<p>how is the financial aid?</p>
<p>Pretty good. It was more affordable for me to go to wellesley than the University of Illinois at urbana which is a public school and also in comparison to private school better than Uchicago or carnigie-mellon. But it really depends on your own financial situation</p>
<p>For me it was great. Wellesley has you complete their own fin aid application as well as the FAFSA and CSS. I think this helped me out because W was the only college that went above and beyond my EFC. I do agree w/ dustipole about fin aid depending on your own situation.</p>
<p>For me it was great, too. I was deciding between Wellesley and another liberal arts college, both of which supposedly meet each student's demostrated need, but Wellesley was able to offer more financial assistance, probably because it has a large endowment. Also, if you get outside scholarships, your student summer contribution, work study, and loans are reduced before your grant is reduced. Also, Wellesley Financial Aid office was great about answering all the questions that my parents and I had.</p>
<p>I agree- Wellesley financial aid was awesome. They offered us more grant money than we ever expected, and the loans are minimal.</p>
<p>Wellesley's Student Financial Services are, in a word, AWESOME. I'm beyond traditional age, so my parents' income no longer counts for when they calculate my aid package, and I'm another person for whom going to Wellesley costs LESS than going to a State school--they gave me so much grant money I almost cried. DO NOT let financial aid concerns stop you from applying. Yes, Wellesley is expensive, but you'll be taken care of. If you deserve to be there, they want you to be there. They will do everything in their power to help, and they won't let a "little" thing like money stand between you and a life-changing educational experience. Go for it! :-)</p>
<p>When I saw how much grant money we got, I DID cry.</p>
<p>do they give out a lot of loans??</p>
<p>I'm hoping they give at least some merit aid to transfers. :/</p>
<p>No merit aid to anyone, actually. But their need-based aid is excellent. </p>
<p>The loans they offer to first years are a little over $2000- it's a uniform amount for everyone, and the rest is work study and grants.</p>
<p>Ack, I knew that. Don't know why it slipped my mind. Too many colleges!</p>
<p>My EFC is ~$2,000, so I'm not worried about not getting aid. I'd just rather get it for my brains, not my family income.</p>
<p>Well think of it this way- you ARE getting money for your intelligence because your intelligence is what enables you to get into Wellesley. They're just making it possible for you to come.</p>
<p>Plus, aid is aid no matter how you look at it. But, elizabeth did make an excellent point.</p>
<p>Wellesley doesn't offer merit aid because, well, how can they? Every student they accept is technically in the top of their classes so it's impossible to weed out the "best" students from the "best" students. And yes, Wellesley fin aid is excellent for those who need it (based on EFC). But I've known people getting practically nothing because their parents made "enough" money to pay for their 40K tuition.</p>
<p>elizabeth22, thank you for putting it that way. That makes me feel a lot better about my own situation. Thanks again. :)</p>
<p>Yup, what the_wallflower has pointed out is the case for most of the elite schools in the nation that draw top students. Ha, it's kind of amusing thinking about what criteria Wellesley would use in awarding merit-based aid. Getting accepted is hard enough.</p>