<p>My first choice school is Notre Dame, obviously a pricey school. I am confident I can get in there, but money is a bit of an issue. My family makes enough that we probably won't receive much, if any, financial aid, but we don't make enough money that paying ND's crazy tuition isn't a big burden. $55k a year is a huge chunk of money. I'm just wondering how to squeeze as much money out of Notre Dame as possible without picking up a bunch of debt.</p>
<p>Also, I'm not a great candidate for scholarships. I have straight A's, several leadership roles, and solid ECs, but nothing that would distinguish me among the top tier of students.</p>
<p>Btw, my dad went to Notre Dame as well, although I doubt that really helps.</p>
<p>if you look at the ND board on CC, you’ll find a number of posts where folks were pleasantly surprised by their offers. </p>
<p>our experience is as follows. we have 2 kids going to private schools. ND appears to compute a slightly lower EFC than our other school. but for us, they offer the max stafford loan amount and about $2500 in work study before the grant money starts kicking in. </p>
<p>i’ve seen posts on the ND board that imply less loans, but that hasnt been our experience. so i’m probably not the one to give advice on “how to squeeze as much money out of Notre Dame as possible”. ha.</p>
<p>ND has very few (if any) merit scholarships. It is mostly a “need-based-aid” kind of school.</p>
<p>If your family makes a high income, expect to pay full freight.</p>
<p>If that’s a problem, also apply to some schools where you know that you would get merit scholarships.</p>
<p>Have you asked your parents how much they will pay? If not, do so.</p>
<p>*f you look at the ND board on CC, you’ll find a number of posts where folks were pleasantly surprised by their offers. *</p>
<p>Without knowing their incomes/assets or how many kids they had in college, this info doesn’t tell you much.</p>
<p>My nephew (with 4 other siblings) received NOTHING from ND. His dad is an engineer, his mom is a teacher. So, they have a high income…but not rich.</p>
<p>If your family income is too high for need-based aid and you think you are not a candidate for merit scholarships (of which Notre Dame has very few anyway), then the Stafford loans ($5500 for freshman) may be all you can “squeeze” out of Notre Dame. Apply for as many outside scholarships as you can. One local student who attended Notre Dame received a full-tuition scholarship for his SENIOR year at Notre Dame by devoting MANY hours in his freshman, sophomore, and junior years to the football team and working his way up to the manager position. That student worked many hours every summer, usually a weekday job and then umpiring on weekends, so that he could help pay for his years at Notre Dame. Good luck.</p>