<p>The title says it all.</p>
<p>Actually, no–you need to post more details about your query. Do you mean a change from year to year (a freshman year reward vs the following sophomore year)? Or how about an award posted but then drastically changed before the school year starts? Or a mid-year adjustment between semesters? How about a retroactive change and suddenly owing money for the past semester because of withdrawn aid?</p>
<p>Btw - I have heard of reduced aid in all the situations above, caused by a whole range of different issues.</p>
<p>ft happens for various reasons, some of which may or may not apply to you. For instance, thousands of students that qualified in FAFSA for the Automatic 0 EFC last year no longer qualified for it this year when the income cut off was reduced from $31,000 to $23,000. That probably drastically affected their aid.</p>
<p>There was just an article on this very subject in today’s Wall Street Journal. They specifically mention Swarthmore. [Some</a> Schools Cut Student Grants, Scholarships - WSJ.com](<a href=“Some Schools Cut Student Grants, Scholarships - WSJ”>Some Schools Cut Student Grants, Scholarships - WSJ)</p>
<p>No changes or surprises in QuietLurkingDaughter’s F/A package. Rather surprised to read the Swarthmore sophomore’s F/A comments in the WSJ article. I would think new cuts in grants/scholarships would start with the incoming 2012-13 class. </p>
<p>QLM</p>
<p>That article never mentioned if the financial aid budget was actually cut. And it’s completely possible that that student doesn’t understand the nuances of his family financial situation.</p>
<p>As a rule, no. Schools try not to let this happen because it would make the attrition rate a lot higher and could cause a loss in reputation, and fewer students with other choices (the kids they may most want to attract) attending when such word gets out. </p>
<p>What is the definition of “dramatically reduced”? Important because nearly every single school says right up front that each year, a student is expected to take on a larger portion of the cost of college. Many times the contribution or school cost is broken down between the parents and student, and that student amount will usually go up each year. The Stafford maximums reflect this trend, giving the student more availability of loans each year. Also, costs tend to rise each year at colleges. On top of that upperclassmen housing often costs more than freshman double rooms. Both of my sons ended up in singles their sophomore year, just the way the housing lottery worked for them, which meant a hike in that line item. Also a lot of upperclassmen go into student apartments which also cost more than the freshman double room. By reducing the meal plan, some savings can be recouped, but you can see what is happening here.</p>
<p>For schools like Swarthmore, that guarantee to meet full need, unless there is a fundamental change in how need is determined, there should not be a dramatic increase in cost, unless the items listed above fall into what that definition of “dramatic” might be. </p>
<p>Any aid reduction should therefore be due to any change in family financial situations. Sometimes a bit of bump up in income or assets can knock a family into a whole other category that may mean a correspondingly larger reduction in aid if the school’s aid formulas are so designed. Remember some schools do define need as they please, not as FAFSA would define it.</p>