<p>Did yours tend to stay the same?</p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>Oberlin’s policy is to meet the full demonstrated financial need of each student; thus, need-based aid is recalculated each year based on the student’s current financial circumstances. Merit aid tends to stay the same. You can get further information from the FA office.</p>
<p>Thanks. I know that’s the policy but financial need is subject to interpretation. I was hoping for some real world general examples, such as “our income went up a couple thousand but aid stayed the same,”</p>
<p>Keep in mind that Oberlin does not freeze tuition in a student’s freshman year as some schools do. FA is indexed to the cost of attendance which at Oberlin will rise several thousand every year. That (as well as income) will be a factor in your package each year.</p>
<p>If they really mean what they say about meeting need, should it matter what happens to tuition and fees? If they determine I can afford to pay $25000 freshman year, and our income stays the same, how can they say I can afford to pay more sophomore year bc tuition increased?</p>
<p>No - tuition and fee increases only matter in that they are taken into consideration when determining need. That is the reason that the FA is re-evaluated each year. Your FA package should still meet your calculated need which is a factor of BOTH income (and any changes to it) and increases in the tuition, board and fees. So if your EFC stays the same - your aid package will increase if the COA increases. In other words - don’t worry about this - you will still get your need met. Is it possible an increase in salary will increase your EFC? Possibly, but that isn’t the only factor.</p>
<p>Thank you. That was helpful.</p>