<p>Hi,</p>
<p>Originally when I applied for Harvard, I didn't apply for financial aid. Now I just received my admission letter, but then my family have had some problems with our finances (due to the economic crisis). </p>
<p>Would it still be possible for me to call Harvard and apply for financial aid? </p>
<p>Would they revoke my admitted status if I were to ask for aid?</p>
<p>Other suggestions?</p>
<p>I’m sure they won’t revoke your admissions offer. What’s unclear is whether they’d consider your aid request. You’d have to call the financial aid office and ask. No one here will be able to give you as definitive an answer as you’ll get from them directly.</p>
<p>You can certainly file a FAFSA still, but any federal assistance would be based on your parents’ 2008 income, so probably no help there grant-wise. However filing a FAFSA would make you eligible for an unsubsidized federal loan up to … it’s about $5000, I think, for your freshman year.</p>
<p>As for any institutional aid from Harvard, yeah, the only thing you can do is ask. They won’t revoke your admission for asking. You’re probably not the only one.</p>
<p>They will consider your aid request, but it may take a while for them to process it since it will be so late.</p>
<p>And it depends on what your “financial problems” are. If you have had a drop in your college fund or investments it will have less impact than if you have a parent who is no longer working.</p>