<p>I, like many others, have recently been admitted to Grinnell. First off, congrats to all who did and those who didn't, I'm sure you'll end up somewhere great too! But I have a question about financial aid and anyone who has ANY insight at all, your opinion would be greatly appreciated. Parents, students, counselors, alums, etc.</p>
<p>So I received an okay package from Grinnell. I was hoping for one a bit better but at the same time, getting any money at all is great. I plan on making an appointment w/ the financial aid office when I go and visit. I think if I explain to them the situation and break down the numbers for them, they might be willing to up my grants a little bit. I was wondering if anyone knows how flexible Grinnell is w/ helping prospects out and giving them a little more grants? And if so, do you know how much they might be willing to go up? Without more aid, I would have to take out a TON of loans just to go. Anyone have any idea how to go about this situation? I don't want to seem like a person who just wants a free ride but at the same time, they didn't offer me quite enough where my parents can afford to send me there w/o making some serious sacrifices. Any insight at all would be great!</p>
<p>If you received a better financial aid package from a peer or more selective school, you may have some room to negotiate. You will need to give them a copy of that offer (so bring it with you) and confirm that Grinnell is your first choice and you will come if they can assist you.</p>
<p>If you have no better offers, it doesn’t hurt to ask anyway.</p>
<p>I did what M’s Mom suggested, and though they refused to match the other offer, they did shave a few thousand off my parental contribution. I think it probably depends a lot on whether you’re getting mostly need-based aid or mostly merit-based aid: they’ll probably be more willing to negotiate with need-based aid.</p>
<p>My daughter got her financial aid letter yesterday, and our cost is higher than our EFC and more than we have in the bank. Maybe she can go to Grinnell for a year and then transfer to a community college near the bridge we’re living under?</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice guys! @M’s Mom: Yeah I was thinking about doing that too but really, all the offers I’ve received so far aren’t that great. I think I might have to explain to them the circumstances of my situation. Thanks for the advice anyways! @Saurcane: Great news! Yeah I don’t need TOO much more but I’m HOPING they’ll give me about 10 grand more/year. As of right now I have an package of about 15 grand in grants and 5 grand in loans. But even with that, it’s not quite enough. Hopefully they’ll be willing to help. @spdf: Yeah! My package was much lower than the estimated cost… Maybe they make it slightly lower just so you’ll have an incentive to go in a chat with them. Hopefully, they’ll be willing to help me out a little more. As of right now, they’re asking my parents to live in a cardboard box for four years while I go to college. Can’t ask them to do that. So hopefully, I get a bit of a better package so I can seriously consider attending.</p>