<p>so i just read my acceptance packet and i was just curious about something.</p>
<p>I received ~45K in grant (labelled "JHU Grant/Freshman") and 2500 in work study. i did not receive any loans because, according to the finaid letter, "based on the combination of an exceptionally strong academic profile and financial need, your financial aid package will not include a student loan for your freshmen year"</p>
<p>it then went on to say that i would not exceed 5K in borrowing at graduation, and will be given 1K in loans soph year, and 2K in loans per year junior and senior year. </p>
<p>anyway my query was in regards to the whole no-loans thing. i've never heard of this not giving loans for merit thing before and in any case, i considered myself a borderline candidate for JHU, not an exceptionally strong one. has anyone else gotten an FA package like this? am i crazy and hallucinating it? also, my sister is currently a sophomore in college. when she graduates my FA package will change. does anyone have any personal experience with JHU's changes in FA after one sibling leaves school? are they quite horrible like certain schools (NYU) or manageable?</p>
<p>before anyone suggests this, i do plan on discussing everything with a financial aid counselor when i visit JHU for SOHOP, however i usually find that personal stories/experience from CC members are very helpful for me. </p>
<p>thank you in advance!</p>
<p>I received a similar package, along with the same work study and loan numbers. I also don’t consider myself an insanely awesome student, so my mom (who works at JHU) and I are thinking that the loan thing is mostly just about financial need and they only look at merit a little bit, but like to say it because it makes people feel special (which increasing their chances of choosing hopkins).</p>
<p>Just a side note about work study: $2500 is the maximum, but that doesn’t mean you’ll be able to work that much. With relatively low-paying jobs and lots of schoolwork, extracurriculars, etc., it’s very hard to get enough hours in to make that much. That probably won’t be a problem for you, seeing as the work study money pales in comparison to the grant money, but it’s just something to be wary of.</p>
<p>I’m also curious to know how financial aid will decrease when siblings leave college because my sister will only be in college during my freshman and sophomore years. Sorry I couldn’t help with that question!</p>
<p>thanks for your response! 
hmm well i’m not sure what your family’s income bracket is, but by the traditional definition my family’s middle class. that is to say, practically speaking we do have a lot of need since we’re paying for my sister and my dad’s going to lose his job when his contract ends in may but our AGI on our 2011tax returns was ~110K. generally families like ours don’t count for extreme financial need to finaid offices, you know? so that’s why i was confused hahah. and yupp i’m aware of the work study thing. i’m probably going to have a bit less than that and then try to find a proper job as well, and just cut down on the number of activities i’m involved in.</p>
<p>Seems like we both have interesting situations:</p>
<p>My family income is <$30,000 per year and I got $25,000 freshman JHU grant. However, I assume that would have been higher if my mom didn’t work at Hopkins. Because she does, I get ~$22,000 off per year, so I assume they lowered the grant by about that much, but I can’t be completely sure of what it would have been if she worked elsewhere.</p>
<p>For you, I assume the large grant came from them seeing that you’ll have a decrease in income soon (good thing you thought to include that note!). Even though the fact that your family used to have a middle-class income means you should have at least some money saved up to pay for college, the low family income that could potentially last through all four years of college probably averages out to you being in a similar boat as me. We got the same work study and loan offers and I think ended with the same approximate freshman year cost, which further supports the assumption that they treated you as if your family was making about the same amount of money as mine.</p>
<p>However they worked it out, it’s definitely a good deal and I hope it’s good enough that you don’t have much trouble affording college! As far as potential decreases go, I still don’t know anything about how much it changes when a sibling graduates, but I’ve seen multiple posts with people saying they won’t suddenly take the money away from you unless your grades drop below the JHU average or your family income increases.</p>
<p>I am not a financial aid counselor so I asked one of my colleagues in the financial aid office to answer the main question of this discussion thread and here is what he wrote:</p>
<p>What happens to the financial aid package when an older sibling in college graduates?
When older siblings complete their undergraduate studies and/or enroll in graduate school, they are excluded from number in college. For most students, this results in a reduction of JHU grant funds. Likewise, when a student’s younger sibling enter college, JHU grants funds will likely be increased.</p>
<p>What criteria is used to name Hopkins 5 (limit to $5k debt) students?
Students who demonstrate exceptional financial need and academic merit are selected for this program. </p>
<p>I recommend if you have further questions you should direct them to a financial aid counselor: [Student</a> Financial Services | Contact Advisors](<a href=“Student Financial Support | Johns Hopkins University”>Student Financial Support | Johns Hopkins University)</p>