<p>I am in a bit of a problem financially for these schools. My dad is a government employee and makes I think just a bit over $100,000 a year now. However, he and my mom both have a mortgage and a lot of loans to pay off so they have told me that they can only afford to support me with about $5,000 a year. This does not even come close to the cost of attending GW or AU. </p>
<p>So the problem is, I don’t qualify for need based financial aid as I am not exactly paying for college on my own, but not exactly receiving a lot from my parents. I do have an excellent academic record, lots of extracurricular activities, volunteer service, and some very unique personal accomplishments including my own business at the age of 16 and being a columnist for my community newspaper. So I was wondering if I might get some kind of academic scholarship or something from either George Washington or American University? </p>
<p>My ultimate question is which school gives better scholarships or financial aid that could help me pay for the college if I were to be accepted?</p>
<p>I think the top AU merit scholarship is in the 20,000 - 25,000 range, which would still leave you short. You will probably qualify for a Stafford loan, but you may need private loans as well. Good luck!</p>
<p>Why don’t you apply to both schools, see what they offer you, and then make a decision based on actual facts at that time? No need to get axle wrapped when you don’t have anything to base it on.</p>
<p>I would seriously reconsider your choices to come to AU or GW. GW TYPICALLY gives less aid than AU, but it’s all based on statsitics. </p>
<p>But for the sake of arguement, let’s just say you came to AU for next fall.
Total Cost of Attendence: $52,121 (tuiton and room/board only – does not include $1-2000 in spending money per semester or the $4-600 per semester for class materials such as books)
- Your Parent’s Contribution: $5,000
- Estimated Financial Aid for the Year: $10,000 (My mom makes 100,000, has another child in college besides me, and a mortgage. Only 4k of that was a grant, the rest was loans)
- The TOP academic scholarship at AU: $25,000</p>
<p>Puts you at a defecit of 12,121 per year. If you take out loans to cover that, you have just a base debt (excluding interest) of $48,484 JUST to the bank. This does not include the Federal Subsidized and Unsubsidized loans you took out as part of your financial aid. </p>
<p>Take it from a senior with approx. $30,000 in student loans that they’re looking to start paying off next year (and mine have only been accumulating interest for a year and a half) – you do not want the burden of having to pay back $80,000 just for undergrad – particularly if you’re looking to major in something public policy related where you won’t get back that amount in your next several years of entry level salary.</p>
<p>The AU presidential scholarship is given to the top students that AU wants to attract. It ranges from 20,000 to full tuition ($27,000). If you have the stats you could get that offer, no way to tell until you get the offer. In my son’s honors dorms some kids got the full tuition others only the $20,000, and my son can’t tell why there is the difference. If you get full tuition, it still leaves room and board, which cost about $20,000 - so you will be short $15,000 a year.</p>
<p>Most families also get a $2500 federal tax credit per student. Congress is proposing to extend these tax credits so they would continue to be available for 4 years per student. </p>
<p>In addition, the government of DC and most states provide grants to middle and lower income students from their states. Some states allow the money to be used out of state, although the grant is often much smaller.</p>
<p>I agree with the above posts - apply to both schools and then compare net costs. Just be aware that the GWU supplement takes some time to fill out.</p>