<p>I'm worried about financial assistance for college. In particular, Duke, NYU, Princeton, Columbia.</p>
<p>Should I consider ED-ing these schools for a better chance? Isn't it true I could get out of the deal b/c of lack of financial aid though?</p>
<p>I've heard mixed things on CC, so I would just love if people could clear it up here :)</p>
<p>Thanks!!</p>
<p>Probably not at NYU. NYU is stingy with FA. At Pton and Columbia if your parent’s salary is less than 60K, you get a free ride. If your parent’s salary is from 60K to 100K, you have to pay a minimum amount. Don’t know about Duke.</p>
<p>Duke meets 100% of FA need. Essentially they will look at FAFSA EFC and CSS EFC and go with something around there. Their FA does have loans (something to look at). Any EFC calculator will give you a decent idea of how much aid Duke will be giving you.</p>
<p>You can get out of ED if the FA is not good enough, but at that point you are applying to schools which have already done a first selection for their incoming class and you are applying for what is LEFT in the aid basket. If you are concerned about aid, do NOT apply ED because you can’t compare your FA offers.</p>
<p>I would never ED, but that’s just me. I hate restrictions. If I were to ED, I’d ED the absolute, most attractive school to me, because if I EDed somewhere else and got in, I’d always wonder if I could get in x.</p>
<p>But you can get out of ED contract if the fin-aid isn’t enough. It might take some work though</p>
<p>Princeton does not have ED. It also has some of the best financial aid around, if you’re fortunate enough to get in. </p>
<p>Remember that a school may say that it will meet full need, but that is full need from the school’s perspective. The school might figure that your family should be able to pay $30k based on your FAFSA and CSS numbers. If your family then says that they only want to pay $30k, you are going to have a problem. It is possible to get out of ED, but you risk having your ED school tell other schools that you wriggled out of your ED commitment. You could end up with less of a chance of getting into other schools during RD. </p>
<p>Like Erin’s Dad says, if you are concerned about financial aid, your best bet is to apply RD so you can compare FA offers. You’ll also be able to see if school A, which might not have offered you much aid, can meet the generous FA offer you got from school B.</p>
<p>So should I figure out my FAFSA/CSS stuff first and then consider ED-ing? My parents make about 83-87k per year, so I’m in that really squishy area between free ride and getting screwed over…</p>
<p>Thanks for everyone’s feedback!</p>
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<p>Absolutely because everyone’s financial situation is different. And remember, with the Profile, while you submit the same information to all schools, their FA policies and calculations differ, so your EFC at various colleges could all be similar OR they could vary by a significant amount.</p>
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<p>You got that right! And that’s exactly why you shouldn’t apply ED anywhere. Do rolling, EA and RD and be able to compare FA packages (and merit scholarships) in the spring.</p>
<p>Whoops, I meant to write above that if your family only wants to pay $20k, then you’d have a problem. A $10k a year problem! With ED, it is difficult to impossible to tell the school “well, you have to give us $10k a year more in aid, or else I’m not enrolling.” </p>
<p>Have you had the oh-so-fun money talk with your parents? That’s where they tell you just how much they can afford to pay each year. That’s usually a lower number than what you’ll get from FAFSA and the CSS.</p>
<p>Only do ED if you’re dirty poor or filthy rich?</p>
<p>I know a few people who got very good fin aid (internationals, too), at cornell.</p>
<p>They were middle middle class.</p>