<p>I visited BC a couple days ago and absolutely LOVED it (currently a junior). But, my family is working-class, and I’ll need a lot of aid in order to attend (when my sister was getting her financial aid package from Wellesley, our EFC was under $4000). How is BC’s financial aid? From what I’ve heard, their financial aid program is pretty bad. Should I even bother applying?</p>
<p>Also, does BC provide scholarships for national merit finalists? I did very well on the PSATs, so that might help with the cost.</p>
<p>Many students posting here on CC have complained about their financial aid offers from BC, but you will also find people who have been satisfied with their packages and even some who have called their BC aid “generous.” Honestly, you don’t know what you’ll get until you actually see your financial aid package. But I can tell you that if your FAFSA EFC is only $4,000, you are far more likely to get significant aid (unless your family owns a business or has substantial home equity or other major assets that show up only on the CSS Profile) than other “working class” families with much higher incomes would get. And even then, whether or not the financial aid package is “workable” – including any loan obligations – is a personal decision for you and your family to make.</p>
<p>With the exception of the 15 - 20 Presidential scholarships (which are very, very hard to get), BC OFFERS NO MERIT AID so being a National Merit Finalist will have no impact. All financial aid is need-based at BC.</p>
<p>I find the rumors about BC’s financial aid being poor to be ridiculous. I was very satisfied with my aid package (it was more than generous), and most people I know that got into BC got excellent aid packages. </p>
<p>Considering schools like ND/NYU/Wake Forest that gave me dramatically worse packages, I cannot complain about BC’s financial aid.</p>
<p>My finaid from them sucked. Working class/single parent…I got next to nothing (and a majority of it was all in loans). BC was my top so it was a big disappointment, but if you really wanna go, try and you’ll never know. Maybe they’ll give you something good, maybe they won’t…just don’t bank on the 100% collegeboard claims they meet, because CLEARLY they don’t.</p>
<p>Yes, finaid is all relative. NYU and Wake are not known for being generous; indeed, they don’t even meet 100% of need, so its comparing apples and oranges. [Yes, WF claims to meet 100% of need but, unlike colleges that do meet 100% of need, WF “meets” that need with private loans.] But, BC compares itself to the top 30 schools and in that comparative group, BC’s need-based finaid is lacking. (Dunno much about ND…)</p>
<p>Apply and see how it goes. Ive been told by Fin Aid folks at several schools that the “pool of money” varies year to year based on the students that applied. That is also why you should apply as soon as possible for the aid. The only guarantee that anyone here can make is that if you don’t apply you will never know. Good Luck!</p>
<p>Quick question. We are currently appealing the financial aid award. Since deposits are due on Friday, should we submit that now, or wait a few days until the award has hopefully been upgraded?</p>
<p>@JustADad2 …I was told that appealing wouldn’t exempt you from having to pay the deposit by the deadline since you can place multiple deposits at multiple schools.</p>
<p>I was just wondering if delaying putting down the deposit until Friday might affect the financial aid appeal. Would the school be more willing to help if the student was committed to BC or if the student was still comparing aid awards.</p>
<p>We got an increased award of a few thousand dollars. That is enough for my daughter to be able to attend, but it wasn’t nearly what she got at other schools. Unfortunately the other schools were farther away and she needs to be closer to home due to a family situation. All in all, BC financial aid was pretty disappointing.</p>
<p>My mom was very involved in the process, calling my adviser a lot and talking with her, and got a LOT of aid, so we didn’t need to appeal. But I haven’t heard of anybody who appealed not getting an increased amount.</p>
<p>Could someone guide me in the right direction towards submitting a financial aid appeal? Although I’m very grateful for a scholarship I received, I’m still struggling to make ends meet and could definitely use a larger award.</p>