<p>Even if he were a recruited athlete and got a likely letter, which he called an acceptance righteously, he would NOT know his financial aid package simply because it never comes with the likely letter. Essentially, this person is lying. 
Or the author misheard the name of the college…misunderstandings happen. :)</p>
<p>A summary of discrepancies:</p>
<p>–ED is binding. Yale uses EA, which is not binding.</p>
<p>–EA apps were due Nov. 1 (actually, as it turned out, Nov. 2).</p>
<p>–EA notifications are posted Dec. 15. It is possible to receive a “likely” letter before then, but these are usually sent to recruited athletes. There has been a report of an academic “likely” letter sent to an EA applicant from time to time on this forum but they are extremely rare if they exist at all. Some QuestBridge scholars are notified of admittance in advance of the EA notification date, too, but to my knowledge that has not yet occurred, either. In any case you could ask to see the notification letter if you really want him to persuade you.</p>
<p>–Yale is a 100%-need school and is more generous than most in assessing need. It is still possible an admitted student will be attracted to a cheaper in-state public or by a merit scholarship even after Yale’s FA offer, but he is unlikely to get a need-based offer that is much more generous.</p>
<p>Chances are he will be telling you in April that he has decided to turn down Yale and pursue other options.</p>
<p>Actually, the financial aid office often provides an estimate for recruited athletes at the time or even before the likely letters are issued. Ivy schools also sent out likely letters to non-athletic recruits. These likely letters are used to get the high priority targets for the Admission office each year.</p>
<p>Academic likelies are rare, and they typically come out in the RD round, not the EA round. There’s no incentive for a college to provide early notification to an early applicant, who has already signaled his/her true love for the institution by applying early and who is going to find out by mid-December that s/he’s in.</p>
<p>^Except for top athletic talent. Since binding letters of intent can be signed at Division 1 schools as early as November 9th, it makes sense for Yale or its peers to send “likely letters” before that date to stop students from comitting elsewhere. Saying you were admitted once in possession of such a letter is not really an exageration. Sure it can be pulled for a catastrophic failure but so can your April RD decision. I agree that there does not seem to be much institutional benefit to sending academic likely letters during the SCEA round since they will retain the ability to recruit for months before the April notification date.</p>
<p>Thanks guys:) And it was definitely Yale he said so we shall so! You all are very knowledgable</p>
<p>Akashdip, every year people get accepted into Yale and they go somewhere else. Yes, getting admitted is an honor, but some people have different plans in their lives or certain circumstances that take them elsewhere.</p>
<p>no Davidlabolza. im not saying what you think. that friend of the op was lying in all circumstances. he wouldnt turn down the acceptance for matters of finance as yale offers need blind financial aid. he wouldnt even have to pay a penny. that was my actual argument. got carried away a bit though.</p>
<p>Can not say much about the OP case without enough specifics, but I do know someone personally who was recruited but turned down both Yale and Harvard (and several other ivies) earlier this year partially because of financial reasons. He doesn’t qualify for the need-blind finaid, and ivies don’t provide athletic scholarship as other Division I schools usually do. Then, he went somewhere else… So, I guess it’s not common or likely but possible. We just don’t exactly know.</p>
<p>are you sure @Hparent? both H and Y say that you get full financial aid if parents income is below $60000. and it takes only 10% of parents income if it is upto $175000. and 20% upto $250000. strange…</p>
<p>Yes, I know the family very well and we talked about that since my S is a current H senior (he was admitted by Y and P, too, so we did have a chance to compare all the packages). The last part of your info regarding finaid is NOT correct. Currently, Y’s upper limit is 130k and H’s is 150k. Other factors may also be affacting the final numbers.</p>
<p>akashdip: H and Y are very generous. But a student-athlete from a household that makes more than $250,000 will have a large bill (~$50,000). That same student may be getting full scholarships at other colleges. If I had the option to go play my sport at a great school for free or to have my parents pay $50K each yearto attend H or Y … I don’t think I could ask them to do it.</p>
<p>And as for you, you would need to be a national level athlete in a relevant sport to be considered – and already known by the coaching staffs at many colleges. Many applicants are athletes. Few are recruited as athletes.</p>
<p>Cladbury: your friend is lying without a doubt. The reasons behind it can only be guessed at. He may not make a big deal about it. If so, let it go. You know and he will know you know that it’s a lie. Hopefully it’ll just be an embarrassing thing to let slide away. If he continues to try to foist his tale, as a friend you should tell him you know it’s 100% categorically impossible and that while he may fool some, many others will know his mendacity. Then the ball is back in his court.</p>
<p>Well said, T26E4. Thanks. Also, athletes in Division I programs travel a lot and have much more expenses to cover than average college students. For the top ranked ones (he is among top 5 in his individual sport), many (other) top schools offer a scholarship lots more than just a full ride… We never knew that without being through his case.</p>
<p>
There are a few inaccuracies in your statement. Currently the threshold for “no parent contribution” IS $65,000 but that doesn’t mean the student doesn’t have a contribution. Currently the student is expected to provide a minimum of $4500 their first year. $1500 is expected to come from a summer job and the $3000 remainder from a term job (i.e. work on or off campus during the school year). The student can choose to take out a loan to meet this obligation but there is no financial aid package that doesn’t include a student contribution. For parent’s income that exceed the $65,000 they are expected to pay a percentage of the total COA based on the range of their income. This is in addition to the student contribution.</p>