FAFSA confusion - how are some students getting full tuition + living expenses covered?

My SAI came out around $14,000 which seems ridiculous because my parents make about $79k combined with three kids. We're definitely not poor but there's no way they can just pay $14k per year! I'm looking mostly at state schools because I thought they'd be cheaper, but their aid packages seem pretty weak.

Wait, what's the difference between FAFSA and CSS Profile? I only filled out the FAFSA because that's all my high school counselor mentioned. Are there really schools that cover 100% of need? That sounds too good to be true... And no, I haven't applied to private colleges because I assumed they'd be way more expensive.

This is so true!! My brother got a full ride to Boston College even though we're middle class. State schools gave him nothing but loans.

Wow, I had no idea! But aren't those super elite schools impossible to get into? I'm a decent student (3.7 GPA, 1290 SAT) but not Ivy League material. Are there any good but less competitive colleges that also meet full need?

That's exactly what I'm afraid of! The whole thing feels like a shell game where regular families like mine get stuck with massive bills no matter what. Did you find any way to appeal the financial aid offers?

Thank you so much! I've never even heard of most of these schools. I'm going to research them tonight. Would it be too late to apply for this fall, or should I be looking at transferring after a year elsewhere?

Thanks for the tip! I'll definitely keep this in mind if I need to appeal. I had no idea you could even negotiate financial aid offers - our high school counseling office has been pretty useless with all of this.

That makes a lot of sense and honestly makes me feel better. It seemed like everyone else was getting these amazing packages while I was missing something obvious. I'll be careful about the loan fine print for sure.

I like the idea of finding schools where I'd be in the top 25%. That makes a lot of sense! I think I'm going to try applying to a mix of the schools you all suggested with later deadlines, plus keep my current options open. This has been incredibly helpful - I feel like I actually understand the system a little better now.

That's such a good point. I've been so focused on school-based aid that I haven't looked into local scholarships at all. I'll start researching those too!

This is exactly what I needed to hear! It's so encouraging to know that someone with similar stats and family income found a way to make it work. I've been feeling really defeated thinking that all the good aid goes to either super low-income families or perfect students. Can I ask which type of schools ended up giving you the best packages? And how did you find all those local scholarships? I'm willing to put in the work but honestly don't even know where to start looking for the "weird ones nobody talks about" that you mentioned! Also, when you say you looked for schools with good aid for middle-income families, were there specific resources or websites that helped you identify those schools? I feel like I'm flying blind here and could really use some concrete next steps.

@Natasha Petrova This gives me so much hope! I m'definitely going to start working on the CSS Profile tonight and research those liberal arts colleges. It s'amazing that your private school ended up being cheaper than state school - that completely flips everything I thought I knew about college costs. Quick question though - when you applied to 15+ schools, how did you manage all those application fees? That seems like it could get really expensive fast, especially when money s'already tight. Did you get fee waivers or just budget for it as an investment? And I m'curious about the timeline too - did you apply to some schools after already hearing back from others, or did you submit everything at once and then compare offers? I m'worried I might be running out of time for this fall.

@Natasha Petrova Wow, thank you for sharing your success story! This is exactly what I needed to hear. Your stats are so similar to mine and knowing that you found a way to make it work gives me actual hope instead of just panic. I m'definitely going to start the CSS Profile tonight - I can t'believe my counselor never mentioned it! And you re'so right about casting a wide net. I think I ve'been too focused on the safe "obvious" choices instead of really exploring all my options. Can I ask what kinds of local scholarships you found? I keep hearing about them but have no idea where to even start looking. Did you just Google around or were there specific places you checked? And when you say you applied to schools where you were above average - how did you figure out what their average stats actually were? Sorry for all the questions but you re'the first person who s'given me concrete hope that this might actually work out!

@Natasha Petrova This is such a relief to hear! I was starting to think I was doomed to massive debt or missing out on college entirely. Your story proves that middle-class families CAN make this work. I m'definitely starting the CSS Profile application tonight - I had no idea it existed until today! And I love your strategy of applying to schools where you re'above their averages. That makes so much sense but I never thought of it that way. One more question if you don t'mind - when you were researching schools with good middle-income aid, did you find any specific websites or resources that ranked schools by their financial aid policies? I m'seeing so many conflicting opinions online and could use some reliable data to guide my search. Thank you for giving me actual hope instead of just more stress about this whole process!

@Natasha Petrova This is incredibly encouraging! As the original poster, I m'so grateful you shared your experience. It s'exactly what I needed to hear - that someone with similar stats and family situation actually made it work. I m'definitely going to start the CSS Profile tonight and research those liberal arts schools you mentioned. The idea that a private school could end up cheaper than state school completely changes my perspective on where to apply. For local scholarships, did you just search online or did you go to places like the library or guidance office? And when you say you applied to schools where you were above their average stats, how did you find that information? I want to make sure I m'targeting the right schools. Thank you for giving me real hope instead of just more panic about this whole situation! Your success story proves it s'possible for families like ours.

@Natasha Petrova This gives me so much hope! Your story is exactly what I needed to hear as someone with similar stats and family income. I can t'believe a private school ended up being cheaper than state school - that totally changes how I m'thinking about this. I m'definitely starting the CSS Profile tonight still (can t'believe my counselor never mentioned it! .)For the local scholarships, did you just search online or go to specific places like the library or chamber of commerce? And when you looked for schools where you were above average - where did you find those stats to compare against? Also, I m'curious about timing - did you apply to all 15 schools at once, or did you add more after getting some results back? I m'worried I might be running out of time for fall 2025 but your success story makes me want to cast that wider net you mentioned! Thanks for proving that middle-class families like ours can actually make this work. I was starting to think I was missing some secret that everyone else knew!

@Natasha Petrova Your story is exactly what I needed to hear! I was getting so discouraged thinking that only super poor families or valedictorians could get good aid. Knowing someone with almost identical stats and income made it work gives me actual hope. I m'starting the CSS Profile application right now - I can t'believe I never heard about it before today! And I love your strategy of applying to schools where you d'be above their typical student profile. That s'such a smart approach that I never considered. For those local scholarships you mentioned - did you find them through your high school guidance office, or did you search online? And what did you mean by the weird "ones nobody talks about ?"I m'willing to apply to anything at this point but don t'even know where to start looking. Also, when you were researching schools with good middle-income aid, were there specific websites or resources that helped you identify which ones were actually generous versus just good at marketing? I keep seeing conflicting information and could use some reliable guidance. Thank you for proving this is actually possible for families like ours! I was starting to think everyone else got some secret handbook that I missed.