<p>Today my daughters received through regular mail a "Welcome ... Your Early Action Financial Aid Award Estimate is Inside!" So it appears formal admittance has begun, and it is time to start an acceptance thread.</p>
<p>We are all so excited. Fordham is a wonderful school, and we look forward to the wonderful experiences ahead. Best wishes to all!</p>
<p>Thanks for the wishes. Next Friday will hopefully be the happiest day ever.</p>
<p>Question – did your daughter previously receive a likely email from her email address? Or was that postal service mail the first acceptance of any form that she received from Fordham?</p>
<p>Hi, Seasons – they each received email, and I filed the preliminary FAFSA as Fordham requested. It may be that we have heard so quickly because I took care of that as soon as I possibly could. Best of luck to you.</p>
<p>For those who are National Merit Semifinalists – the Personal Information Packet did <em>not</em> include the Semifinalist Scholarship award, though it did include a lesser award. Daughters will be Finalists and have top grades, test scores, etc. I will call Monday, but would be interested in learning whether others experienced this.</p>
<p>We are rather unsettled, as all our plans have rested upon the assurance of the full tuition scholarship.</p>
<p>Does anyone know when Fordham announces who will be considered for the Presidential Scholarship?</p>
<p>Too bad the semifinalist award was not included. Please post what you find upon calling on Monday. I have heard that some years it comes with the acceptance, but other times in a letter later (stories of that part are posted on the board). With the EA email, the big ‘surprise’ with the envelope will be any possible merit awards.
T</p>
<p>You have until May 1 to decide and pull the final trigger on where you are going. Its always best to wait on other school offers, unless Fordham was your number one and you got “the package you needed/wanted”. Scholarships at Fordham come out at varying times and I have no clue how they do this or why. I just know that some find out early and some find out later and its frustrating. I also know that financial aid awards can be appealed and there are success stories with that. The early admissions pool is often not the final award. Because Fordham doesnt know what the regular decision pool looks like yet and wont until mid January. </p>
<p>So my advice is patience, communication with Fordham, and appeal if you feel its necessary. Good luck.</p>
<p>Good news this morning, for any concerned about the National Merit Scholarship Awards, after seeing my post. It was an oversight: the Award should have been included in the Personal Information Packet. This morning I spoke with our Regional Representative (lovely, by the way), who said that we would see it with our Official Admission Letter, and that they would also send a corrected PIP. I had the impression it was a problem only with the way the info for the PIP had been submitted; that it was correct in Fordham’s files and would have been with the Official Letter, in any event. Whew.</p>
<p>She was not free to tell me the amount, I think because it is in advance of the official timing. She was reassuring, however, regarding the general scholarship award. </p>
<p>And now I am going to buy that Eddie Bauer coat – 40% off today! Go Rams!</p>
<p>The NM scholarship is for full tuition, I don’t think that changes. Plus you will get $2,000 from the actual NM people, of which Fordham takes half.</p>
<p>Kvothefan - We are in the same position. NM (semi) finalist but PIP does not show scholarship. Won’t be able to attend without it. We are concerned.</p>
<p>Middle612 – There’s something with the PIP system, so that the NM scholarship isn’t automatically showing up. If it is like ours, it is showing what your student would get absent the NM Award. You can call or send an email to your Regional Admissions Rep to let them know:
[Admission</a> Representative Contacts](<a href=“http://www.fordham.edu/admissions/contact_us/admission_representa_72567.asp]Admission”>http://www.fordham.edu/admissions/contact_us/admission_representa_72567.asp).</p>
<p>From my conversation with our Regional Rep, I understood that the formal Admissions Packet, which we will all receive early next week, would include the NM award whether I had contacted them, or not.</p>
<p>So sorry this has happened to others. Fordham has confirmed that the NM awards are still in place – until you are able to receive confirmation for your own child, try not to worry. Easier said than done, believe me, I know.</p>
<p>KvotheFan - I will try to contact the admission rep tomorrow. Hopefully, it is as you understand it to be. Also, I thought the acceptance decision was just being posted online - they will be sending an Admissions Packet in the mail? Thank you for your encouragement.</p>
<p>Middle612 – from the note the Regional Rep sent me, “Anyone who is receiving a Merit Scholarship will be notified in their official acceptance letters, which should be arriving early next week.” So, yes, a packet in the regular mail. </p>
<p>Hoping you get good news!</p>
<p>I got my estimated aid package like a week ago. Would that have included merit aid or need aid or both? The number I got seems high for my need but low for my merit so I’m not sure.</p>
<p>Also, I was a national merit commended student. Would any award that would bring come later like the semifinalist scholarship?</p>
<p>Hi Sutter16 – The PIP itself identifies the character of the aid. Assuming you did the preliminary FAFSA, need aid, if any, is included and is separated from merit. While it is an accomplishment to be Commended, Fordham has published no specifically identified scholarship for those students.</p>
<p>Congratulations!</p>
<p>KvotheFan- Yeah, I know they don’t have a specific scholarship for commended students but I figured it may be something they subjectively add merit for on a holistic basis.</p>
<p>Also, my most recent ACT hasn’t been sent into them, and it translates better than my SAT superscore does. Would it be possible/beneficial to send that in for some sort of appeal for merit aid?</p>
<p>Sutter16, it is always a good idea to send your best scores. Beyond that, Sovereign Debt, above, provides good advice.</p>
<p>S received acceptance awhile ago but we are waiting for the official notice with scholarship money. We didn’t do the early FAFSA. Income has gone down but we still won’t qualify for anything. Will NMS money be reflected in the offer? Or does fordham need this before any money is offered??</p>
<p>Fordham requires the FAFSA for all scholarship recipients who accept their offers, because they are not technically needs blind and sometimes it can even help. If you are not going to accept the offer, dont worry about the FAFSA. But if you are intending to accept Fordham’s offer and attend Fordham, foresaking all others, then you do need to file the FAFSA, the sooner the better. Its a bit complicated but it is what it is. FAFSA can be done online and its not that difficult.</p>
<p>The only students who dont need to file a CSS or FAFSA are those in a situation where they dont need financial aid and dont qualify for any merit aid scholarship. There are people like that, who pay the full tuition price and they attend Fordham. Good scores to get in, but not high enough for scholarship, with high family income.</p>
<p>We will file the FAFSA, just not until Feb.- we already have the PIN for it. I would have liked to see the National Merit award in writing. (the husband is freaking out about cost of attendance)</p>
<p>29Happy – Doing the prelim FAFSA with SAS took just a few minutes, and means that those who are eligible for NM Award will receive that in the PIP and the acceptance packet. The service is free. Everyone has to finalize their numbers after Jan 1, in any event. Why not use SAS and have it the award in writing and ease the acid in hubby’s stomach?</p>