I looked at fafsa and i do not understand ! Please help!!?

Financial Aid is just that, AID. A pell grant amount is just one type of financial aid. Financial Aid can be Pell and other federal grants, loans, scholarships, state aid, and instituational aid (money from the school). The schools you apply too will "package you" for aid (i.e put a bunch of all those types of aid together for you to create a "package"). First, wait and see what type of aid package the school is going to offer you before you panick any further. Unfortunately, you/ your child may have missed out on a lot of aid by applying late. Community college is always a great option, particularly if finances are an issue. Good luck.

The EFC is stating that for the cost of attendance to the school you will need to pay $180 of it (so out of the $22,046 you listed you all should be able to get about $21,866 in aid it does not guarantee it but you should be able to). For the pell grant they are saying that the child will receive almost the maximum amount you can get and then the rest will come from other grants or scholarships (a lot of schools will qualify you for these from the FAFSA itself) and then the rest of that aid will come in the form of loans from the government. If your not wanting any student loans at all than you'll have to find private scholarships or fund the rest your self as most aid for students come in the form of loans but they are from the government so credit doesn't matter and they have lower interest.

The maximum Pell grant for 2010-2011 is only $5,550/year -- so, you've gotten almost the maximum. You are also eligible for a federal student loan of up to $5,500/freshman year as a dependent student. You may also qualify for the ACG which is a federal grant worth $750/freshman year. What in-state public school is $20,000/year? You're going to need to choose a cheaper school. I've got several public schools in my state, and their prices (including room and board) range from $6,500/year to $13,000/year (if you're an in-state student).

180 is just a code used to determine your package... it doesn't mean that's what you pay. If you choose a school that's $10,000/year - you'll pay nothing. If you choose a school that's $20,000/year, you'll pay whatever financial aid doesn't cover, so ~ $8,200/year. You'll simply have to find a school that you can afford. Be grateful that you're getting a Pell grant. A lot of students must find a school less than $5,500/year because they only qualify for student loans. Are there any schools in your town that you could attend and live at home... it's not the greatest option, but it may be a solution. You can always transfer to your ideal school in two years. Another option is to attend a community college the first two years (you'll save a ton of money) and then transfer to a four-year school to finish up your degree. If you're going by the school's cost of attendance, it's usually quite higher than the actual cost to attend. Keep looking for scholarships... it's not too late (the library has huge books full of available scholarships). Another option is to work full-time and pay for some of your schooling costs out-of-pocket. Did you sign up for federal work study when you completed your fafsa application - this is a great program, and most of the school jobs will have "down-time" when you can study or work on homework. Good luck to you!