which uni offers better financial aid?
which uni do i have higher chances of getting into if i have lower grades but stellar and unique ec’s?
Too little info, and you shouldn’t ask such vague questions as to which one you should apply to.
In admissions, “fit” is the most important thing. Which one do you like better? Have you visited either of them? What do you intend to major in? What will make you stand out the most regardless of which one you are applying to is how you craft your application to showcase your academic/lifelong passions and interests.
And on the financial aid part, Ivy League institutions all offer a similar level of financial aid, but when it comes to ED, both UPenn and Cornell can/will offer (substantially) less.
I don’t believe you get less (certainly not substantially less) financial aid if you apply ED in need-blind institutions.
One thing to note is that while colleges may “meet 100% of need” for financial aid, some (including Cornell) include loans as part of the package if family income is over a certain amount…something like 75k. I think that blows.
I, along with many of my friends go to Cornell; the ones of my family’s income level that apply ED get more loans and less grants. This way the EFC remains the same but in reality Cornell is shelling out less money.
You can’t just take a few personal experiences and then go on to make that generalization.
Keep in mind that everyone’s financial situation it different. Even if you and I make $100,000/yr, you could have $3 million in assets (houses, savings accounts, etc.) while I might only have $500k in assets. I highly doubt that you and your friends compared each other’s FAFSAs line for line.
@Renomamma More information about loans can be found here: http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/2012/07/cornell-affirms-need-blind-admissions-aid-policies
@Renomamma I think it “blows” that people think they should not have to take any loans to pay for their own college. Some of us are struggling to oay the full $70K per year with zero financial aid. I have a hard time listening to people complain about loans and financial aid. Everyone should have to pay at least something toward their college education. The colleges and other taxpayers should not be expected to fund the entire bill. Attending college at Cornell or Penn is a privilege and a choice. Pay to play and “suffer” with a few loans, or go elsewhere.
People seem to take out car loans and leases without thinking twice, but they complain about loans for their education, which is much more valuable than any car.
@MOMANDBOYSTWO it is still very much a struggle for us to pay the tuition that we pay, not counting the loans we will pay off later. But as an example, our son just graduated from Stanford, and not only are they more generous with their financial aid (and they offer many other freebies that Cornell does not), but their FA packages do not include loans.
“Everyone should pay at least something? "
We pay! Just not as much as full pay since our income/ assets are not that high. And both parents work as professionals. If everyone was full pay, then private colleges would surely be for only the elite…and this would go against Cornell’s motto: I would found an institution where any person can find instruction in any study”.
I’m not complaining about having to take out loans for education. I understand the value. I’m stating that Cornell’s financial aid is not as generous as some of their peer institutions…because someone asked the question. (My daughter is very happy there, however).
We have to take loans on top of the partial financial aid we receive. With Cornell, it’s loans upon loans. That’s all.
@AL no, not all Ivy leagues offer similar financial aid. Some offer aid as grants, others offer aid as grants with loans. It’s not the same and can actually be significantly different.