With two sons who graduated college within the past two years (2003 from Univ of Miami(FL) and 2004 from Rensselaer Polytechnic) I have been down the road you are now facing.

First the good news. The school's Financial Aid Dept will have all the forms and informaiton your daughter neds to receive loans and/or grants to pay for her education. I assume you have already completed the FAFSA form which is the main document all financial aid requests reference to. I also recommend obtaining an "Electronic Signature" number for you daughter and (your self) to use when completing the FAFSA form in future years. You need to provide all the information for the FAFSA, yet the student needs to sign the form. It is much easier to affix their electronic signature to the form than try to convince a college student to sign a document that Mom & Dad says is important! I also recommend that Mom or Dad accompany your daughter on her visit to the Financial Aid office. The process is routine to the people who work there and they may (will) not explain it properly to a young person who has never applied for loans before. A parent with any borrowing experience will be an asset in slowing things down and asking appropriate questions. Besides - you will probably become a co-signer on the loan whether you like it or not.

Now for the bad news. The government and colleges have a set of "ability to pay" standards which are far different than any parent I have encountered. Expect to be asked or told to pay far more than what you feel is comfortable or appropriate. The parent's ability to pay (note- not willingness) also impacts how much money you child can borrow from the most favorable sources.

The cost of college is now horrendous. Government financing to schools has diminished while the schools can't seem to understand that financial constraint should also apply to academia.

posted by 198.208....

• OT: Help me get my daughter off to college!, RayV, Mon, 28 Jun 2004 19:17:40
  • too late, but grades usually help..., JimBlake , Tue, 29 Jun 2004 09:35:21
    • one thing that helps..., rob , Tue, 29 Jun 2004 17:41:08
    • Thanks to all! A note: not particularly good grades, RayV, Tue, 29 Jun 2004 10:21:58
      • Re: Thanks to all! A note: not particularly good grades, JimBlake , Tue, 29 Jun 2004 11:04:06
      • Another challenge, getting her to campus..., Roger, Tue, 29 Jun 2004 10:29:11
  • College costs (pretty long, sorry), Conor, Tue, 29 Jun 2004 08:06:48
  • Good news and bad news..., Roger, Tue, 29 Jun 2004 03:35:00 <-- Viewing This Message
  • SCAD: Good school but watch the crime, Drew in Houston, Tue, 29 Jun 2004 02:28:36
  • Re: OT: Help me get my daughter off to college!, Dan , Mon, 28 Jun 2004 19:58:35
    • I forgot to add..., Dan , Mon, 28 Jun 2004 20:04:20
  • The school itself should be able to help, IanC , Mon, 28 Jun 2004 19:19:58

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