<p>I was accepted at Stanford and the aid for the first year is doable. However, my brother will only be in college my freshman year. How much of an increase could reasonably be expected from his no longer being in school?</p>
<p>First of all, congrats on your admission.</p>
<p>Your need based aid at Stanford will be reduced once your brother graduates because you will have an increased EFC. Stanford will expect the monies that your parents are paying for your brother’s EFC to be used to pay for your EFC. Minimally add your brother’s EFC to your EFC to get some kind of ball park as to how much your parents will have to pay</p>
<p>Yes, always good to check and have numbers. It might seem odd, but I’ve heard parents shocked at how much college was when siblings graduated especially if their school met more need than another.</p>
<p>Some private schools will keep their institutional grant the same all four years, even if the number in college changes. I doubt Stanford does this, but some schools do (I know this because I have talked to a couple aid officers whose schools do this) - so it’s never a bad idea to contact the aid office to ask what will happen when your sibling graduates. Don’t bother doing this at a public school, though - I can’t imagine any pledge to keep grants at the higher level.</p>
<p>I agree with that kelsmom, re the public schools.
It also shouldn’t effect merit awards. I know someone who’s son kept his 21.000 merit award all 4 years with a sibling gone but his 8000 grant changed to maybe 2000. All grant money can be tougher when what they think you can pay by their numbers really isn’t realistic to you. </p>
<p>I’ve also known parents when it was just one year (as it is with my girls) to just know they might have to take a parent loan or larger stafford loans to balance it.</p>
<p>My S was accepted to a private school. He was given a grant of $6.5K this year- because we have 2 in college now. The other one isn’t actually costing us anything though, because he goes to a state school and lives at home. The private school is $5K more than I decided we could pay - but I was willing to do this for son #2 IF I was sure I would keep the grant going forward. I can find a way to swing the $5K extra for 4 years - but cannot swing $5K this year and $11.5K (plus tuition increases) for the next 3 years. I checked with the school and they told us the entire grant would most likely go away next year and the best we would get would be $1K. I told them, thanks but no thanks. Son #2 will also go to our state school.</p>