<p>I posted this on the financial aid forum, but I know y'all are quick on the keyboard, so I'm reposting it here:</p>
<p>We received an email from UMich saying that my son's financial aid award was ready to be viewed. After some fumbling with getting into the system to view it, we were stunned! Almost nothing...one next-to-nothing loan that won't even cover books! My question is...is that all there is? I've never seen a financial aid award report, so I was wondering if anything may be added after the report is issued. Or is this all we can expect from UMich? Does this mean that the university itself has given him nothing? No merit money at all??? Thanks for any input. </p>
<p>They give out scholarships, but I think you have to have really high scores or something along those lines to get them (I don't know how they contact you about this). In the financial aid package, they also do give out grants from the University (I got a small one) as well as info on other merit awards (or at least on the the Michigan Merit Award because it has mine listed since I earned it last year). I've heard they're usually not too kind to out of staters in finaid. </p>
<p>Did your son receive a seperate message/email/letter that stated he was receiving a merit/scholarship award? For example son last year, received notification that he qualified for X award, merit/scholarship (faculty award, presidential, trustee...) usually before he received the detailed financial aid package. But this was not from UMich but from 8 other universities and colleges. The detailed package would include loans, work study, grants (federal and university), and merit award(s). Most of the time the merit awards were listed first and then the grants, then the work study and then the loans last. It was lined up in columns with the awards/loans/grants on one side and the projected charges on the other. Sometimes the charges would vary depending on the dorm choice and meal plan choice. Also there is a spot to accept or decline the work study and the loans. And if you want, how much of the loan or how much work study was to be accepted. So if they offered $2000 in loans you could say you wanted only $1000 in loans.</p>
<p>Is Umich your son's in-state school? Or is he out-of-state? According to the FAFSA what was your EFC? Was it more than the school's tuition?</p>
<p>Maybe they have only awarded the loan to date and have yet to award the merit aid for the year???? Does any else have an admit to UMich and have the received award notices of merit aid yet??</p>
<p>I think I asked more questions than you berurah!! Sorry! I hope you hear more good news soon!</p>
<p>Thanks so much for replying. Kat, you have articulated all of the questions that I WANTED to ask but didn't have the time to do with everyone clamoring for dinner (we're running late after a play). I guess I'm trying to find out whether or not the notification of merit aid comes separately. My son's scores ARE quite high for UMich, but we are out of state. :(</p>
<p>I have just never received/viewed one of these reports before, and I wasn't sure if it would be updated with merit stuff at a later date?? </p>
<p>Our EFC just may be over the tuition amount, but it is a TOTALLY ridiculous amount for our family of 8 (I posted about this at an earlier time under something like "Fafsa Freakout"). I was REALLY hoping for SOME type of merit award since he was accepted into the honors program and since he is a very strong student score and grade-wise. ~berurah</p>
<p>I know how you feel, berurah. Before I looked at the Award on Friday, I've never seen one before either (I didn't put MSU on the FAFSA because I have already decided that I won't be going there even though I did get accepted). I was nervous as to what it may say. I'm still waiting for a decision from Northwestern (and am HOPING that they will smile on my application and not just laugh at it as they throw it into the rejection pile), but I knew that whatever Michigan would expect me to pay would be similiar to what Northwestern would expect me to pay if they accepted me (can't you tell that NU is my first choice). Luckily for me, I think we might actually be able to do this if it happens. However, all I can do now is wait and hope for the best.</p>
<p>Does the honors program admittance come with a scholarship? Some schools don't have a cooresponding scholarship but some schools like Baylor upon admittance to their honors college in addition to their univeristy also award a tuition scholarship. It should be in the literature that came with his honors program stuff.</p>
<p>We are a family of 6, me and 5 kids so I know how the "FAFSA freakout" works. I was looking at the Peterson guide (2004) and they have the financial aid profile for UMich. It says 11,843 applied for aid, 8701 were judged to have need, 7831 had their need fully met. 4116 work-study jobs were awarded (average $2504). In 2001 5080 non-need-based awards were made. Average need-based loan $4026, average need-based gift-aid $8010. Average non-need based aid $4300.</p>
<p>Remember non-need-based awards can be loans. They don't have to be merit awards. So that 5000 number for non-need-based awards will include loan only offers. So it could be possible that only a loan will be offered. Hopefully that will not be the case. My oldest son and DD did not apply to out-of-state publics for that reason. All their best offers came from out-of-state privates. Senior DD has applied to some out-of-state publics but she is also a recruited athlete at some of these D1 schools. So there is some difference between her and my older children.</p>
<p>So to answer your question about my son's and DD's merit aid notification, yes they did come before or with the financial aid package. Only one came with, the rest all came before in a big Congratualtions! type packet. And some came with a personal phone call from the dean. It just depended on the school.</p>
<p>I hope something additional comes for your son. And you thought the admissions waiting game was hard....we have found the financial aid part much more difficult.</p>
<p>I so hope you get your wish for Northwestern! I will be pulling for you!</p>
<p>Are you an in-state Michigan applicant? (I am assuming so because you also mentioned MSU and talked about the Michigan Merit Award? What is that??).</p>
<p>So, you are basically saying that your financial aid statement included the grant and the Michigan Merit Award. That's what I was trying to find out. It sounds like the inconsequential loan is all that my son is being offered, or something else would be on there already....</p>
<p>You are so right about the financial aid waiting game. Absolutely no fun, especially after the FAFSA report we received. </p>
