<p>So Vassar's net price calculator gave my family $0. </p>
<p>Obviously, we're upper-middle class, but this doesn't mean that my family is totally able to (much less willing) shell out 240k. I have a real shot at getting into Vassar and other schools of the same selectivity, so I could get merit aid elsewhere, e.g. Rhodes College. However, Vassar (and Wesleyan) are certainly attractive to me and feel like the best fit in terms of student body. And I'm all over the open curriculum. </p>
<p>Is Vassar's net price calculator accurate? (Again, while my family's upper middle class, I'd be shocked if we were really among the richest people applying to Vassar. I'm pretty sure Rockefellers have gone to Vassar, right?) </p>
<p>I guess this question is also about attachment, because it's starting to look like a horrible idea to get attached to schools that will offer me no merit aid.</p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>The only schools you should love are your rock-bottom dead-on safeties. That is to say, the places where your stats qualify you for an auto-admit, you know for certain you can afford with nothing more than federal (FAFSA) aid and/or guaranteed state aid and/or guaranteed merit-based aid, and that offer your major. Don’t expend too much energy on becoming “attached” to any place where human beings will be deciding Yes/No about your admissions or aid package. It is OK to like those places enough to write convincing “Why X” essays, but don’t fall in love.</p>
<p>As for the relative accuracy of the Vassar NPC, you might want to check out the Vassar forum [Vassar</a> College - College Confidential](<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/vassar-college/]Vassar”>Vassar College - College Confidential Forums) The people there should be able to tell you what their experience with that NPC has been.</p>
<p>If your idea of uppermiddle class is an income above $150K/175K, then more than likely the net price calculator is accurate.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>If your family’s financial situation is very straightforward (ie. no small business, rentals, trusts, etc. that complicate), then it is more likely to be accurate. </p></li>
<li><p>I would be conservative and consider any NPC figure a ‘best case scenario’ rather than spot on.</p></li>
<li><p>You might want to ask on the Vassar forum as there may be members there who have used it the past couple of years.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Sorry, I just saw that hm1 gave you the link to the Vassar forum, always on the ball :)!</p>
<p>Vassar does not give any merit money. They are in the group of colleges such as Williams, Wesleyan, Tufts, Haverford, Amherst, barnard, Bates, Bowdoin, Colby, Colgate, Coonectiuct College, George town,Middlebury, Notre Dame, Trinity,and the ivies. You don’t go fishing where there ain’t no fish. </p>
<p>Did you estimate your family EFC? If you come up with a number higher than cost of colleges, that’s another indication that you are not going to be getting any financial aid. Your best bet is to look for those schools that have merit opportunities for you, but be aware that you most always have to be in the top of the applicant pool to get any of those awards, and heavy duty money is very difficult to get. My kids tended to get awards below the $5K mark </p>
<p>You have to find a school that has a lot of merit money, or where you are going to be one of their most desired students for a decent shot at that kind of money. Look at GW, Case, Emory, UPitt, ROchester, Fordham,Miami and see where you stand with them. Though even top 25 schools like Hopkins, UVA, Duke have some nice merit awards getting one of them are true lottery tickets as admissions to those schools is difficult. The kids who get the very top awards at such schools often have to weigh them against a HPY acceptance.</p>
<p>The other discouraging thing is that the costs have been skyrocketing to a point where even “large” awards leave a lot to pay. It was a sobering reality check to us when one son got a $30K award and that wasn’t even half of what the cost was going to be.</p>
<p>uskoolfish: I think my family income is like 120k or so.
But yeah, there are a lot of complicating factors that I honestly think would give me way more false hope than actual hope at catching any kind of break at Vassar, Wesleyan, Haverford etc. I’ll check the Vassar forum (thanks for the link happymomof1) and start seeking out schools where I’d be at the top of the applicant pool.</p>
<p>cptofthehouse: I did estimate my EFC, and it came out higher than the tuition, so you’re probably right. However, my parent’s expected contribution was $45,573 and mine was $37,250, which seems high for a student. Is that kind of thing normal??</p>
<p>Yes, that is very high. With just your parents’ EFC, you would still be eligible for financial aid from those schools that are more expensive than that figure. The COAs of the most expensive schools like Vassar are in the $65K range these days, which could mean a $20K financial aid award if their way of calculating parental need is similar.</p>
<p>What on earth is getting your EFC up there? Do you have assets in your own name? You do understand that 20% of all assets in your name are hit directly, whereas your parents get an asset protection allowance and only 5.6% of anything over that goes to the EFC? There might be good reason for you to reimburse your parents for your expenses over the years, and have them put the money in an account for you as secondary owner (primary name and SSN theirs) for your education. Also what kind of income do you have. You are given a $6K exemption in income, and I believe half of anything over that goes to EFC. </p>
<p>If that $37K number is all assets, that means you have close to $200K in assets in your own name or you are making more than $75K a year. Or some combination of the two in lesser amounts. Of course you don’t qualify for aid if that is the case. If this is not at all the case, you are entering something nicorrectly.</p>
<p>The only way I could see your EFC being the number you stated is if you have a trust fund or a large college fund in your name.</p>
<p>My mother was the one who entered the information, and as it turns out, I do have a trust in my name, which I realize is a HUGE privilege, but it’s also one that I want to be down-to-earth about using. I don’t think it’s wise for me to use up all my trust undergraduate. I may not apply to Vassar at all after learning about my trust, and instead try to find a college where I’ll get merit money. That way I can use my trust later, on grad school, etc.</p>
<p>^^It’s always smart to be conservative about your money. The decision where to spend it is ultimately yours and one that you are fortunate to be able to make. With regard to your original post, many people attend expensive colleges and pay full price. Financial aid is for those with need which is why your Vassar calculator said you would not receive financial aid.</p>
<p>If you have all of that money, you can’t expect schools to be considering you needy. You can look into having some of the money put into 529s which would reduce the bit to about 5.6% instead of the current 20%, but that would still come out to a family EFC of about $50K and the money use of 529 Plan funds would then be restricted to college use which could be limiting for you. </p>
<p>Many grad school programs have stipends and other such opportunities, not to mention loans available to you. As an undergrad, not so much. Any sizeable amounts would have to have parental involvment, unless you can borrow against your trust.</p>
<p>The net price calculator for Vassar was very accurate for us. It gave us our EFC within a couple of thousand dollars. My daughter has many, many classmates at Vassar that receive no aid at all. That being said, if we had not gotten a good package, my daughter would have gone to a school that gave her merit money. Best of luck.</p>
<p>Please use old threads for information only, do not post and revive them. When you do so, often other members don’t notice the date and respond to the posting member. If you click on their name, you’ll see that they haven’t been active for 6 months.</p>