<p>I'm trying to get a handle on how to interpret & compare FA packages when they start arriving for my D'15. Specifically, if my financial situation doesn't change dramatically up or down, my EFC stays roughly the same, and the college(s) apply grant funds to the FA package, could I realistically count on the grant $ to stay each year? I don't qualify for Pell, and these are OOS schools so these would be grants specific to the college(s). </p>
<p>The grant should specify if it is one-year only or renewable, and if there are any limits or requirements to keep it (GPA of 3.0 or something). If they are renewable or last all four years you shoul be fine expecting them to be the same size each year; the only problem may be that the grant is the same size but tuition and fees keep increasing though.</p>
<p>Thanks for the reply @DmitriR - I did not know that grants could/would have time specifications. My first S’13 had a tuition waiver put on his FA package but no grants so I wasn’t sure how should go. And I’m aware that costs will go up each year so and am trying to build a % increase into costs each year when figuring totals.</p>
<p>No problem. Hopefully the grants are renewable! If the grants have names sometimes you can look them up on the financial aid website, but hopefully it’s specified in the aid award that they sent to you, along with what your daughter has to do to renew them.</p>
<p>Yes, I do hope she does get some renewable grants, it does help for planning purposes. Since this will be the first time having 2 kids in college I’m just trying to stay a little ahead of the game. Having names and/or renewal info of the grants will be very helpful when the FA packages arrive.</p>
<p>If your EFC is above Pell, what need-based grants could you get from an OOS public? Usually OOS publics don’t give grants unless they’re UVA, UNC or a few others.</p>
<p>When you run the NPC on each OOS publics’ website, what need-based grants are you seeing?</p>
<p>Miami U-Ohio is indicating that we are eligible for a school grant - their NPC only asks for financial information and not stats, so it is definitely not a scholarship. </p>
<p>Estimated total grant aid: $7,500 (Includes only need based grant aid)</p>
<p>I understand that their NPC says it is still using data from 2013 so the grant amount will most certainly vary from the above but they are including it with the income I provided (I estimated high just to be on the safe side).</p>
<p>If we are eligible for a grant, that is a bonus - I am well aware OOS publics do not give grants on a regular basis so I am not counting it. I was just looking for some information ahead of the game IN CASE we ran into a grant situation.</p>
<p>^^^</p>
<p>Will the school remove the grant if merit is received?</p>
<p>Possibly, but unknown at this point since their NPC is probably one of the more basic models I’ve seen. I will do some additional digging on the website but at this point this school is second on my D’s list so if the numbers work, great, if not, her first choice may still win out. Thanks for all the help!</p>
<p>One thing to remember. College costs tend to increase annually…sometimes 5% a year. In addition, many schools expect a higher student contribution annually. Sometimes the grant aid does not increase to meet the increased costs of attending the college. Usually grant aid won’t increase when the student contribution is expected to be higher.</p>
<p>Agreed, @thumper1 - my spreadsheets will have increases built into them for each year. I am not counting on grant aid at any of the schools we will eventually send our info to. If it happens, it will be icing on the cake, but I am being realistic about our chances.</p>