Brown University is my top school and I’m glad to say that I’ve been offered admission BUT it is by far the most expensive school for me to go to.
I’m expected to pay 42k a year if I go to Brown, while only 14k, 25k, 26k, and 28k at the University of Chicago, Washington University in St. Louis, the University of Southern California, and the University of Pennsylvania respectively.
Do you think that Brown would be willing to match one of these school’s financial statements? I wrote my appeal letter and actually became emotional. I think that I would fit in best at Brown and would be distraught if I couldn’t go due solely to financial matters.
Also, if Brown does match aid, would it continue for sophomore through senior year or would it go back to being 42k+ ?
Obviously, no one can know what Brown’s office of financial aid will do, but I am curious as to what you all think.
This is obviusly a question that can only be answered definetely by the financial aid office, but here’s my opinion:
Any aid that you get should apply for all four years. I’ve never heard of someone only getting aid (or getting more aid) for their first year only…
I also think that you can leverage your acceptances from all of those schools quite well. If you are only expected to may 14k at UChicago and 28k at UPenn, I’d think that Brown would at come down to around 28k to match with UPenn.
would be distraught if I couldn’t go due solely to financial matters
I understand you really want Brown, but apparently the only thing stopping you is financial. This happens to many students (mine included).
@Tman1005 I hope Brown is willing to match Penn. My dad says that 28k is definitely doable. @fireandrain USC includes a half-tuition scholarship. Everything else is need-based. @onceuponamom I’m so so sorry to hear about your children. It sucks that students work so hard and get into amazing schools only to be faced with the burden of paying.
Thank you all for your responses! I can sleep a little easier tonight. I wrote two pages explaining my family’s financial situations that CSS and FAFSA don’t cover and just my overall yearning to be a Brunonian. I hope it’s enough.
Your have a lot of differences between all you offers. A bit larger than expected–are you sure some don’t have a merit component? If you didn’t send your letter, I would not make them read through 2 pages, I would first ask them to recalculate to check for error since the price is so much higher than colleges that give similar aid. Then I would keep the appeal part short and sweet. Of course listing any exceptional situations such as medical debt (not consumer debt.)
After you attend Brown (hopefully), try to remember this feeling and contribute generously each year to the Annual Fund, or create a scholarship endowment, so others will not face the burden of paying.
In the meantime, current alumni and friends are encouraged to maintain or increase your level of support. Fiscal year ends in June.
Let us know what happens. This question comes up every year, and it would be nice to give advice to future accepted students about whether Brown matches UChicago and WashU.
I’m not 100% but I believe the only thing that is a guaranteed “will be done in all cases” is a reevaluation of the financial package. Whether or not the package will change probably is a case by case evaluation based on the desirability of that particular acceptance, and possibly the results of other students having already accepted/declined offers. Probably any of the following are then possible: match best offer, match one offer but not another, increase offer but not enough to match, change nothing.
I agree with Tman that whatever Brown does will be for all 4 years - you won’t get bait and switched into attending.
All recipients of financial aid must remain eligible to receive their award each year, to be able to continue to receive it. If circumstances change, the award can change…and should in my opinion.
A family that wins the lottery when the student is a sophomore should not be receiving financial aid for junior and senior years, and taking those funds away from other families in need.
true, I should have been more clear, i meant (and I believe Tman meant) that Brown won’t match the aid to another school to entice you to come and then go back to the original amount the 2nd year despite nothing about your finances having changed.