Anybody familiar with U. Michigans financial aid?

Paying for College
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<p>Heres my situation:</p>

<p>I am picking between Johns Hopkins and University of Michigan Ann Arbor. Having visited both campus, I really want to got U Mich over JHU. The problem now is financial aid.</p>

<p>Hopkins basically gave me a full ride, I'd only have to pay little tuition and some room and board and that comes out to be about $13k a year. </p>

<p>I got 9,209 in grant money from Michigan. If thats the only thing I accept, then Michigan would be more than twice the cost per year.</p>

<p>Heres the thing though, my mom works for JHU and we get a tuition benefit. At Hopkins I only got 10600 in grant money, and half tuition because of this benefit, thats why JHU is so cheap. </p>

<p>For other schools what I think happens is that JHU takes half of tuition cost at said university and divides by two and subtracts the financial aid given by the instution. This tuition benefit only applies to tuition, and not room and board cost.</p>

<p>I talked with Michigan financial aid when I was there visitng and they told me that the grant money is unrestricted, meaning that I can use it for any cost...or at least I hope. I am still unsure how the grant money is distributed...do they use a computer? Does my family decide? Can I have them make a special arrangement? See what I am thinking is using the U. Michigan grant money and pay my room and board with that, leaving a few thousand for tuition and hopkins would end up paying between $10 and $11 thousand a year for my tuition. Tuition is more expensive, but overall it would be cheaper.</p>

<p>So if anybody is familiar with how Michigan distributes grant money, or if even anyone is familiar with the Hopkins employee tuition benefit, please help me out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :o</p>

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<p>Oh yeah at best..cost for michigan would be about $14k a year...and at worst around $26-27k</p>

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<p>Iollloi, you are asking about some very specific things. My experience with Hopkins' financial aid has not been positive. They tend to be rapacious about every penny and every angle, as they are not a need blind school, nor do they give 100% of aid and do tend to give too many loans to some kids. However, they may not have anything to do with the Hopkins employee tuition benefit. You will have to talk to the office administering that benefit and find out how the benefit will apply with that grant from Michigan. If indeed they will buy the idea that the grant is for room and board (making it taxable, by the way), then your theory will work, but they may well have that angle covered. You might want to call MIchigan and ask how this grant money is distributed and explain about the employee tutition benefit. There are a number of kids who are under this plan so it will not be news to them, but you need to talk to someone who knows what the deal is. You may have to ask to have that person call you via phone appointment rather than trying to catch him on the fly.</p>

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<p>Good advice.</p>

<p>Yeah my mom is looking into the hopkins side tomorrow. I met with a financial aid officer directly, but I really didn't understand :o</p>