<p>According to CMU, they only guarantee to meet your full demonstrated need if you apply ED, which I'm not...Can any current students/past applicants who didn't apply ED talk about how much financial aid they received? Aid's a pretty big worry for me, since my family definitely can't afford the 40-some K dollar costs every year. Thanks!</p>
<p>For whatever one person's input is worth, I did not apply early either and received zero financial aid.</p>
<p>I didn't apply ED. I got everything paid for...of course with a suite of loans, but i get around 24,000 free grant money! I am a very needy student and even a price of 12,000 a year for tution would stop me from going to college. CMU has been great with financial aid and I have no problems at all. That said. IF you aren't need and your parent are normal income i think that it could be a little bit hard for you to get money. I know one person who got offered 5,000. and when you are talking about 45K+ 5K is nothing. but please apply!! do NOT let the money stop you. </p>
<p>Also CMU, at least when I applied in 2004, matched aid from other comparable schools (AKA good). You should DEF apply!!!</p>
<p>Be very sure that you understand ED and CMU's definition of aid:</p>
<p>
[quote]
Carnegie Mellon will meet the full demonstrated need with a combination of grants, loans, and work-study as calculated by the university for all students admitted under early decision
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Your demostrated need could be entirely be based on 'Loans' and still be correct to their declaration. Whether you and your family can afford the loans is not their concern.</p>
<p>CMU does enrollment management. Understand how it works. </p>
<p>There are many good articles and short books that you should investigate.</p>
<p>Son was accepted RD to several of the schools within CMU last year. We are middle class got and got no meaningful aid - only the "presidential scholarship" which amounted to $500 (that's five hundred) per year. Upon appeal, we got a couple of thousand, but not nearly enough to make CMU affordable. They advised us to use our home and retirement savings. Thanks a bunch.</p>
<p>LK: What was your son's stats in terms of GPA, rank, and SAT? Did Upitt give a lot of aid?</p>
<p>Anyways, it seems to me some kids get shafted in aid while others get good aid (and are thus attending). Such is the case with most schools. CMU decides who to accept and reject as well as the decision to hand out financial aid. In my experience the ones with great stats have gotten more aid and the minorities and women in SCS also tend to get more aid.</p>
<p>AA, I sent you a pm.</p>
<p>I'm going to apply regardless - it's just that I wanted to know how much of a chance I'd have of getting decent financial aid (by which I mean as few loans and as many grants as possible). Thanks for all of your responses. :)</p>