<p>From what I have found, it is said that the average financial aid package at AU is around $28,000; however, I am curious is as to how accurate this number is. I am planning to apply Early Decision I, but probably will not receive much, if any, merit aid. AU is expensive, and without some financial aid I would have to take out SIGNIFICANT amounts of loans… So any kind is response would really help…</p>
<p>Well first off what are you planning to study? Because personally I feel like unless you’re studying SIS or poly sci, I wouldn’t consider going to AU. The financial packages have also changed, I know a good amount of people who either lost their entire package or that it drop significantly.</p>
<p>Double major in poli sci and finance</p>
<p>Then I don’t think it’s that great of an idea to take out so many loans</p>
<p>Can you explain? I’m not sure why that has anything to do with it.</p>
<p>AROTCDank, knowing the average financial aid award tells you nothing about what your personal situation will be, no matter how accurate or inaccurate the number is. Average doesn’t mean typical. Have you calculated your potential aid using the school’s NPC?</p>
<p>agree with MommaJ, calculate you potential aid! and what I meant earlier is that giving the data you put in another thread, and with your potential majors I just don’t AU is a good enough risk to take which would result in a lot of loans</p>
<p>I have used the net price calculator and I guess I really was wondering how accurate that was. And nan1013, I wasn’t being critical. I was curious as to why you think that so if it came off as rude or anything like that, it wasn’t my intention to do so.</p>
<p>oh no! I didn’t think it came off rude at all! Sorry if it seemed like I said it did!</p>
<p>It didn’t but I wasn’t sure. That’s the thing about the internet, it’s hard to tell. Anyway, I just really love AU, and especially for Poli Sci, it couldn’t be in a better location. On top of that Kogod is a pretty good business school as well. I guess the real question I had was whether or not the “Net Price Calculator” on their website was accurate. I doubt I’ll receive any merit aid (30 ACT, ~3.7 weighted GPA, and good extra-curriculars).</p>
<p>I mean techinally you still could apply ED and just see what AU gives you. Because one way (sorry if you know this already!) you can get out of an ED contract if you can’t pay the said tuition</p>
<p>The truly complicated thing is that my parents are divorced and my father remarried. Here’s where it really gets messy. My father and stepmother make a combined ~40,000 per year, but my mother makes almost double that by herself. Unfortunately, the net price calculator does not take this variable into effect, therefore I can’t even technically get that to be accurate. What I feel is on this forum a lot though is that there is a lot of the negative sides of this. I haven’t been able to find the accuracy of the net price calculator, but Princeton Review states that the average “indebtedness” of AU students is ~$28,000 per year.</p>
<p>have you asked your admissions person about your concerns about the tuition? Because also if worst comes to worst you could totally go to AU for grad school!</p>
<p>AROTCDanK - It is my understanding (but I don’t know this from experience) that only one of your parents’ income will be considered. I heard this on CC so I don’t know if it is accurate. </p>
<p>AU requires the CSS Profile (through the College Board) to be filed for financial aid. That allows you to explain your situation and I think it really helped in our case. My husband was laid off at the end of the year (after almost a full year’s salary was paid) and we were able to explain the income for 2012 but also explain that for the upcoming school year our resources would be stretched thin. They gave my daughter a great financial aid package (she had similar GPA and ACT score) but she didn’t receive any merit aid. </p>
<p>My D applied regular decision. It doesn’t hurt to apply RD and just see what happens. My D knew that if the FA wasn’t affordable, she wouldn’t be attending AU. As it turns out, GW gave her a great FA package also and she decided that was the school for her even though it was sad for me when she let AU know she wouldn’t be going there.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>I’m just worried that with my stats, at least for GW, it’s more of a reach and for AU, which on paper I love and plan to visit next month I would be a shoo-in with ED but a little less confident with RD. Its irrational I’m sure, but if it were rational I wouldn’t worry right?</p>
<p>ARTOTCDanK - one of the things that I noticed from reading CC when my D applied to GW and AU is that you can never be sure who will get accepted where and how much money they will receive. I remember being on the GW site and amazed that students with lower GPAs and standardized tests were given more money than she was. Maybe they had a less popular major or something in their background set them apart and made them extra desirable. I do know that GW did change my D’s financial aid on appeal (actually increased her merit money) while people on the boards are usually disappointed with the results of their appeal to AU.</p>
<p>NewJerseyMom, I worked with the appeal system at AU and was actually really pleased with the result. I appealed my merit award and was given an additional $4,000 per year. So while some people may have difficulty with the system, it does work within reason. OP, don’t give up on AU. It’s a wonderful place to be and admissions and financial aid work their hardest to make it possible for students to attend. Good luck!</p>
<p>OliviaM41 - glad that AU increased your merit aid. Merit aid, unlike need based aid, does not change from year to year. When my D appealed her GW package, she appealed for additional merit aid so we would know that her package would be the same year after year. She still went with AU - it is a great school.</p>
<p>What are the average qualifications for merit aid at AU?</p>
<p>When it comes to AU and financial aid, don’t be optimistic. My mom’s income is around 10K a year (nope, I’m not missing any zeros), and while I was “fully covered”, I had to take almost 10K in federal loans in my first year alone. The financial aid (or lack of) is actually one of the reasons I’ve transferred out this year.</p>