Comment by sarchertech

If we're using today’s numbers, max Pell Grant is $7,400 per year. You can borrow $5,500 in federal loans as a freshman, $6,500 as a junior, and $7,500 as junior/senior. So the average is $6,750 (independent students and student's whose parent can't qualify for a plus loan can take out more).

That's $14,150 per year. Let's take one of the highest cost of living states--california. Cal state LA: tuition and mandatory fees: $7,160, books: $1,054.

That's about $6k a year more than you need for tuition and books. Obviously this isn't going to cover all of your living expenses, so you're going to need to work or live with family.

But if you're an independent student, with the larger loan limits, you could get close if you live really cheap.