Financial Aid (or lack thereof) at Rice

<p>um... does anyone know if scholarships take away from the financial aid they give you? i'm just curious...</p>

<p>^ I have the same question. I've got about $12,000 still left after the grant and I'm not sure if outside scholarhips take away from that. Anyone know?</p>

<p>I'd like to know as well about the scholarships. . . </p>

<p>I know that usually they start taking away from the self-help portions (work-study and then loans) and then start taking away from the grant, but maybe, just maybe, does Rice do something different? </p>

<p>And also....say I have enough outside scholarships that they get rid of my work-study and loans, are there still good opportunities to get a job on campus at Rice?</p>

<p>leonard just get over it. they do give a hundred percent. they met all my need. just because ur daughter/son wasnt given the same thing and YOU belive it wasnt as fair doesnt mean it actually isnt. from an objective point of view it probably is.</p>

<p>when do u get ur aid letter??? I havent got mine yet :|</p>

<p>
[quote]
they do give a hundred percent. they met all my need.

[/quote]

For your sake, I'm glad to hear that. As you can see in these and other pages, that is not the case for everyone. Sometimes they meet all true need, sometimes they don't. The blanket statement "they do give a hundred percent" is simply untrue.</p>

<p>what is true need? even your parents might disagree on the amount. this is all frivolous... its assumed that 100% is according to FAFSA. i mean, that they say 100% implies that they can actually calculate it anyway. if anything the other "true" need should be explained. in the OP's case, it doesnt look like FAFSA need was fulfilled. thats a problem. I had a 26.5 EFC and we pay 15k; we received much more than expected (expected 0-5, got like 17). </p>

<p>on the other hand, JHU was 38k or something ridiculous. so 15k vs 38k for the same person using the same FAFSA is not only telling but convincing, too. good job rice.</p>

<p>exactly....</p>

<p>Sheflowers - LOTS of jobs on Rice campus. There are usually some unfilled at all times, due to lack of students to take them. DD does not have workstudy, but has a lovely job that pays $8.25 hour - and she can study some of the time while she works. Tech jobs tend to pay more than that.</p>

<p>yea i was thinking about getting work studdy because of conveninence. i dont think i can keep working in the restaurant business since it is too time consuming.</p>

<p>when will my rice aid letter reach?????? (im dying over here)</p>

<p>I posted this on another thread:</p>

<p>hm...I got the century scholarship and the distinguished scholar award, but Rice's package ended up not adding those to the amount I would have received without the scholarships.</p>

<p>I emailed Rice, and they said that's just what they do. But I also read somewhere in this forum that Rice adds these scholarships on top of your need. Any ideas?</p>

<p>what do u mean?</p>

<p>As in, for u, COA - EFC > Scholarships?</p>

<p>COA - EFC is ur aid package i think...</p>

<p>That's exactly how ours worked. No merit aid awarded. Financial aid is award COA - EFC (CSS Profile #). Of course, part of the financial aid is work study & unsub loan. I worry about sending her to a school without any merit aid. As I understand it - her/our costs will increase each year as loans increase and aid decreases. At least you get to keep your merit as long as you earn it.</p>

<p>Maysixxmom: email Rice and ask how the loans increase/grants will decrease over the 4 years if your "need" stays about the same. When my daughter entered, the pamphlet stated that the total loans offered over the 4 years would not exceed $14,400. (or something close to that, if I recall correctly.) So they cap loans - unlike many schools. Let me know what they say, because I'm interested to see how/if this has changed.

[quote]
As I understand it - her/our costs will increase each year as loans increase and aid decreases. At least you get to keep your merit as long as you earn it.

[/quote]
Actually, I prefer needbased aid. Since Rice meets 100% of need as calculated by the FAFSA, as costs go up, the amount of your financial aid goes up. Most aid at Rice is a fixed amount, so that as costs go up, merit aid stays the same.</p>

<p>Anxiousmom -- is that the total loan amount to parents/daughter/both? Any loan amount will be on top of our EFC. D has med school plans so I'd prefer we not create a huge debt for undergrad.</p>

<p>Please check with Rice because my info is from two years ago... but, the total loan amount was for students. They (and other schools) assume that you will pay the EFC with savings, income, and PlUS loans (if necessary.) Hope this helps! Rice really is a great place - I hope you guys can swing it. :)</p>

<p>
[quote]
I'd prefer we not create a huge debt for undergrad.

[/quote]

maysixxmom, by all means check this out with Rice, to make sure that you don't run into unfortunate surprises.</p>