My son has applied for 8th grade admission to boarding schools and was accepted at one of his top three choices. The aid offered aid although quite generous is simply not enough. The tuition that the school is asking me to pay is almost 30% of my income (I am a single parent with no financial assistance from other parent except court ordered child support) This would create a hardship for my family.How can I negotiate the package? If I could somehow get the school to increase the aid by 2K, I could find a way to afford the tuition. I would appreciate anyone’s suggestions.
Schools (BS + colleges alike) are receptive to certain language surrounding FA, and not so receptive to other language. You need to have a conversation (phone or in person, not email) with the director of FA. Don’t demand (no ultimatums) but if you ask questions (i.e., “did you notice that I’m a single parent?”) and make sure that all aspects of your situation/application were taken into consideration. Explain, in the most polite way possible, what you have conveyed above…ie, that $2k is the tipping point for you…ie with that much additional aid you feel confident you could make it happen. It’s a conversation, person to person.
I saw on another thread that your son has applied to other schools for which you are still waiting for decisions. Might it be wise to wait until all your decisions are in and then contact the schools. You will know the full extent of your options at that point.
I am sorry that I can not answer your question but I would like to tack on a question to yours. What amount is the average percentage one can expect for FA. Is Serioussweetie in the normal range? I know a lot depends on endowment levels.
I would imagine that there is a somewhat a correlation between endowment size and financial aid budget but not always. I’v read here that there are many schools with lower endowments who are very generous. I looked at the financial aid budget for each school, the percent of students getting FA, and the average award to arrive at some of my own conclusions.
A few thoughts, based on experience…
- If you can wait to see if he gets more aid from another school, you could pull the "We'd rather go to School A, but School B is offering us $X more." Some think this strategy is a bit crass/mercenary, but hey, 30% of HHI is a lot. We did this with both girls — with mixed results. But again, if it truly not going to happen unless you can eke out that extra $2k, you have nothing to lose.
- Do not think you are alone in facing hardships to send your kids to what you feel is a better school. For everyone but the most wealthy, BS tuition will put a serious dent in the household budget. You have to be very honest on what constitutes a true hardship vs. what compromises your current lifestyle. People have refinanced their homes and/or tapped retirement/savings to make BS happen.
- This is going to sound flip, but it's not: Do not be afraid to tap into your expanded family network. For all you know, your Aunt Frieda has a nest egg and no kids and would like nothing more than help to chip in for your son's education.
Best of luck.
Thank you kindly for your response!
I certainly agree with your logic and am awaiting several admission decisions and/or financial aid packages from other schools. I have already asked for an extension from the school that I am referring to in my post because they wanted the contract and enrollment package before March 10. However since the school is on a school break right now, I have not received a response from them in regarding to extending the due date of the contract.
Therefore, I am hoping that they extend the due date so that I can make a more informed decision.
@mathmusicmadness, thank you kindly for your response!
I appreciate this information. It makes sense that the financial aid officer will take more kindly to certain language. I had planned to have a telephone conversation in regards to asking for more aid. Yes, it makes sense to be as diplomatic and tactful as possible. The last thing I want to do is seem ungrateful or demanding.
:-SS
@SevenDad
Thank you very much for your response.
I am willing to sacrifice as much as possible to send my son to a better school. We are very determined. In fact, if I am not able to get more aid at this school or a better aid at another similar school, I will probably accept the package as is and take out a loan. I have even thought of pawning off anything that I can to acquire the funds. I am willing to ask friends and family, but of course I would rather avoid that if possible because unfortunately, everyone I know is struggling financially. I don’t own my own home, but rent so refinancing is not an option. But along that same vein, I even thought of giving up my apartment and moving in with my mother who also rents. My rent would then decrease dramatically, making BS tuition more affordable. I don’t have much in retirement, but I won’t hesitate to tap into it if I have to. I even joked around the other day with a friend, if I have to eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for the next four years, so my son can go to BS or even DS, then I would do it! Now I am beginning to wonder if that will in fact be a reality for me.
:-S
You’ve gotten good advice above. If push comes to shove and that is the best offer you have on the table, I will throw out there that your son could help contribute to that $2K through summer work.
@Serious: Ramen>PB. 
IMO, 2k is an easy stretch for the school that wants your kid to attend. Ask courteously and make it clear that 2k or a bit more is what’s needed so you will make a commitment. Good luck!
2k seems like an odd number to say something is affordable or not. Please remember tuition will probably go up next year too. Further, the school may alter your expected contribution every year.
Thanks for your feedback. Well, for my personal financial circumstances, two thousand dollars make a big difference. I am aware that tuition will inevitably increase every year. I am just hoping that the aid awarded going forward will still be affordable.
Thanks for the feedback, I certainly hope so!
Thank you kindly for the feedback. Yes, that is a great idea. I even wondered about online crowd funding. I might give that a try, seems to work for some people!
2000 is a lot of money. That’s not my point I am just saying that it’s a an odd number in the FA world. Crowdfunding? Wow. I would be consider that rather offensive to ask people to pay for your kid to go to a private school. Malaria in Africa maybe but private school?
@panpacific – I grew up on welfare with a single mom. She some how manage to get me into a parochial school. Whatever the equivalent of $2k was X number of years ago, that would have been huge to her.
For some people $2k is an enormous percentage of their disposable income.
I like the suggestion of hitting up close relatives.
@Center As you may have already discerned, I am not very knowledgeable about the FA world…so I am not really sure I understand why asking for an additional 2K in aid is an odd number? I have seen crowdfunding sites where students, usually college students, ask for money to pay for tuition, room and board, extracurricular activities, etc, you name it I have seen it. I am sure some people might find that offensive, but so what? I would not be out there asking for help if I didn’t think I absolutely needed it. Of course Malaria in Africa is probably less offensive to some people. I don’t think that is a fair comparison.
@panpacific thanks for sharing. Kudos to your mother for making your education a priority. Speaking from a parental perspective, I am sure it was not easy.