So I was accepted to Wake Forest last week, which was great since it was my #1 choice (and I didn’t get into any other match or reach schools, so even better). However, I received my financial aid letter and it said I don’t qualify for aid, which is just amazing to me because I come from a middle class family with an older sibling already in college with a steep tuition as it is. I just don’t understand how they can expect my family to pay $65,000 a year out of pocket. It is especially disheartening since this was my #1 school and I do not like my other schools much. I was accepted into another university with a $20,000 scholarship which makes that a viable option for my family, but it doesn’t even compare to Wake Forest. If i can receive something similar from wake, it may be doable with some loans so I don’t graduate six figures in debt. I was wondering if there’s anything I can do, anyone I can talk to to see if I can get some more money to go here. Is it possible to appeal financial aid? Really hoping to figure something out, but also accepted the possibly that I may not be able to attend due to finances.
Call the financial aid office and talk to them about it. I’ve found they really can be quite generous if you need a lot of assistance. My EFC was 0 and I’m only paying 9k a year for Wake, all in subsidized loans. It can be a lethargic process but if Wake is really your number one choice it might be worth discussing with them and your other school the possibility of putting down your admissions deposit while you continue to negotiate financial aid