<p>After a college offers a package, if everything else stays the same, does the package stay relatively the same from year to year or do colleges reduce grant money and replace it with greater loans.</p>
<p>I am interested in schools in general, but would like to know more about California UCs particularly.</p>
<p>Mr. B - I can't answer your question in regards to California UCs, but I will tell you that I have read colleges adjust the grant/loan portion yearly. For example, with one of the loans (Stafford ?) the max the freshman year is $2,500 (approx), the next year it goes up to $3,500 and in the junior & senior year it goes up to $5,500 (per year). So this year your child might get a package with $5,000 in grant money with a $2,500 loan. The next year it would be $4,000 in grant money with a $3,500 loan.</p>
<p>However, every college is different. I would make sure you check with the fin aid department at your son/daughter's prospective colleges when you receive their final fin aid package. Remember, at many colleges tuition/R&B charges go up over $2,000+ per year so theoretically the grant portion could go up and the college might offer different loan options. Just wish that we could all get raises that would cover the yearly increases.</p>