How much financial aid will I get in the beginning if my school costs $18k/year?

This is TOTALLY the wrong place to be asking this question. Even if the people around here knew the answer for their school, how can they answer for YOUR school. This is money we are talking about. You need to get correct answers from someone who knows the facts. Go to the financial aid office at your school and ask them exactly what you want to know. It's their job to answer these questions and usually they ar friendly, helpful and patient. Don't play around with your finances. Go to a real expert and get a real answer!