<p>You have basically answered my question...that we would likely have been informed about any merit-based aid prior to receiving the financial aid report. It sounds like your kids have done phenomenally!! You and they deserve so much credit for finding just the right circumstances. I wish that we could have all of this back. I'd try to get my S to do it all so differently. </p>
<p>From the figures you gave in your post, it certainly sounds like we are in the minority. I can't believe that we wouldn't get at least the average amount of aid, even if it were in the form of loans. Ours is just ludicrous. If this is it, Michigan is probably OUT. </p>
<p>The Michigan Merit Award is a scholarship given to high school seniors that took and passed (got a 1 or a 2) on all portions of the MEAP test that they took during the spring of their junior year. If they stay in-state for college, they get a $2500 scholarship. If they go out-of-state for college to one of the universities that accept the Award (Northwestern is among them), they get a $1000 dollar scholarship. I don't know how long that last part of it is going to last because the state was originally thinking about reducing the scholarship as a whole (did not go through -YAY for me!!!), but now they're thinking about getting rid of the out-of-state part of it (BOO!!!). I don't think anything has happened on that yet though.</p>
<p>We got loans as well but with a very small grant from the University which was a slight plus. Northwestern's cost of attendance is about twice of that at Michigan so we were worried (and still are slightly) even though they do say that they meet all need. We're hoping that the cost may turn out to be similiar to what it would cost for me to attend Michigan if I get accepted.</p>
<p>Thanks for explaining that for me! I am now wondering if the grant that you got was also something pretty much reserved for in-state students? At any rate, I so hope that you get your acceptance to Northwestern and that it all works out financially for your family. It sounds like you are a very accomplished student...I hope Northwestern will see that!! Thanks for your input, reeses!</p>
<p>Thanks! I doubt that they can adjust it as much as we would need! <em>lol</em> We'll definitely call though. I was kinda hoping for a fairly decent merit award...</p>
<p>Berurah, It is worth calling. When S got his acceptance from Indiana U, there was no info about any merit scholarship. I was surprised because his scores and stats are high for Indiana. So I called the Admissions Office, to inquire if the merit award would have arrived with the acceptance. I also thought that perhaps S had applied too late and that the merit money might be gone....</p>
<p>"Yes," said the man I reached, "generally it would come with the acceptance. But let me just check to be sure there is no error." Turned out that they did not have his SAT1 scores in the computer - only his SAT 2s - and so he sent his file over to be re-evaluated for merit. (They were still giving out money.) He also sent it to the Business school since he thought his scores were high enough for S to be a direct-admit. I was really glad I called.</p>
<p>In my view, it never hurts to call, as long as you only do it for a good reason, and you are cordial and not demanding - I am sure you know just how to do it! Then you can find out how and when they would inform you on merit, and if they might reconsider the aid package. You got a bunch of good replies, but each school is different. Good luck.</p>
<p>Berurah,
i feel your pain! My d has also been accepted to U of M (dual LA and dance). Thing is, we still have not received any e-mail notice; yet, when I go to the Wolverine Access site and click on Award notice (or whatever that first link is), there is a list of grants, work study, loans, etc there...for the total year and broken down by semester as well. BUT, when I click on the "Award Notices" link, there are no award notices. She did audition for a dance scholarship (would be very small if anything...they don't have much $$$), and she was told she was being considered for one, so maybe they have not decided yet?? </p>
<p>Thing is, we knew d's scores (SAT's that is...her grades are great) would not get her considered for academic merit awards. But there was an approx. $6,000 per year grant listed on the fin aid package...I do have two other kids in college, so this might be the difference...</p>
<p>Call them on Monday. I will probably do the same...</p>
<p>Thanks for your helpful and sympathetic posts. I did call the UM office of financial aid this morning, and the news wasn't ALL bad. They told me that the numbers we had received were ONLY those generated by the FAFSA. They said that typically, the student will not be notified of any merit scholarships until approximately six weeks after the letter of admission. S received his letter of admission on 2/17 (how could I forget--It was the day he broke his nose <em>lol</em>). So, there IS still a chance of his receiving some merit money. We will just have to wait and see. Can't say that I have the highest hopes right about now, but at least there's still a chance. ~berurah</p>
<p>My experience was that U Mich. was stingy with merit aid. We live out of state, but used to live in Michigan, and that was older S's first choice of college. S, a URM with high scores, a rigorous curriculum, got nice merit aid from 2 other Big 10 colleges, but nothing from Mich.</p>
<p>Yikes is right! I hope things do work out well for your son and am confident that they will ... he may end up with a better aid package at a private school!</p>
<p>I am curious about your statement that you would have had him do things differently. As I am learning from your experience as well as everyone else's, I am wondering if you would mind elaborating on that point when you have the time.</p>
<p>No, I was out of state. When he applied to college, older son still considered "home" to be Michigan, though we had left there when he was in elementary school.</p>
<p>I know some out of staters who did get merit aid from Michigan. How much, I don't know. But they had very high SAT1s and were val or sal. So I do know that some merit aid is given to the top students regardless of state residency. I posted some suggestions on the financial aid board about going after some of those scholarships. Unfortunately, it is the general rule that you just do not get much financial aid from out of state public universities. And there are a number of state specific merit awards as well. But every state school I know has some merit money to give students who can bring up those numbers. I don't remember your son's stats, but if they are significantly up there, he does have a chance. Where else did S apply, Berurah? I remember Miami, and I am willing to bet that S will get some nice merit money from there. If you read Evil Robot's thread, you can see that the acceptance is just beginning of another journey.</p>