<p>In our experience (DS1 is a senior and DS2 is a sophomore), colleges continually tweak the package. The net result is usually the same, but it seems like they are constantly adjusting the individual grants/scholarships inside the package.</p>
<p>At first it was unsettling, but after awhile, you kind of get used to it.</p>
<p>On a positive note, we found out half way through the first trimester of DS2’s freshman year that he was awarded the Byrd Scholarship ($1500/year for four years). We were pleasantly surprised that the school didn’t decrease another scholarship by $1500 but decreased his work study amount instead.</p>
<p>Fresnomom, at least that is not as bad as taking away institutional grants.</p>
<p>Could someone tell me what an SEOG is? </p>
<p>We just got in a revised package from another private school. </p>
<p>This school added the $700 Pell Grant, PLUS $500 for the SEOG grant. It does not inluded the ACG (for now anyway). They took $500 of their institutional money away, but STILL ALLOWED us an increase in aid of $700. I wonder if they would add the ACG on after looking at my son’s transcript. </p>
<p>I am not seriously considering this school because of the extra $700, but it just shows that not all schools are taking advantage of the new federal grants by deducting the equal amount of institutional aid.</p>
<p>SEOG is a federal grant but it is what is called campus based aid. This means that a school is given $xxx in SEOG funds and that is all they have to award in SEOG funds. It is not like the Pell where a student with a certain EFC gets a certain amount of Pell based on that EFC. As the funding is so limited each school sets their own criteria for awarding it and also their own maximum that they will award. So a student may be eligible at one school and not at another. And they may be eligible at 2 schools but get completely different amounts.</p>
<p>Our experience with SEOG. My kids have both received SEOG grants. My son’s school awards a maximum of $200 in SEOG. My daughter’s school awards $2,000. In her 4 years she received no SEOG the first year with an EFC of around 800, received $2000 years 2 & 3 with an EFC of 0, received no SEOG year 4 despite having an EFC of 0. I thought I had it all figured out that it came with the 0 EFC at her school but I guess not.</p>
<p>swimcatsmom, thank you for explaining the SEOG to me.</p>
<p>Rubymom, perhaps you should look at it as the school awarding institutional grants based on your need. Since the federal aid went up, your need went down with respect to how much institutional grant could be awarded. The institutional grant money will now go to someone with higher need than you. Even with a zero EFC last year and a gap of $7000 my D did not show enough need to qualify for an institutional grant at her private school or a state grant either.</p>