<p>Has anyone had experience appealing a financial aid decision at Oberlin? We received no aid other than an unsubsidized Stafford loan and we are really sweating how to afford the cost. Since our child was admitted ED, what do we do?</p>
<p>I would talk to the financial aid office. Why is it difficult for you to afford Oberlin? Let the finaid office know of this, and talk to them about it. Perhaps your child can get on-campus work to pay off some of the education? Did you try the finaid calculator from Oberlin before you applied ED, and what they assumed to afford you was very different from what you received in aid? You also want to look at scholarships outside of Oberlin, and even smaller scholarships of a few thousand USD can help add up to quite some in the long run. Could this work for you?</p>
<p>But yes, that’s the negative side of going ED, and the reason why I didn’t. Best of luck, though! I hope these advices help some!</p>
<p>You can certainly appeal - let us know how that goes. When applying ED, you have the option of receiving an estimate of financial aid (by filling out the CSS/Profile - which you are required to do to receive aid from Oberlin). If you did this, your aid package is probably not a big surprise. If circumstances have changed, the financial aid office will certainly work with you.</p>
<p>Word of caution about scholarships. They are definitely a good thing. However, they must be reported to the school and, as far as we know, they will be applied against any loans or work-study dollars. I think the theory is that your EFC (expected family contribution) is a set amount - and that if you have to take out less loans, that’s a good thing. It is… but it sure would be nice if the parent’s contribution could be reduced by scholarship amounts 
Good luck and welcome to OC!</p>
<p>You probably know this, but just in case: if it turns out that you’re unable to afford Oberlin, you’re certainly not bound by the ED agreement. You have the option of declining Oberlin’s offer and applying elsewhere. But let’s hope it doesn’t come to that: if you think the FA office has overlooked some part of your financial situation in calculating your EFC, talk to them about it. They’re very reasonable people.</p>
<p>Where do I find my EFC?</p>
<p>It should be included in your FA letter. If it’s not, then call the FA office and ask.</p>
<p>Now you see why early decision is better for the schools than it is for the students! When my daughter was admitted (not ed) she got a JFO grant and financial aid. We went to an admitted students weekend and met with an fin aid officer, and explained that, because of certain circumstances of our family finances, we could not actually afford as much as OC assumed. They nodded politely and I concluded that the meeting had been a waste of time. But soon after we got a revised financial aid offer with somewhat more money – not a lot.</p>
<p>@fiddlecanoe: Those sorts of adjustments are regularly made for ED students too.</p>
<p>No fears . . .just go ahead and talk with them about your financial situation.</p>
<p>When we appealed we also had changes in our financial situation for the coming frosh year that were not reflected in the FAFSA we’d submitted . . . changes, even small, seemed to help them see our situation in a different light, which is what we after (and a larger award, too, but first things first.)</p>
<p>As others have noted, if they do not increase the award you’ve also developed information for any decision to decline the ED offer.</p>