(Is that alliteration or what?) Did you get an aid award that’s not what you’re hoping for? Recently the New York Times wrote about appealing financial aid awards. For the article, Ron Lieber sent a questionnaire to aid officers at some of the priciest private schools asking about their appeals process. Occidental College’s completed questionnaire is extremely helpful for understanding…
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Financial Aid
Congratulations! You got accepted into several schools, and each offered you some financial aid. When you compare the offers, it’s important to make apples-to-apples comparisons. The first thing to figure out is, did you get funded aid or unfunded aid? Funded aid consists of grants and scholarships. Funded aid reduces the cost of going to college. Unfunded aid is loans…
So you’ve calculated your EFC and are breathing a sigh of relief, telling yourself, “We can do this.” Hold on a second. “E” is “Expected,” not “maximum” or “guaranteed” or anything like that. There is no requirement that your school of choice meets your financial need, or if it does, that loans aren’t part of the aid package. That’s why…
If you are among those fortunate individuals whose parents want to help pay for their grandchild’s education, it’s worth figuring out the best way for them to do so in order to avoid the law of unintended consequences. In the college world, unintended consequences include losing financial aid as a result of a grandparent’s gift. First, you need to know…
Many parents mistakenly believe that their income level means that they will be required to pay full fare for college for each of their children. The notion of $60,000 in annual costs x 4 years x 3 children keeps them up at night—understandably. As does the thought of limiting their children’s aspirations to in-state schools. In fact, aid is available…