<p>Hello.
I got accepted into UPenn ED and have already received my financial aid package. Right now my cost for this year is going to be about $30,000. Unfortunately this seems to be a bit high for my family (my dad just lost his job, and I also have a sibling in college at $50,000 a year). Can I call/email the Financial Aid Office and ask for more money? Or am I stuck with taking loans and applying for other scholarships? Thanks for any help.</p>
<p>Have you told UPenn that your dad lost his job? If not, you need to tell them that.</p>
<p>If you have a sibling in college, AND UPenn expected your family to pay $30k, then the family income must have been high before your dad lost his job.</p>
<p>No, don’t rely on loans. You can borrow that much by yourself. You’d need your parents to qualify and cosign. With your dad out of work, that’s not likely. Besides, that is too much debt for undergrad.</p>
<p>You need to contact UPenn about your dad’s situation. How long has he been out of work? Did he get a severance check?</p>
<p>You can always ask. As an ED applicant, didn’t you have a window of time in which you could discuss the financial aid package and get out of the ED contract if you and your family cannot afford it? That is the way it ususally works with ED. Look at the wording of your contract. </p>
<p>Most all financial aid offices will take additonal information into consideration, such as your father’s job loss, but all have different ways of doing so. How long has he been without a job, what other income does your family have, what other assets does your family have, are all things that go into the consideration. Hopefully, your sibling’s college has also been contacted about the situation.</p>