<p>Does anyone know how receptive Rochester is to competing offers from similar schools?</p>
<p>All I know is my son got the same financial aid package every year, increased correspondingly each year matched to increases in tuition (he graduated two years ago). There was no requirement to keep his merit aid, other than to stay in good standing. I would call the financial aid office to check if it would reassure you, but I don't know where these loss/reduction of financial aid after freshman year horror stories are coming from. Also, the administrative folks at U of R were extremely approachable (I would say the best of any schools my kids applied to -- except for housing, that is), if Rochester is really your first choice and finances are the only thing keeping you from going there, I would at least give them a call and explain the situation. They may ask you for additional information to support your financial case. If you have better financial offers from similar institutions, I'm sure they would consider that. Maybe they won't be able to do anything, but I would at least talk with them.</p>
<p>ok, i just got my financial aid package. In total, ROchester grants me 43,181.00, while the estimated cost is 48,150.00. Plus, i also have to take federal direct subsidized loan which is 3,500. Is it really worth it???</p>
<p>I have a whopping 14,000 granted.</p>
<p>Let me get this right - UR grants you 43, net cost is 48, your net pay is 5 (partially made up with a loan) and you're asking is it really is worth it?</p>
<p>What a deal! Grab it!</p>
<p>no, it's 5 k from my pocket plus loan. in total it will be 3500 federal direct sub. loan in addition to my 5K</p>
<p>MY financial aid package arrived today. They are giving me the Venture scholarship for 10k each year + 3.5k loans = 13.5k per year
MY EFC is 24k. There is a 10k gap from the EFC, this package has discarded my possibilities on attending UoR. I am very ****ed with fin aid.</p>
<p>My financial aid was HORRENDOUS. WITH my U Rochester Bausch and Lomb Scholarship and Fafsa, I will be paying about $40,000 a year.</p>
<p>I would only be paying just over $10,000 for Skidmore. Hmmm wonder which I'll choose. Not.</p>
<p>AMcGuire13, I got the same package. We're cool cats man.</p>
<p>To find EFC as determined by U of R this what I did: Take total cost of attendance $48,000(?) and subtract the total need parts (scholarships, grants, loans, workstudy) that should equal what the EFC is. If this method of calculation is accurate than our U of R EFC is about $4000 more than the FAFSA.</p>
<p>Did anyone try to appeal financial aid? My guidance counselor told me to do this and also fax in packages where I got a lot more money. Would it be a better idea to call or write a letter?</p>
<p>I just used the UofR financial aid calculator and according to that, they actually did meet my need. However, there is NO way my parents can pay that amount. It's over 1/3 of my parent's gross income. I was toying with it and home equity made a HUGE difference. Homes in Hawaii are super expensive, and my parents did not actually pay that much for their home because the value of their home has doubled. If they bought my home in today's market, they would not be able to afford it. I really, really, really want to go UofR, but I guess I'll have to settle for my second choice if this doesn't work out.</p>
<p>It doesn't hurt to appeal, but I just did and it was a waste of time. I am learning that UR seems to be known for being rather tight with the money. Remember college IS a big business. Education may be their product, but they have to earn profits.</p>
<p>I appealed... intially Rochester gave me <em>nothing</em>. My dad called and talked to them a lot, and we also wrote a nice letter. Our regional financial person sent it to the board. I guess we had a solid letter because it got me $5,000 a year... not nearly enough to make tuition reasonable, but it's a step in the right direction. However, I've also heard that it's tough to get money when you appeal... make sure you have a really good letter.</p>