<p>^ Isabella_nijo is correct that there’s no amount explicitly earmarked for “summer earnings.” Earlier, I was referring to the “student contribution” amount, which is equivalent to summer earnings for many people. All students, domestic or international, have a “student contribution.”</p>
<p>Actually, my “student contribution” says zero, so I think ronsard-m’aimait is right, because I am international.</p>
<p>You mentioned “laptop” and “travel.”</p>
<p>I am not on FinAid, but I know a bit more about Yale’s program since I go there… even “outside” things are often covered (at least at Yale and I would hope for Harvard/Princeton too). </p>
<p>E.g.
-Yale provides a stipend to buy a laptop/software (I believe you get $2500).
-Yale has a vacation allowance for international students to help them pay for food and board over school vacations.
-Yale will pay for one summer of travel to finaid recipients w/out any additional paperwork.</p>
<p>And there are MANY MANY sources of grants, scholarships, etc available to students.</p>
<p>Yale is pretty darn willing to help students with whatever they need. E.g. I met a student from Ghana at “Bulldog Days” (program for admitted students) who told me that he originally thought that he couldn’t attend the program because flights from Africa can cost up to $2,000. When he contacted the finaid office, they paid for his entire flight and then some!</p>
<p>Bottom Line: If you can get in, you will be taken care of!</p>
<p>Wow that’s amazing that’s a point up for Yale. Do you think harvard does that with it’s larger endowment?</p>
<p>I can tell you everything based on my experience. </p>
<p>If you make really little money the least you will have to pay Harvard is:</p>
<p>$1500 Student Contribution (you are supposed to earn this in the summer and it will go up every year)
$2500 Work-Study
$0 Parent Contribution</p>
<p>They do not look at personal savings in the bank if you have less than $3800 in the bank I believe. </p>
<p>The financial aid package DOES include money for books and student expenses. In fact it sets aside around $3300 for that (which you can spend however you want) and another $300 for travel expenses from Harvard to your home (travel expense allowance probably more for people living further away). Therefore the bulk of the money you would pay Harvard is not for tuition food or housing.</p>
<p>Remember there is also health insurance, and $1800 of the health insurance is not included in financial aid. So if you can’t transfer your health insurance to MA you are required to buy it with extra money. </p>
<p>If you have outside scholarships they can cover all of your work-study, student contribution, plus an additional $2500 for “computer and printing” supplies. So if you have outside scholarships they are only worthwhile for $2500+$1500+$2500 = $6500 because over that the money just goes to Harvard. </p>
<p>That’s about it, and remember this is only if you get the best package which is for <= $60000. </p>
<p>As for Princeton and Yale, the packages are similar. Princeton only requires $1000 student contribution and less work study so their package is a little better. Yale’s package is practically the same as Harvard’s, within a few hundred dollars.</p>
<p>These schools also have interest-free loans for everyone if you want one for whatever reason. </p>
<p>Anything other than Harvard Yale and Princeton will have a parent contribution (correct me if i’m wrong?), unless you get a merit scholarship.</p>
<p>^ Are you sure all of that is correct? For one, my student contribution is only $1300. Moreover, $1700 for health insurance is also included in my FA package. I am Canadian, though.</p>
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<p>I was told that money for books and transportation comes from your employment earnings. Are you suggesting that you receive a $3600 stipend for those things? If so, what are your employment earnings used for?</p>
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<p>Hmm, I’m Canadian and I have a student contribution, although maybe it’s different for us.</p>
<p>So how would I ask for a comp? “hey havard I don’t have money for a computer can you buy me one”?</p>
<p>Oh wow, that’s amazing…</p>
<p>What I was told is that you ask for a refund for things like books, personal expenses and travel. The amount earned from a term-time job for me, doesn’t cover the personal expenses and travel on the budget, so it can’t just be my employment earnings…</p>
<p>Mustafah, yes the money comes from employment earnings. But work study is $2500 so they give you the rest in a check I believe. And if you got an outside scholarship to cover the work study they also give you they money. Hm yeah the cost discrepancies between me and you may have to do with the fact that you are from another country, or they may just subdivide the <= $60,000 bracket further, which is likely.</p>
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<p>Apply for outside scholarships and amass at least $6,500 of them - if you can get into Harvard, you can easily get a thousand or two here and there from foundations and corporate benefactors. The first $4000 you earn will cancel out your Student Contribution and Work-Study obligations; the next $2500 can be applied (one time only) at the start of your freshman year toward a computer, printer, supplies, and academic peripherals (not MP3 players or cameras). </p>
<p>Yale’s aid is good too, but one considerable difference impacts students who have money in their own name. Harvard will require students to contribute 5% of their own money; Yale requires 25%. If a student has any significant amount of their own funds and gets into both schools, Harvard would be a no-brainer.</p>
<p>Don’t forget MIT as well, it’s not just HYP that offers this type of financial aid 
MIT actually gave me slightly better financial aid than Harvard did, which was fairly surprising, plus MIT is paying for my books as well as tuition/board/meals.</p>