Financial Aid at GW

Hello! I have read and heard from a lot of different people that George Washington is considered to be one of the most expensive universities in the country. I think I have a decent shot at getting in, but definitely cannot afford to pay full tuition. Anyway, I used the NPC for GW from the college board, as well as a lot of the other private schools I’m applying to, and they said I would be paying around 25,000 a year, which was the lowest price out of all the schools I calculated. A lot of people say that the NPC is somewhat accurate for most schools, so I’m wondering if it is for GW. I was very shocked by how low this number is because though my family definitely cannot afford to pay full tuition, we’re probably high middle class, with my father making 100k+ a year (I do have 3 other siblings, don’t know if that plays any part). Should I expect this number to be accurate?

I wouldn’t say it’s too accurate, my family makes somewhere around there and my package told me I’d be paying 45,000…

That number could totally be accurate, depending on how they define “what you pay.” If federal Stafford loans are included as part of the “aid package” and then you pay out-of-pocket $25K per year, I’d totally believe that. However, it’s my opinion that Stafford loans should count as “what you pay” because even though you’re not paying that while you’re in school, that adds-up to A LOT of debt upon graduation.