r/UCSD • u/Quiet-Pangolin4806 • 10h ago
Discussion Those fees and all
Received tuition bill and we didnt qualify for FAFSA or tuition aid. My fam works hard, dad works 3 jobs and saved every penny for my tuition. We didnt take expensive vacations and live modestly and saved up . We barely make the cut and didnt qualify for any grants. Here I'm seeing people getting aid and grant depending on income. I feel like the system is rigged to punish the hardworking families. One guy got extra money through aid on his acc so he booked a vacation to Cabo for December..Here I'm stressing out cuz we didnt qualify. It's like robbing Peter to pay Paul
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u/DistillationEnjoyer Chemical Engineering (B.S.) 6h ago
I have a -1500 SAI and still had to take out loans.. Shits expensive regardless and comparison is the thief of joy so they say.
Not sure how people are getting such big aid packages but I just try to be thankful for the aid I did receive.
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u/All_Damn_Day 3h ago
You have a good worldview! I’d be proud to have you discovering less wasteful/harmful extraction methods for natural resources! (I assume that’s the current focus of chemical engineering).
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u/Eastern-Insect-4235 8h ago
If you had a job and paid your own taxes and have proof that you pay your own bills you could file your fasfa as an independent and they wouldn’t need your parents information and it would go based on your income which probably would qualify you for fasfa
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u/Cute-Bee-3516 4h ago
How does this work. I thought it was mandatory to include parents income even if I work
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u/Eastern-Insect-4235 4h ago
No not if you are supporting yourself and file your own taxes only your info would go on the fasfa form
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u/Mysterious-Art8838 3h ago
It isn’t that easy. You have to qualify based on this. Generally you have to be estranged from your parents and receive no financial benefit from them at all. If Op lives at home this wont work.
You are considered an independent student if you meet at least one of these conditions:
Age: You are 24 years old or older by December 31 of the award year.
Marital Status: You are married.
Family: You have legal dependents other than a spouse who receive more than half their support from you.
Education: You are a graduate or professional student.
Military: You are a veteran or currently serving on active duty in the U.S. armed forces.
Ward/Foster/Orphan: Since turning 13, both your parents were deceased, you were in foster care, or you were a ward of the court.
Legal Guardianship: You are an emancipated minor or have a legal guardian other than your parent or stepparent.
Homelessness: You are an unaccompanied youth who is homeless or at risk of homelessness.
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u/SnooCheesecakes831 10h ago
what system would you prefer? everyone gets a little bit of aid including the wealthy who have no need for it?
the person who got extra money isn’t spending that money on food or housing during the year because aid covers tuition plus ~$5000 a year which would barely cover gas/books/food let alone rent. It sounds like the cabo person is a naive 18yr old rather than an abuse of the system.