Financial Aid Appeal Help

Colleges and Universities A-Z Wellesley College
1

<p>Hello! </p>

<p>I am in a tough situation. Wellesley is my dream school, and my financial aid package was better than what I received from some schools, but I am still left with about at 25k gap to account for after what my family thinks they can contribute. I want to appeal my package, but I don't know what will be the most helpful to say.</p>

<p>I received a full tuition scholarship to Mt. Holyoke, a STRIDE scholarship at Smith, and Oberlin believed my EFC would be about half of what Wellesley thought it should be. Are these good bargaining chips? Some more than others?</p>

<p>My parents are also divorced, and I live with my mother. My father and stepmother make significantly more than my mother does. Would they consider putting more weight on my custodial parent's income? Or maybe ignoring my stepmother's? </p>

<p>I can't claim that anything major has changed since we filed taxes, which I know is usually the most helpful when appealing. </p>

<p>Does anyone have success stories in dealing with Wellesley SFS? I could send in my housing deposit in a heartbeat if they could offer more in aid.</p>

<p>Thank you!</p>

2

<p>What seems odd to me is the Oberlin and Wellesley had such different evaluations of your need. I would check to be sure that the Wellesley form was filled out correctly.</p>

<p>Unlike Mt. Holyoke or Smith, Wellesley does not offer merit aid so it’s unlikely to bargain with you on that basis. But if you let them know about Oberlin’s estimated EFC or review what you submitted, it might change things.</p>

<p>Wellesley uses the CSS-Profile so noncustodial parents’ income and assets are considered (unlike FAFSA). If your father and his wife are joint-filing taxes, her income will be considered.</p>

3

<p>Have you run the Net Price Calculator of Wellesley and Oberlin? </p>