug get the largest one i ever heard was (4100/year) this certainly isnt going to help much concidering total cost is around 200. Could someone please give me insight to this...

Remember that an "average" can be very different from "mode" in mathematical terms.

As you already know...
An average is obtained by summing all elements of the data set and dividing by the number of elements.
Mode is the data element which occurs most frequently.

Hypothetically, if a class has a hundred people, and 5 people get full scholarships. The average indebtedness has gone down, but the mode (the number of people paying full price) is higher than the average indebtedness because 95 people are still paying full price.

because i was a ward of the court. Any idea on this matter.

You have a very good reason for not listing your parent's income. Your schools financial aid office should tell you how to proceed with this. People whose parents have passed away or who do not have contact with their parents, do not have to report parental income. I believe that you would not have to list your parent's income if you are a ward of the court if your parents aren't currently supporting you and you had proof that you were a ward of the court when you turned 18. Just for your information, at my school, med students are considered independent.

...so i am trying to find out if other schools might actualy be cheaper (due to more fin aid) even if tuition is much higher.

I have heard that private schools give out more scholarships than public schools.

 

[cbennett]

My state has an incentive program that will pay for medical school if you specialize in a primary care field and serve five years in an underserved county. As luck would have it, all but two counties qualify as underserved. As you can imagine, a good percentage of the class takes them up on the offer.

How does US News integrate these "time indebtedness" programs into their average cost formula?

What state? Also let me know where i can find more info on this

 

[Captain Fantastic]

What state? Also let me know where i can find more info on this

http://www.dhss.mo.gov/PRIMO/index.html

 

[lilnoelle]

http://www.dhss.mo.gov/PRIMO/index.html

You have to be a missouri resident to qualify.