financial aid looks good for 1st year- but doesn't it change for 2nd year?

Applying to College
1

<p>I am just wondering- hypothetically..
An ivy might say you only need to pay 10% of your family income (not sure how financial aid works, yet) which is for the 1st year. looks good. but when you get your financial aid package for 2nd year college, you see that the amount ur family is expected to pay has increased. is this common? </p>

<p>which private schools tend to have really good aid for the 1st year and have significant decrease in grant aid for subsequent years? i want to be wary of these deceptive financial aid packages...</p>

<p>i'm a hs senior, not so familiar with how financial aid works, but this thought just occurred to me.. anyone with experience?</p>

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<p>It’s not so much that the packages are deceptive - but if your family income changes - so will your aid. If your parents income goes up from 2010 to 2011 - you should expect your FA to go down. Generally speaking, colleges do shift to less grant aid each year - and more “self-help” (loans) each year. So, unless your parents experience a job loss or some other sharp drop in income - the pkg you get for freshman year will probably be the best one you will receive.</p>