Financial Aid

<p>Can everyone post how much need-based aid that Fordham provided for them and also post their families' general income so that the rest of us can get an idea of how generous they are?</p>

<p>Family income is only one part of the financial aid award, and won’t give you an accurate picture of what you may pay. Many other factors are also part of the calculation. Some of these are: the number in the family, other students in college, the student’s savings, home ownership, net assets, other scholarships…</p>

<p>The best way to answer this question is to use the Fordham Student Net Price Calculator on the website
(go to fordham.edu --ADMISSIONS–UNDERGRADUATE–FINANCIAL AID–Net Price Calculator)
These calculators are accurate for 80% of students, to within $3000. </p>

<p>Fordham (like almost all schools) requires students to complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). Federal aid is based on the FAFSA. </p>

<p>Fordham also requires the CSS (College Scholarship Service) profile. The CSS is more detailed, asking questions required by the college you are applying to. In addition to the FAFSA info, the CSS for Fordham asks about home ownership, assets, etc… Fordham bases it’s institutional aid awards on the CSS. </p>

<p>The collegeboard and cnn also have net price calculators, but Fordham’s will give you the best information.</p>

<p>I hope this helps!</p>

<p>I don’t find the calculator to be really beneficial. I feel as though the calculator has pretty much a set package estimate for everyone in the same financial category, not taking into account the other factors. That’s why I wanted to see ACTUAL examples. Thank you, though :)</p>

<p>Per the FAFSA, we had no formal need,($0.00) but we had a serious extenuating circumstance that affected us financially. Scores were in top 20-25% and her ECs were unusual and impressive. Also, she is an URM and has demonstrated intellectual curiosity, taking a very rigorous course load and spending every summer doing additional courses. Merit ended up about 50% of tuition, and is renewable every year, based on GPA and TIMELY filing of FAFSA. She did not qualify for work study or any subsidized loans and plans on getting a campus job to cover her book rental and miscellaneous expenses. Hope this helps. </p>

<p>I have a few questions regarding how to afford Fordham. Fordham is my top choice and where I want to go to college. However, I just don’t think I will be able to afford it. I ended up getting around $27,500 in grants/scholarships and my parents will pay up to $20,000 per year for my undergraduate education, and with my money I have saved up from working can put forth $2,000 per year for my undergraduate. I wrote a letter and appealed my financial aid package, and they gave me $1700 more per year, which brought it to the current $27,500 in scholarships/grants. Is there anything else I can do? Is it possible to ask for an increase in the additional aid they gave me? I just can’t afford to do $12,000 in loans every year. If I did a triple room I would most likely be able to attend. This past November I visited but the room I saw would be extremely tight for 3 people. Are triple rooms larger that double rooms? Or are they the same size?</p>

<p>My daughter was in a triple freshman year and it was bigger than a double. </p>

<p>Some triple dorm rooms are bigger, some are the same size as a double. Finley Hall (for upper class-men) has larger triples with a loft for the third bed. Students in triples tend to be out of their rooms more - which can be a good thing. Remember while trying to plan costs, that microwaves aren’t allowed in dorm rooms, which makes it hard to make your own meals.</p>

<p>If your financial aid doesn’t include work-study, that may be a possibility to reduce your loans. It’s always worth asking the FA office again - they won’t take away your current offer.</p>

<p>Good luck! </p>

<p>At LC, you can only triple your freshman year. After that, you will have to pay for a double.</p>

<p>My D started out in a triple freshman year in Queens Court and it was a relatively large room with a large closet. There was enough room for three females and all of their stuff. (She wanted a double and was able to move to another room in Queens after a few weeks). We were billed at the lower rate for the time that she was in the triple. The room that she was in when she was tripled was larger than the room she was in when she moved into a double room, so it appears as if they use the larger rooms for the triples.</p>

<p>Finlay is currently a mostly sophomore dorm. My D is in a triple with a loft. D is happy with her room there, and likes that the bathroom is in the room. Since it is designed to be a triple, there is no discount on the cost.</p>

<p>Diceman: Taking out some loans is part of the school process here in the good ole USA. Try to keep them reasonable, and I think 12k a year is reasonable, as long as you intend on getting a job after graduation. If you need to go to grad school to get a real job (depends on your major), then you should rethink it.
IMO making another appeal is not okay; there are many, many students who received a LOT less than you did and cannot attend their school of choice.
As for a forced triple being small, if it is what you can afford, so be it. My daughter’s friend is in a forced triple and she is quite comfortable. People make sacrifices to achieve their goals. Good luck. </p>

<p>If you are at FLC, the new dorm will be open, I was told by someone at the housing office… And all freshmen are required to stay there… And there are no triples… Only doubles. So there is no opportunity at FLC to save $4k the first year on a triple. The new dorm will require the food plan and there will be a community kitchen on the floor.</p>

<p>We too, are trying to find ways to fund our Ds education at Fordham. I’m asking around to see if F provides opportunities for scholarships after the Freshman year…any merit based on GPA like many colleges provide? The FA office did not mention it, just a broad statement about there might be some other ways for F help out down the road. Any thoughts from their experiences from F upperclassmen or their parents?</p>

<p>^^^Just that in our case and in some others I have spoken with, the COA went up each year but the scholarship $ stayed the same. And my S made Dean’s list and will graduate with honors. That, of course, does not mean that nobody else was offered additional scholarship $. I know there were additional honors awarded but I don’t know if $ was attached to them.</p>

<p>Also, do minorities have more of a chance of getting a big package because Fordham needs them?</p>

<p>Maybe, but also maybe not. Most people in my Honors program got full rides, but only me and one other person are considered URM. Everyone else was white or Asian (18 people total). They definitely will care and being a URM will help you, but I think good scores/GPA help you more. This is for scholarships, not financial aid though. They base their scholarships on the admitted students’ scores.</p>

<p>How about financial aid, though? Will it help being an URM?</p>

<p>Okay, I know three families with similar incomes, from same suburb:</p>

<p>All had little to no financial need, per the FAFSA, so only the unsub/sub fed loans offered, no one qualified for work/study. All were student/athletes, NHS members and all were given some merit money. </p>

<p>The amount varied greatly (range of 20K/year difference). Most generous merit given to the student with SAT almost 200 points higher than the others, higher GPA, more rigorous classes (almost double the APs), 4 year varsity athlete (others were JV), and had strong CV with academic and personal challenges, having received several national scholarships. That one was also URM, but other URMs from same suburb (attending different colleges) did not get a lot of merit money. Does this help? </p>

<p>Bottom line, work hard, really prepare for the SAT/ACT. Take challenging classes and never spend a summer on your couch watching TV!</p>

<p>As for affording Fordham, my D was not thrilled when I told her she was taking a triple. I gave her the option of a double IF she would take out more loans to pay the difference…she decided a triple was fine! </p>