<p>Family has a fairly high EFC according to the FAFSA, but in no way am I able to afford what is expected of us. The only award notification I have so far was basically nothing and was from a school that only takes into account the FAFSA, so will the ones that take into account the CSS as well be a bit more generous?</p>
<p>The CSS PROFILE form that some colleges use is not designed to recognize more need, it actually is a way to identify additional assets which can be used for college expenses. So it is more likely that the school will determine that you need to pay more (especially considering as private schools are often more expensive than instate public schools)</p>
<p>I know that it is used to take into account additional assets, but I believe that it shows on mine that our family would lose money to liquidate those assets to finance my college tuition. Just wondering how it works, I suppose</p>
<p>I think every profile school uses the form in their own mysterious way. From our experience (d applied to only one non-profile school), the packages were very similar. The biggest differences were in how much of the aid was in fed loans. I actually expected the one college that didn’t use the profile to give us the worse package, but it was the best. They really wanted my d and were willing to sweeten the deal. But, in the end, she choose another college.</p>
<p>I would not count on CSS schools being more generous. I doubt they will care about the asset situation - they might think you can borrow against them.</p>
<p>The schools that might be more generous are Harvard, Yale, Stanford and Princeton…they give super aid.</p>
<p>I hope you have some financial safety schools…or some schools that will award large merit for stats. Did you?</p>
<p>Where did you apply?</p>
<p>What is your FAFSA EFC? How much will your family pay?</p>
<p>if these are your stats, you would get good merit from some schools that give merit…hopefully you applied to some.</p>
<p>Cr:750 math:760 w:680
4.3 GPA</p>
<p>Just want to point out that “Financial Aid for Upper Middle Class” is kind of an oxymoron.</p>
<p>Financial Aid is for the needy. Not the “Upper Middle Class.” </p>
<p>However, some schools use aid strategically to attract specific students, so there is a chance MERIT will factor in, or generous aid/discounts from privates.</p>
<p>But to even hazzard a guess at this, we’d need to know your EFC. If your EFC is $50k plus, then no aid/merit/discounted pricing is very likely. If your EFC is $24k and a school is a private with a COA of $56K and they meet need, then you might well receive something.</p>
<p>Eg. a state college where the COA is $24k will not give you anything if your EFC is $24k, but a college with a COA of $50k might as there is a “gap” between your EFC and the cost of attendance.</p>
<p>“Family has a fairly high EFC according to the FAFSA, but in no way am I able to afford what is expected of us.”</p>
<p>Do you know what you actually can afford? That is the figure you need to know. Then you need to be thinking about places that are in that price range to use as safeties if there is no aid forthcoming elsewhere.</p>
<p>
Despite her terminology, kmcmom isn’t really talking about merit aid here. She’s actually discussing financial aid with a merit component, or preferred packaging of financial aid. But she’s correct that you need to simply forget about this kind of aid.</p>
<p>You need to find schools that offer true merit aid - free money that’s tied only to stats and achievement, and not financial need. That will likely come from schools where you would be a very top student. Have you applied to such schools?</p>
<p>If this student’s family can’t pay their EFC, and he hasn’t applied to financial safety schools that give large merit for stats, then he probably needs to quickly apply to a few that still will.</p>
<p>Without a financial safety, this student may not have any affordable choices.</p>
<p>Scotty…did you use any of the NPC calculators on your schools’ websites? Did you have no idea what your EFC would be before applying? </p>
<p>How much WILL your parents pay each year?</p>
<p>Now it’s later and I’m thinking much clearer. Earlier was just a panicky anxiety fit about paying for school. I have safety schools and have applied for several need based. Thank you all :)</p>
<p>^^^yes, I mixed the concepts together there a little – the form of “merit” I was speaking of was what they call “need-informed-merit.”</p>
<p>Scotty, the only thing that concerns me about your last post is that again, you’re referring to need when a fafsa school already determined you don’t seem to have any, at least according to it’s calculations. So be prepared with a financial safety.</p>
<p>Scotty…</p>
<p>What are your safety schools? Are they financial safeties or are they schools that you know that you’ll be admitted to? Many schools that kids choose as their safeties turn out to be unaffordable as well.</p>
<p>For instance, I see that you’ve also applied to Villanova. Since you have high stats, that is probably a safety for you. You’ll likely be admitted. But, Nova may not be affordable. Will it give you a very large scholarship so your remaining costs are what your parents will pay? If not, then it’s not a safety.</p>