<p>Hi everyone, I just got my acceptance envelope today and it came with my Financial Aid award. </p>
<p>I did get a 22k Frederick Douglass Scholarship which I’m absolutely thrilled about, but other than that I have only $3500 per year in Federal Direct Subsidized Loans, $2000 per year in Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loans, and $2000 in on-campus employment. So, only about $7500 a year in need-based aid.</p>
<p>My parents make about $110,000 a year, which is not necessarily a small amount but I had really hoped for more than $7500. I have an offer from my state school for full tuition, which I could take advantage of, but I did get into the Global Scholars Program, SIS and Honors College so I’d much rather be attending AU. </p>
<p>Could there have been some mistake? I noticed that I didn’t get any grants from AU itself. Also, did they calculate my financial aid with my Frederick Douglass scholarship? I think I’ll call them tomorrow and ask. I’m pretty disappointed :(</p>
<p>I’m with you! My D received $20,000 presidential scholarship and $5500 a year <em>loans</em>. Her father makes too much, I guess, but he’s not willing to pay what they think he should pay. So she’ll either have to take out even <em>more</em> loan or… I don’t know what. She has a great record and has been admitted to 2 other schools and this is the best offer so far (tied with Rhodes College). There are still 11 to hear from. Still hoping someone breaks the $30,000 barrier, but it isn’t looking likely. Good luck to you!</p>
<p>I didn’t get a scholarship but I got a pretty good grant which I’m very happy about. Does anyone know how the scholarships work? They have nothing on their website about what stats qualify you for them, I’m not sure why I didn’t get any merit award.</p>
<p>Don’t qualify for need based aid, didn’t get anything in the way of merit aid. State flagship university is looking better and better with no debt when we are done</p>
<p>LeslieLu- I am with you on the no merit award thing. I’m so confused. I applied to 7 other schools, and I got over $18k at every single on of those schools, and nothing from AU. It’s a weird situation this year…</p>
<p>$110,000 a year is quite a bit more than most families make. I don’t know why you’re surprised, unless you have a big family with several students in college.</p>
<p>I’m also rather irked about my aid package from American. I received the 20K Presidential Scholarship and got into the honors college; however, I got only about 1K in stafford loans and less than 2K in the subsidized grant. My parents, together, make under $100,000 (but above $60,000) and I have two siblings in college.
I have only gotten one other college decision back (so perhaps I don’t have a lot to compare), and it was over the phone from Vandy - in contrast with American’s offer, they are giving me approximately 50K per year in grants, based solely on financial need, not merit. Granted, they have a larger endowment than American and a really fantastic, generous expanded aid program in place. And granted, I probably wouldn’t be attending American in the Fall based on my acceptance to Vandy and hopeful acceptances to other colleges. I’m grateful for the scholarship offer and acceptance, but I am disappointed with American’s effort to make their university affordable.</p>
<p>@Raito23 I guess, but had I not received the Frederick Douglass scholarship I would have had to pay about 50k in tuition, which after taxes would be more than half of my family’s income. There’s no way I can bring myself to ask for that. </p>
<p>Besides, even with the scholarship I’d save about 128k just attending my state school (They’re give me a $7000 stipend for being a Natl Merit finalist)</p>
<p>I’m just really, really disappointed --I thought that with a good scholarship I could afford it, but didn’t realize that a merit scholarship would take away from my need-based financial aid.</p>
<p>Well, the AU sticker price is higher than the income for a lot of families. Mine’s own slightly higher (around $60,000) and I have it way better off than most other students.</p>
<p>College costs are just becoming too high in general. I’ll be attending a state school because it’ll be free or nearly free for me to do so, instead of taking out loans for tens of thousands of dollars to attend university with such a volatile job climate (though hopefully it won’t be so when we graduate).</p>
<p>I’ve heard this advice from a lot of people who attended very prestigious schools (WUSTL, University of Chicago, Northwestern, etc). Go cheap for undergraduate school and do very well in it - then splurge on graduate school. </p>
<p>But yeah, college costs are just too high. Something has to happen at some point, don’t know what it’ll be. The bubble seems like it’ll burst anytime now.</p>
<p>Yeah, American definitely disappointed. My brother got into today and even though he has an EFC of zero, he only got 20K a year in merit [dean’s scholarship] and federal pell grant of 5k and no other grant aid from american…</p>
<p>If you hadn’t gotten the big merit scholarship you would have likely gotten some additional need based grant. That scholarship is already meeting a lot of your need.</p>
<p>I just received my acceptance today, and was very happy with the financial aid! I have older twin brothers currently in college an both parents are in college working for nursing and one for masters, I was offered $46,000 a year in grants and loans, $30,000 of that was strictly a grant from AU. Having 5 in college on one salary really does pay off!</p>
<p>heyheyhollis, congratulations, but think carefully. You received a package with $16,000 in loans for just one year? (You said out of $46,000, $30,000 was a grant) How will your family meet its portion? Will you also have to borrow to cover some of that? You could be looking at significant debt to repay by the time you are done at AU…good luck to you.</p>
<p>senoritapipita i got basically the exact same thing! a frederick douglass scholarship of 22K but all they gave me in need based aid was 5k in loans…they said they don’t take need based aid away because of merit based aid but that must be wrong, otherwise they gave me the suckiest need based aid ever :(</p>
<p>Same situation as everyone ese, $15k/year merit and basically 0 need based (just loans). Considering my parents are contributing $30k/year, I’m not really thinking American is worth $40k in debt. Oh well :/</p>
<p>We don’t have any taxable income, just disability and social security stuff. Got my package today: $20k per year presidential scholarship, but that’s it.
Wait what???
Is American giving need based aid later on, or is that all I am getting? :(</p>
<p>My daughter got notified of merit-based and need-based aid in one fell swoop. It’s broken out in her acceptance letter. AU grants and federal loans = need based aid; anything with “scholarship” at the end of it is merit based.</p>
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