<p>my parents' 2009 income is higher than we expected. Do we need to let the colleges know that I will not be needing any financial aid ?
Is that going to have any effect on my admission chance as such?</p>
<p>Make sure colleges have the 2009 data, but I would not necessarily withdraw the financial aid application completely. Some colleges have a policy that students need to apply for financial aid at the time of admission if they ever want to be considered for financial aid in subsequent years.</p>
<p>You could…</p>
<p>Where did you apply? Many schools are need-blind, so it may not make a difference. And, some schools have already made their decisions.</p>
<p>I have to ask…I realize that your parents may have just done their taxes and realized the size of their 2009 income, but did that really just now tell them whether or not they can afford your schooling? That seems odd to me.</p>
<p>cross-posted with above…the above poster is right. Some schools won’t let you apply in later years.</p>
<p>I indicated in my applications that I will apply for fin. aid. when we started on the fin aid apps later we found out that our income this year exceeds the limit.
So I did not submit my fin aid apps. Recently I got 2 LLs from 2 ivies. They called later& asked why I did not submit the fin aid- I explained this year’s situation( my parents got some extra money ).They asked me to let the fin aid office know.</p>
<p>I don’t know how the selection process works. I don’t how the need for fin aid influence selection process
I like to think that they select me on my merit & merit only. .
. That is why I am thinking about informing all the schools that I applied I don’t need any aid at least this year.
I am not sure how next year will be.</p>
<p>well, the deadline has passed for submitting applications for FA, so there is no harm in calling the FA office and letting them know that you won’t need FA this year. And congratulations on the LL’s! At the Ivy’s they do mean you’re in!</p>
<p>Thank you. I am keeping all my options open. I have merit scholarships offers from other schools.
After April 1st, I hope to make a well thought decision.
I don’t want my education become a financial burden my parents. At the same time, I don’t want to lose an opportunity to attend a good school.</p>
<p>I don’t buy this about if you don’t apply now then you can’t get aid later. Here is why I don’t think it makes sense to me…A college needs to budget for each student and how much FA to set aside. If they award 100 FA freshman year for 4 years, they may not have money for 105 FA if later on 5 more students should need aid. They don’t want someone who purposely didn’t apply for FA freshman year in order to help them with admission, and without any family financial situation changes, then ask for aid sophomore year. That’s why they say - if you don’t apply for FA freshman year, then you are not eligible for FA later on because there won’t be any money for you.</p>
<p>Now, if you are applying for FA in fear of some economic down turn in your family later on, and just in case you may need FA later on, that doesn’t make sense to me either. How is a college suppose to budget for that? They are not some sort of financial predictor who would know which of those FA applicants would possibly need FA later and put some money aside for those applicants.</p>
<p>If you need FA, apply. If you don’t need FA, don’t apply, it’s not a lottery, you won’t hit a jackpot by luck. If you don’t apply FA it would most likely help your application. If your parents could barely afford it (and not eligible for FA), it is even more of a reason NOT to disclose your family’s financial situation.</p>
<p>All ivies and most of top tier schools will aceept FA application later on if your family’s financial situation should change. There is no need to apply for it before you need it.</p>
<p>"I don’t want my education become a financial burden my parents. At the same time, I don’t want to lose an opportunity to attend a good school. "
In these financial times, you would be very wise to think carefully about the advantages of of great merit offerings from colleges that would meet your educational goals, but are maybe not as high on the “prestige” scale. 4 years ago Son was accepted at 2 Ivys, as well as numerous other top 20 U’s. He was offered a full tuition scholarship at the less prestigious top 30 U where he now goes, and believe me, being there has not hurt him academically at all, not has he had a hard time finding many other equally smart students, who were also in the Honors program. He chose the “non-Ivy” because it had great strength in the programs he was interested in. And he will graduate with great LOR’s from his dept chair, and has had no problem gaining admittance to top grad programs. So think carefully if your parents financial situation could be negatively impacted in the future by your saying “yes” to a more “prestigious” college than they can really afford.</p>
<p>“All ivies and most of top tier schools will aceept FA application later on if your family’s financial situation should change.”
Oh really? Not according to their FA websites.</p>
<p>Without doing research at the moment…but assume they didn’t, how would it help you to apply for FA when you are not eligible help you later on? But I will go on few sites now, to check it out. I spoke with my alma mater’s FA officer, he said the school had a policy of assisting every student with FA while they are in school.</p>
<p>Cornell:
</p>
<p>Dartmouth:
</p>
<p>I read through Dartmouth’s handbook, there is nowhere in the handbook that says if you didn’t apply for aid the first year then you are not eligible for it later on.</p>
<p>“how would it help you to apply for FA when you are not eligible help you later on?”
I’m not suggesting that he apply if he is not currently eligible[ it
s too late now anyway] , I’m only saying that IF a college requires a student to be eligible for FA in his freshman year to be eligible for FA later on [and some do], then THAT needs to be a factor when making his final decision, IF he is concerned that his parents WON"T be able to afford the college in the years to come.
you are the one that said this:"most of top tier schools ", and that is what I am referring to.</p>
<p>Ahh, my misundertanding.</p>
<p>menloparkmom - What top-tier schools in particular have the policy that not applying as a first-year makes you ineligible for future years? The only school I know of specifically is Smith, though I’m sure there are many more.</p>