In an interview with me, a WGU Indiana graduate, Purdue University grad Jamie Mitchell had some words to say about financial aid at Purdue U. Purdue is a top rated school, and while their tuition isn’t as high as some of the other top schools in the nation, or even Indiana, it’s worth it to apply for and receive financial aid if at all possible before resorting to student loans.
1.) Submit Your FAFSA by March 1st
Be sure to get your FAFSA in on time. Though the federal government may not require that it’s complete until summer, both Indiana and Purdue have their own guidelines. Indiana requires that residents turn in their FAFSA by March 10th, with the understanding that it can be updated throughout the year. This allows students to have access to state grants and scholarships. Purdue itself has a whole other date and requires that students complete their FAFSA by March 1st. So, if you are planning to attend Purdue and you live in another state and aren’t worried about Indiana’s guidelines, you still have to go by Purdue’s if you expect to be awarded any scholarships or grants from Purdue.
2.) File a Residency Application
Tuition for those who are not a resident of Indiana is $28,804, versus the $10,002 in-state tuition. Jamie was an Indiana resident who didn’t have any issue with this, but happened to be friends with someone who encountered it. Purdue students takes its residency guidelines very seriously, so it sometimes happens that an Indiana resident has to fill out one of these applications. Don’t assume it’s a mistake if you get a notice concerning this. There are a lot of reasons that you may have to fill one of these out. For instance, if you happened to transfer credits from an out of state school, as is often the case with students who transfer to online classes.
3.) Apply for Freshman Scholarships
Purdue has several scholarships that they offer. Some are need-based and others are merit based. Some of them are just for freshman. Your first year of college is going to be a whole new world. You’re going to learn new ways to manage your time, study new topics, and be introduced to a vast collection of social opportunities. You are also going to learn about budgeting and managing your money. Since you can get more scholarships as a freshman simply because you have access to all the scholarships (including the freshman ones), you may as well take advantage of this economic boost.
If you want to know about what you should avoid when enrolled at Purdue University, click here.
4.) Make Use of Military Status
Jamie’s father was in the military, so he was able to use financial aid for being a dependent of someone in the military. Using this aid, along with other grants and scholarships, helped Jamie avoid going into too much debt for his education. Jamie says that he didn’t want to graduate college with huge debts hanging over his head, so he always put student loans at the end of his list for potential financial aid, rather than at the top. Making use of his dad’s military service was also a great way for him to share his college student status with his father.
5.) Look in Unusual Places
At first, Jamie was focused on keeping his grades up in an effort to earn merit-based scholarships, but he soon found that his grades may not be enough, and that some independent research might be helpful. Purdue does take some outside scholarships, but some also get mailed directly to the student, so acceptance isn’t always an issue. Jamie found that some private organizations, like the American Legion for which he’s a member, would happily offer a scholarship if for no other reason than to be associated with the Purdue name.
Kathy Foust, a graduate of WGU Indiana and a freelance writer, has a keen interest in various college experiences. Jamie Mitchell, who attended the Lafayette, West Indiana campus of Purdue University generously offered to share some of the details of his experience in order to help educate potential future students of Purdue about some of things college students might be most interested in. Jamie describes his experience as educational, but socially eye opening as well