Emory Advantage

<p>Emory Advantage (from the Emory website)
"Emory Advantage is Emory University's financial aid initiative to help students from families who demonstrate financial need and have total annual incomes of $100,000 or less. The program reduces the amount of money borrowed to pay for an undergraduate Emory degree."</p>

<p>Wouldn't you think that meant if you earned less than $100,000, you would be eligible for Emory Advantage?</p>

<p>That's not what it means. According to Patricia Nicol at the Office of Financial Aid, they do their own calculation based on cash flow to determine eligibility. It's not based on income. </p>

<p>Their methodology is private.</p>

<p>They look at your mortgage payment. If your mortgage payment is a third of your income (based on their calculation of your income, which again, they don't tell you how they calculate your income), then they figure you have money to pay for tuition from "other resources." As in, they think you're hiding assets.</p>

<p>But if your mortgage payment went down, then you would qualify for aid.</p>

<p>This makes no sense to me. Does it make sense to you?</p>

<p>This complete and utter secrecy and subjectivity of their analysis is very worrisome.</p>

<p>Has anyone had a positive experience with Emory viewing your income the way you thought they would?</p>

<p>Sorry you had that experience.</p>

<p>Been pretty good for me.</p>

<p>Family income of 95k </p>

<p>Paid 16k for year 1, 15k for year 2, 9k for year 3 and 5k for year 4. Out of pocket.</p>

<p>Will have about 25k in loans as well.</p>

<p>I’m glad for you, a_b. So I guess they come through for some people, and not for others. I didn’t think the process was so variable.</p>