FAFSA gave us 15000 SAI but still $42K gap for Animation degree - Single mom, bad credit, no Parent PLUS options

Have you tried appealing your financial aid package? Most schools have a special circumstances process where you can explain her medical history and your single parent status. My nephew did this and got an extra $8k!

OMG this system is SO BROKEN!!!! My daughter's in a similar boat - wants to do game design and we have a $36k gap. These specialized arts programs cost a fortune but FAFSA doesn't care AT ALL about your actual situation. They just run their stupid formula and too bad if it doesn't work for your family. And don't get me started on these private loans requiring perfect credit...

Have you considered starting at community college? Many have excellent digital arts/animation foundation programs. She could complete her general education requirements and basic animation courses at a fraction of the cost, then transfer to a specialized program for years 3-4. This could cut your total costs by 40-50%.

my daughter got a full ride for animation at savannah college of art & design but she had to submit an AMAZING portfolio. does your daughter have a strong portfolio? that's what gets the big scholarships in arts programs not just grades

Financial aid counselor here. A few options to consider: 1. Your daughter could file a Dependency Override appeal with the financial aid office. Given her father's abandonment during medical treatment, there might be grounds for her to be considered independent, which would eliminate the need for parent loans and potentially increase grant eligibility. 2. Look into external scholarships specifically for: cancer survivors, arts students, and students with financial hardship. The American Cancer Society and FastWeb both have searchable databases. 3. Some animation programs have cooperative education options where students alternate semesters of study with paid industry internships to help fund their education. 4. Consider asking if any family members with good credit would be willing to co-sign a private loan. I know this can be a difficult conversation, but sometimes extended family members are willing to help.

Have you tried calling the Federal Student Aid hotline directly? I was in a similar situation last year and spent WEEKS trying to reach someone about dependency status issues for my son. Kept getting disconnected or put on hold for hours. Finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to an actual FSA agent in under 20 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ The agent was able to help us understand some special circumstance options that the college financial aid office hadn't mentioned. Might be worth trying to speak directly with FSA about your situation.

I'm so sorry you're going through this. As a parent who went through something similar, I want to share what worked for us. My daughter also wanted to study animation and we faced a huge gap. What we ultimately did was: 1. She took a gap year and worked at a local graphic design company to save money and build her portfolio. 2. We negotiated HARD with her top choice school - literally showed them the better aid packages from competitor schools and asked them to match. They didn't fully match but added another $9K per year. 3. We looked at second-tier animation programs that offered better financial packages. She ended up at a less prestigious but still solid program that gave her much better aid. 4. She applied for animation-specific scholarships from industry organizations like Women in Animation, ASIFA, and The Animation Guild. It wasn't her original dream path, but she's now working at DreamWorks and doing great. Sometimes the non-linear path works out.

my cousin was in a similar spot and ended up going to school in canada for animation. way cheaper even as an international student might be worth checking out

One additional option to consider: has your daughter looked into BFA programs at public universities? While the most famous animation programs tend to be at private art schools, there are some excellent animation tracks at public universities that would be significantly more affordable. Schools like San Jose State, UT Austin, and University of Central Florida have animation programs with strong industry connections at a fraction of the private school cost.