Hello CC. Second post in the “unusual students” rubric.
A query about a student who doesn’t exactly fit my employer’s profile.
Most of our students aren’t affluent, and few go to college out of state. She’s different - says her parents make a total of about $150K and, as a UK national, she’s applying to a number of schools outside the state. Not in-state due to arrival just last year. So far, she’s gotten into two colleges: Notre Dame (REA), and Oxford last week.
Of the two, she prefers Notre Dame - her parents have lived stateside for a long time, and she’d like to attend school in the US if possible. But need-based aid has been abysmal: Notre Dame offered just $3000 a year, even after an appeal detailing some additional expenses his parents face.
Parents have told me they can’t pay $60,000 a year. $40,000 would be possible (though a stretch), with some loans to cover remaining expenses. I had her apply to a few schools where I feel she’d get a lot of merit aid, but that was before her Oxford offer arrived.
She is now hoping this may lead ND to improve their aid offer significantly - if not through need-based money, then in the form of merit aid.
Am curious to know if anyone here has experience with this situation - acceptances from multiple prestigious schools, one with a very high COA and almost no aid. Would one school offer additional aid if competing with another? Anybody who can comment on the UK and/or Oxford especially would be helping a lot.
Thanks in advance!
She’s an int’l student? Is ND “need aware” for int’ls? If so, then they may have admitted her because she had little need.
ND has few merit opportunities. What are her stats? Are they tippy top?
She can always ask, but ND might not budge, particularly if her stats are not tippy top for the school.
<<<
Financial aid opportunities (need-based, merit, or otherwise) for first-year international students are limited and at present, there is no funding to assist international transfer students. International students should be prepared to finance, either privately or through a sponsor, the full cost of their Notre Dame education.
<<<
ND doesn’t meet need for int’ls and only has limited aid for int’ls. I would guess from the above that ND may be “need aware” for int’ls. If so, then her acceptance likely was based on her ability to pay.
@mom2collegekids
I should have specified: her parents have been in-country for almost 3 decades, moving around a lot due to. She’s a dual citizen due to having been born here, although they never did choose naturalization (unsure why).
Grades are perfect - straight As despite attending 3 different high schools, probably hasn’t gotten a B since kindergarten - and her SAT is a 1500 (two sections) or 2240 (3 sections).
<<< as a UK national, >>>
Ok…so she’s really a US citizen who also holds citizenship with the UK
Her parents have likely held on to their UK citizenship for some reason that benefits them. Perhaps their company pays a housing stipend as long at they fall under temporary status rather than citizens of the US. Since you’re the school advisor, you’re probably not privvy to their financial picture, which may present a situation where ND believes that they can afford to pay the determined cost.
She can appeal to ND, but she needs to understand that it may not offer much more. Sounds like Oxford would be cheaper because she’s a UK resident.
I don’t see her getting any merit from ND because her test scores are not in the top quartile. The top quartile is a 1530+
Lots of kids with $150,000 family incomes do not receive sufficient need based aid to attend a $60,000 a year college.
Hopefully, you have advised her to look at less costly options…or options where she would get some merit aid to ease the cost blow.
If she is a U.S. citizen, then she does have instate status where she and her oarents reside.
There are plenty of colleges where $40,000 would be the cost of attendance. Look for those.
Financial safety schools in the US are among applications already sent. With the COA of Oxford below $40,000 (and a degree requiring 3 years to graduate, not 4), she’s happy attending if none of her reach schools work out financially.
However, also curious to know whether (and how) the Oxford acceptance might lead to ND offering more aid - since ND would prefer to maximize their yield.
ND probably has 3,000 kids on the wait list who have equal or better stats - and probably 1.000 who would happily pay full price. Why would they give away something they could easily charge for?
The acceptance to Oxford will have no impact at all on financial aid from Notre Dame.
Did Oxford give this kid a huge scholarship? No. So why would it matter to ND?
BuckeyeGC apparently thinks it will matter to ND because ND will be worried about protecting their yield and will therefore try harder to get an accepted kid to attend who would otherwise choose a different school due to cost.
I think it might matter. There’s a line of argument that suggests it would.
There are also any number of reasons to believe it won’t change a thing.
That’s why I’m asking whether anyone here has experienced a similar situation - because it’s the first time I’ve personally encountered a case like this.
I think she should try, but I think the results won’t be what they want for the following reasons…
-
ND is more interested in protecting yield of their top 25% and ethnic admits.
-
The amount that the family wants is too much, so even if ND gave them a small token more, it wouldn’t be enough.
-
It doesn’t sound like she adds any real diversity for the school. Or does she have some amazing EC or hook?
Our former neighbor was acceoted to Oxford (and actually that is where he received his degree). He was also accepted to several colleges here. Oxford didn’t give him any aid…so he had no leverage with other colleges. None.
He was also from a high income family.
And as I pointed out earlier…there are TONS of colleges in this country where this student could attend college for $40,000 or less.
Also had a friend…similar income. Was acceoted to UVA and ND. No aid at either. And no ND didn’t increase their aid just because the student got accepted at UVA.
You seem to think ND will increase their aid simply because this student got accepted to Oxford. To be honest…ND really won’t care.
Unless she wants to become a doctor, sounds like she should pick Oxford.
S1 had multiple acceptances to T20 schools, including ND. We did appeal f/a, although not the same situation as you post, since I had medical documentation to back it up. All the schools, including ND, did revise his aid package. ND’s was not the top package, before or after revision.
ND’s yield is high–not sure they will care. However, the only way to know is to ask.
Ok, thanks for the responses everyone.
Will let her know: it can’t hurt to ask, but expecting too much seems a bad idea according to the consensus here.
Absent significant medical expenses (which I don’t believe exist in this case), it seems Oxford may remain the superior option financially. With applications to a couple of financial safeties off, it’s now the family’s decision to make.
She has already appealed her ND financial aid offer, right? And her total aid is $3000 even after this appeal.
Her acceptance to Oxford isn’t going to make them increase her aid more.
Oxford doesn’t do aid for internationals- and unless the student’s parents are in diplomatic service, she counts as an international student for fees (it’s tax residence that counts, not citizenship, though citizenship obviously means no visa needed and will make things like getting a bank account easier). It will be almost $20k p/a less to go to Oxford- and unless she is doing a science or a modern language, her course will be 3 years, not 4, so:
ND: $57K x 4 = $228,000
Ox: $40K x 3 = $135,000