Accuracy of Net Price Calculator?

Colleges and Universities A-Z College of the Holy Cross
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Can anyone report on the accuracy of Holy Cross’s NPC? The Admissions rep at open house claimed it would be spot on but we’ve heard otherwise from a family friend.

We have an uncomplicated financial picture – 401k/IRA, home equity, salary-based income, 529 savings for college, and multiple kids (one in college, one HS senior, two younger). The NPC predicts our expected cost of about 38k, including a student loan and work study. This amount is almost identical to the funds we’ve budgeted so we’d like to let our rising freshman apply ED, but are reconsidering based on our friend’s experience.

Thanks for any and all responses.

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@hamsterbane Sorry this response is not in time to apply ED but we just received our financial aid package and it was in line with the net price calculator.

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We got our package recently as well and found likewise. Sounds like our kids will get to be friends!

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Thanks for posting this as it is good to know. I will review the NPC and I believe they are 100% meet need school.
Where are you from? What will your kids be studying? Also, did you submit the parent LOR? I found it interesting that this college had a suggested LOR from parents.

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@magnetnh My son is from NY. He applied as a Pre-Med with an undecided major. I did submit a parent recommendation. The admissions counselor had suggested it at the info session that we attended over the summer.

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@hamsterbane Did you participate in the online chat HC had for accepted students last night?

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@RKmom2 Thanks for the details!

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I did not log into the chat – I was traveling and did not have access to the net. Any good info forthcoming?

My son will be an Economics and Philosophy major from eastern MA. We did send in the parent LOR – we used it to highlight certain aspects of his application and reinforce why HC was a great mutual fit for both him and the school. Maybe they read it – he got his acceptance call the very next afternoon.

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@hamsterbane Here’s some info that I got from the chat: students will choose their Monserrat classes at the of June, ED accepted students do not need to send mid-year grade report just the final transcript, can purchase a laptop through the school, students use either mac or pc (whichever student prefers), no cars until junior year, there is a zipcar rental on campus.

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end of June

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Thanks for the info @RKmom2. The acceptance packet mentioned “Gateway” events in June, which look like some kind of accepted students orientation. Did they mention the agenda for that event? Without more information, I had been assuming that would be when they would pick Montserrat and other classes and maybe meet their roommates?

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@hamsterbane At the Gateway event the students will meet with a professor/advisor to go over course selection including Monserrat classes. Not sure if they are actually signing up for the classes at that time or just receiving guidance. I don’t know if roommates would be assigned by then, I’m thinking not. They did mention that last year that if two freshman requested to be roomates then they would be assigned a triple (to encourage making new friends). They were not sure if that would be the case this year as well. The 2017 Gateway schedule is still up on the website www.holycross.edu/orientations-information-incoming-students/summer-gateways/gateways-schedules

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That’s interesting about the triples… I’ve never heard of a college doing that (for that reason…)

As an aside, on our tour we learned that HC had a bigger freshman class or two recently. Maybe this is how they handle the housing crunch?