<p>I was admitted to both Harvard and Princeton, but Princeton covered over $20K in grants while Harvard gave me nothing. How would I go about requesting more financial aid from Harvard?</p>
<p>(617)-495-1581, Monday to Thursday 8-8. Give 'em a call and ask for the financial aid offer who is working with admitted students. They’re very helpful!</p>
<p>i read in some interview thing (don’t rmbr where and how old it was) that harvard doesn’t have a policy to match other schools…</p>
<p>hopefully thats not the case.</p>
<p>good luck!</p>
<p>^ Obviously no college is going to go around advertising that they will match other schools’ financial aid policies. BUT to the OP - definitely call and say, I would love to attend if not for my finaid package. Then explain the situation with Princeton. Like others have said on this forum, NO ONE should decline Harvard because of its cost. And for a cursory look at some past threads, it seems Harvard has always changed its finaid package for the better after a phone call like this. Good luck!</p>
<p>oh well, that’s good news!</p>
<p>“harvard doesn’t have a policy to match other schools…”</p>
<p>Harvard does not match full merit rides – there’s no such thing there. If you got a full scholarship from Vandy or Michigan or wherever, that won’t sway Harvard at all. They don’t try to compete with that, financially.</p>
<p>A need-based aid calculation from one of its peers is a different story. They will definitely take that into account.</p>
<p>I would think Harvard would match Princeton’s financial aid. It’s like Hanna said - they won’t match other schools’ merit awards, but I think Harvard will most likely match another Ivy League school’s need-based award.</p>
<p>Usually it is the other way around; When I received aid from Harvard and Pton
it was Pton doing the matching. The only aid that was better than Harvard’s
for me was from MIT due to some special circumstances.</p>
<p>The MIT aid was useful in talking to my Harvard financial aid officer; Hanna
is right. Harvard will match its peers (irrespective of Ivy status). Additionally
since joining Harvard I have found the financial aid to be much more generous
beyond what appears on paper thanks to thoughtful alumini and other donors.</p>
<p>As in most things Harvard you will discover the promised benefit to be understated
and the actual delivery to be overflowing with warmth and grace: tickets to the
BSO, warm coat fund (really thoughtful), etc.</p>