<p>I got my aid award from my top choice, but it isn't enough for me to go. My EFC was 0 but it would still cost 25,000 each year with what they gave me. I got a scholarship for 8,000 and was expecting more than just a 5,600 aid grant.</p>
<p>Is it possible for me to ask for more aid? How would I go about doing it.</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>You can ask them to reconsider. But be prepared to walk away if they don’t/won’t/can’t come up with the kind of money you need.</p>
<p>is this Fordham? If so, Fordham doesn’t have the funds to meet need for low EFC students who don’t also qualify for high merit.</p>
<p>You can ask, but even if they gave you a bit more, you’d still have a lot to pay.</p>
<p>Just curious, how does an EFC 0 student afford to vacation in Europe?</p>
<p>dynamik - </p>
<p>Here’s the blunt truth:</p>
<p>The school knows you have an EFC of zero, but it still didn’t give financial (or merit) aid sufficient to make it possible for you to attend. An appeal isn’t going to get you from financial aid of $5,600 to financial aid of $31k. It’s just not going to happen. A school that really, really wants you as a student will try to find a way to make it affordable for you to attend. But this just isn’t that school.</p>
<p>I know this is the school you want to attend. And it accepted you. But the school’s lousy financial aid award makes it impossible. You don’t have the missing $25k, and the school’s not likely to give it to you.</p>
<p>Do appeal for more aid - to both the financial aid and the admissions office. But, as happymomof1 said (way at the top of this thread), be prepared to walk away if they don’t give it to you.</p>
<p>Osserpusser - Tried to send you a PM (private message), but wasn’t able to. You’ve apparently chosen not to accept them? Please start your own thread so we can respond to your concerns directly. 
(P.S. Love your name!)</p>
<p>We are in a similar situation. Daughter’s top choice will cost us $16,000 more per year than her 4th choice. The top choice was one she worked very hard to get into and seems to be a good academic fit.</p>
<p>I would like to call the financial aid office and ask for more money from College Number one. But I have heard the call really needs to come from the student. She is bashful about doing this (it is hard to call and ask for money, I will admit). I might do a better job articulating what we need. Should I call or should she?</p>
<p>MODERATOR NOTE:</p>
<p>bellarid and other members, please use the New Thread button to start your own thread. I know your question is similar, but it tends to derail the OPs question.</p>
<p>it’s ok for parents to call and deal with FA issues since they’re the ones who usually know the hard facts. Kids don’t usually have that info.</p>
<p>It looks as if you are from NYS. IF yes, where is your TAP award (did you apply for it)?</p>
<p>So with Pell ~5600+ 5000 TAP +5500 Stafford loan you should at least have $16k minimally as an award</p>
<p>Did you apply through HEOP at any of the private schools state schools that offer HEOP (from your stats, you should have gone big and tossed an application at Cornell and Columbia through HEOP)</p>
<p>Sorry for hijacking your post dynamik!</p>
<p>Hey Dynamik, I am a senior in high school and just chose a college. </p>
<p>I was in a similar situation to yours, where my first choice college came up short with the financial aid package. I had other schools which were affordable, so I began to face the reality that I may not be attending my first choice school.</p>
<p>Anyways, I wrote a letter to the head of financial aid, stating that this was my first choice school, and that if I had the funds, I would quickly send a deposit to their school. I listed out reasons why I deserved more money, such as the fact that I attend a really high end private school, so my grades should be re-evaluated knowing how difficult and rigorous my course work is. I also gave them an updated resume, and sent them photo copied images of the financial aid packages from other schools, showing them how very similar schools were offering me much more.</p>
<p>I received $5,000 in additional aid from the school. The total net cost was below my family’s EFC, but still cost money. I really doubt that you will be able to close a whole $25,000 gap, but I don’t know your family’s financial situation. Didn’t you receive the loan and work study as part of your aid package? I would imagine that would immensely help you, especially if your EFC is 0, since the loan’s interest would be subsidized.</p>
<p>Trackkk - As you yourself acknowledge, closing a $5k gap is not the same as closing a $25k gap, and student loans and work study are NOT going to come anywhere close to making up the difference. With some family resources to fall back on, perhaps . . . but with an EFC of zero, the burden on this family would be extraordinary.</p>
<p>Dodgersmom- I know that 5k wouldn’t close the gap enough in this situation. However, I am just stating that doing an appeal can get more money, and bringing attention to your EFC of zero could potentially help. I also said early in the post that I had other schools which were financially affordable for me, hinting that most likely Dynamik will not be attending his/her first choice.</p>