<p>Token, for full disclosure, that has happened to me many times and I completely agree with you. That’s why it’s important to “click” the web sites and check for broken links or dead ends. I’ve learned that from trying to find the obscure corners where the schools like to “hide” their latest CDS. I am now clicking on the University of Washington and the University of St Louis with the secret hope to uncover the elusive WUSTL data. :)</p>
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<p>That’s my LOL of the day. Yes, anyone who finds WUSTL Common Data Set data on the Web will get some kind of Web-searching award, and the gratitude of many CC participants.</p>
<p>hey, xig, since I AM lame, could you post the CDS’s from 'SC and Penn when you find them! :)</p>
<p>Interestingly, I had to call Harvard to get some more details (for some research being done here) and found that their phone menu for the fin aid information still gives old information on their initiative. It’s been several weeks now, and the recording makes NO mention of the sliding scale. Also, one of their website links is dead, which really surprised me.</p>
<p>And yes, I had to call and specifically ask what they meant by “family contribution” and “cost to attend” because people here interpreted those things differently. The press release was a little vague.</p>
<p>it’s as tokenadult confirmed (and apparently from another thread)–the 10% of income means that’s all those family spend towards total cost of attendance.</p>
<p>Question hoedown. Does that mean there are no additional term time and summer earnings expectations budgeted for the student, on top of the 10%?</p>
<p>This discussion in regards to the 10% initiative is meaningless because depending on your financial situation (income is only one part of the equation) your financial aid package will range from 0 to full tuition.</p>
<p>At Harvard the student contribution has always been clearly separate from the family contribution, and every student has a student contribution.</p>
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<p>Haha, BB. Fwiw, you put the lameness on a tee, and I simply took a swing at it. :)</p>
<p>Regarding Penn, I’d settle for a mere disclosure of the ED numbers for the Class of 2012. One might think that, by now, they must know how many students were accepted. And if they know, why not tell?</p>
<p>danas, I didn’t ask that much detail. I presume work-study will still be offered, but summer earnings I don’t know about.</p>
<p>It sounds to me as though Harvard is figuring their own “EFC” based on this sliding scale. Is a student’s contribution from summer work and savings usually separate from EFC, or a part of it?</p>
<p>“I presume work-study will still be offered, but summer earnings I don’t know about. It sounds to me as though Harvard is figuring their own “EFC” based on this sliding scale. Is a student’s contribution from summer work and savings usually separate from EFC, or a part of it?”</p>
<p>It will be interesting to see the final details. </p>
<p>Work-study and summer earnings are part of the self-help, and not part of the EFC. I seriously doubt that Harvard is planning to abandon the student’s self-help part. Also, Harvard might not have much leeway for work-study, especially if using federal funds. As far as figuring their own EFC, it will also have to remain within the federal guidelines and limitations on financial aid.</p>
<p>I doubt that Harvard would abandon self help as well, but here we are a month later wondering about these things.
In theory, self help could be part of the 10%.
I have had 2 kids look at Harvard so far and find Harvard is less transparent than competitors. I don’t think it’s on purpose. I tend to lean to the decentralization theory offered by hanna, or to being the institution that doesn’t feel the need to try harder.</p>
<p>After TokenAdult confirmed that Harvard total costs, not just tuition, would be capped at 10% of income up to the new definition of middle class, I went back through the entire thread, thinking that hmmm, maybe I’ve been needlessly pessimistic in thinking that our family would be paying full freight. After all, the Harvard release says that families earning $180k would be paying $18k a year, rather than the ~$30k that a typical family of that income pays, and while $50k a year is one thing, even $30k is a different story. Following another of TokenAdult’s links, I used the Princeton calculator to get the lay of the land, as Princeton doesn’t include home equity.</p>
<p>No dice. Our family income is north (by between 10-20%) of Harvard’s upper edge of middle class, but even when I played with the calculator and took out any parental resources other than income, our family contribution remained in the high $40k’s. Similarly, plugging in a household income of $180k with no other resources whatsoever got the family contribution down to $25k. I suppose that’s in line with what Harvard currently charges for that income level, but that’s with no other assets whatsoever. That can’t be representative of the “typical” family assets at this income level, can it?</p>
<p>Hi, SlitheyTove, </p>
<p>You’re saying you put partly hypothetical numbers into the Princeton online estimator, right? </p>
<p>[Princeton</a> University | Princeton Financial Aid Estimator](<a href=“http://www.princeton.edu/admission/financialaid/estimator/]Princeton”>http://www.princeton.edu/admission/financialaid/estimator/) </p>
<p>I just tried it for an income of $180,000, owning a house but having no other assets (and having fewer children than I actually have). By Princeton’s estimate, the family would still get a substantial reduction on list price. I suppose–but I haven’t checked–that some higher level of income with nil assets would eventually result in the estimated family contribution being equal to the total cost of attendance, but I would think that would be affordable. </p>
<p>Of course, Harvard’s formula for calculating financial aid after the December announcement may be quite a bit different from Princeton’s. But, yes, at least one college now suggests that $180,000 per year in adjusted gross income is not too high an income to get financial aid.</p>
<p>“In theory, self help could be part of the 10%.”</p>
<p>I have no inside scoop, but based on the philosophy that was in place in the past, I doubt this very much. The self help part was never about money; it was about trying to increase the kids’ investment in their educations. We can debate whether this is a worthwhile goal, or whether work-study makes a difference or not, but I’m pretty sure that they were sincere about this. The most senior staff in admissions have been there since I was an undergrad tour guide (yikes, 10 years!).</p>
<p>I buy what you say, Hanna, 100%.
But it is hard to imagine that people who do what it takes to be admitted to Harvard and need financial aid aren’t invested in their education.</p>
<p>DocT (post #427) is right on target.</p>
<p>Once again, the elimination of loans and the fact that home equity will no longer be considered are what will make a difference for some families.</p>
<p>Once again folks, fill out your financial aid info in February, send it in and you’ll find out how much you’ll get. There isn’t any other methodology for figuring it out - its totally opaque.</p>
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…but they mean well. They just can’t execute well in getting a clear description, unlike their colleagues at Princeton, whose calculator is pretty accurate. </p>
<p>If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, let’s call it something else, because surely they don’t mean to be a duck. :)</p>
<p>I’m not completely convinced that they don’t mean to be a duck especially when I talk to them.</p>
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Princeton’s FA policy has been in place for years, so has been their calculator. While HY just changed their FA this year. Give them time, they shall be able to develop a one acomodated to their new FA policy? Or were HY’s calculators acurate for their old FA at first place?</p>